Review of It Happened One Night

From the director of the timeless classic that is It's a Wonderful Life, comes It Happened One Night, a wonderful film that is as charming as it is funny. While some parts are quite idealistic, it is essentially a screwball romantic comedy and a great one at that. The direction from Frank Capra is classy and dignified and cleverly gives us an insight into gender and class status, and the screenplay is sophisticated and funny. The humour still works, I found myself laughing when Clark Gable said "now don't tell you're in love with the bus driver" for example. The cinematography is beautiful and dynamic and the music is richly and sensitively scored. The acting is very, very good. Clark Gable looks handsome here, and he gives a close to hysterical performance as Peter, with his impeccable comic timing and witty humour. Claudette Colbert is lovely as Ellie, the spoiled yet somewhat independent heiress who Peter falls for. The two actors show great, charming chemistry together on screen, and they are terrifically supported by especially Walter Connolly as Andrews. The story is relatively simple, but I liked its simplicity, it was effective. Overall, a wonderful, funny and charming film. 10/10 Bethany Cox