Ellie Andrews has just tied the knot with society aviator King Westley when she is whisked away to her father's yacht and out of King's clutches. Ellie jumps ship and eventually winds up on a bus h...
It Happened One Night classically matches two opposing personalities in a rapid yet witty romantic comedy. Love, an obnoxiously overwhelming emotion that can often dictate our actions towards one another. Initially one may dislike the other due to unprecedented circumstances. Difference in class, wealth, personality or all of the above. However, expend enough time with that particular individual in a closed environment, and naturally those extinguished feelings may burn bright once more. For overindulged heiress Ellen Andrews, whom originally eloped with a fortune hunter only to realise he solely desires her wealth, cooperating and cohabiting with the middle class seemed like an otherworldly adventure. Haphazardly fleeing her father, whom desires her marriage annulled, she encounters a newspaper reporter. Their initial disdain for one another soon transforms into an illuminating love, which sees them travel cross-country to initiate a wedding that neither of them crave.
Capra’s award-winning pre-Code romantic comedy is the grandfather of all modern romcoms. Simple as that. Every clichéd trope and narrative beat stemmed from this joyous road trip feature, in which continues to rampantly inspire today. From the inevitable romance between the opposing central characters to the situational comedy meticulously embedded throughout. It’s a romance not regarded highly for its basic plot, but for its sublime compositional components. Riskin’s screenplay is absurdly witty, nestled with sharp quips for both characters that would ensue joyous hilarity and gleaming smiles. A notable example is the hitchhiking dispute. Peter would egotistically demonstrate his ornate abilities to hitch a ride with a passing vehicle, utilising three distinct techniques with his thumb. Asserting his masculinity and all. Ultimately, he fails. Ellen then stands up to plate and secures a ride by flaunting her leg. Whilst this action may not have aged well in terms of portraying the female counterpart by seemingly objectifying her (a product of its time, no doubt), it seamlessly combines the visual cues of Gable and Colbert’s wonderful performances with the rigidity of Riskin’s script.
The feature entirely depends on their chemistry, including the way they naturally bounce off each other and the emotional connection attracting them. Fortunately, it’s categorically splendid to observe. Gable’s roguish qualities automatically promoted Peter to acquire a convincingly charming personality. His initial blackmailing ultimatum, subconsciously viewing him as an antagonist, soon dissipates into contagious likeability. The pencil moustache too was a win! Colbert had the most ground to break with her character Ellen. Developing a sheltered heiress whom had limited knowledge of the real world into a relatable individual. Excellent performance, with enough subtleties to substantiate an emotional fragility to her character. Capra’s straightforward direction, alongside Havlick’s succinct editing, manages to present a convincing love story through situational and literary comedy. Hugely sophisticated for its time.
Having said that, there is a precise moment within the road trip when Ellen switches into doe-eyed love mode. With just the click of a finger, her character changes from this semi-independent strong-willed persona to this emotionally malleable loved up weakling. Yes, its purpose is to accentuate her overwhelming love for Peter through an arduous one-sided confession, adjacent to the symbolising “walls of Jericho” that corroborate their privacy, yet it also diminishes her characterised qualities. The ‘Romeo and Juliet’ narrative strand unfortunately occurs all too abruptly, consequently altering the third act’s momentum.
Despite these reservations, It Happened One Night is a product of its time that still holds up extremely vibrantly today. A romantic comedy that relishes in the classic romanticism of pre-Code Hollywood, which clearly has inspired every subsequent romcom since. It’s the patriarch of the sub-genre, bolstered by sterling chemistry between the two leads. “The walls of Jericho are toppling!”, and to that I say “Let ‘em topple”.
