1)
Relate what was discussed in
class or the text to the screening.
As
the film industry grew so did criticisms over the type of content most of these
movies had. Audiences wanted to go
the movie and be able to bring their families to come and spend the time
together and they wanted a movie that could be family approved. Aspects in movies that were frowned upon
were any type of nudity or sexual language. Also language was very censored they did not want much
cursing in these movies since going to the theater was becoming a family
affair. Although being released
before the Production Code was strictly enforced, you can still the see the
effects just the thought or idea of it in the film. The way Claudette Colbert was dressed in the film was very
conservative with a collared dress that was very lengthy. And although Colbert
had mainly one dress throughout most of the movie, she did wear another dress,
her wedding dress was still very long and covered up most of her body. However, the movie was still considered
racy because of Gables shirtless scene, in today’s aspects that would be
considered very minimal.
Another
aspect that one can see the change in way movies were changing was how even though
there was chemistry between the two characters there was no talk of sex because
as Gable’s character would say, she was a “married woman”. According to the
ideals of that time marriage should be take seriously.
Although
released a decade after The Gold Rush, the
American audience were going through another era of hard times. With the breakout of World War II in Europe
and the looming idea of war was all in the American’s heads, so they just
wanted escape. Also the depression
was still hitting the United States hard and movies were a great escape.
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2) Find a related article (on the film,
director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) and summarize the content. You may use the library
or the internet.
Even
though the movie was released in 1934, it is still relevant in today’s news
since in 2013 the movie was revamped for a DVD release. In the article “'It Happened One Night' overcame tough odds to become a classic” that
appears in the LA Times in November of 2013, discusses the way that the movie
was able to beat out the negative vibes in the beginning to become a comedy
classic. The article
explains that in the beginning stages of production not a lot of actors wanted
to take part of the film because of Columbia Studio’s “low budget, low-grade
films” (King, LA TIMES, 2013). The
article went on to describe the projection path of success of the film.
It Happened One Night at first was not
an instant success. It only showed
in New York for one week. It wasn’t
until it “went down to the
neighborhood theaters” (King,
LA TIMES, 2013) that the movie
became a huge hit. The following year at the Oscar ceremony “It Happened One
Night” swept the award ceremony. It won Best Director, Actor, Actress, and
Screenplay it also won the coveted Best Picture award. It was the first time
that any movie had ever won all five awards in one night.
3)
Apply the article to the film screened
in class. How did the article support or change the way you thought
about the film, director, content, etc.?
I can totally understand and see the
appeal of the movie. It’s a funny
movie with a simple story that can sound cheesy and formulaic but it was the
first movie of its kind. It was a
movie that just made you laugh over the little things. It is a movie that you kind of get
attached to and begin to feel bad for the poor girl and for him to. It’s one of those movies that you know
what is going to happen but you still just want to watch it.
Compared to the movies that have won the
Oscar for Best Picture in recent years I don’t think It Happened One Night fits
in. The movie is different from
Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush, while his was pure comedy; this one was a
romantic comedy. With a love
story. And even though it was the underdog, it made itself a film classic.
4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your
personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions,
text material and the article. I am less interested in whether
you liked or disliked a film, (although that can be part of this) than I
am in your understanding of its place in film history or the contributions of
the director.
The
film overall was a good watch. It is a film that stands alone in history. This was the final film that was
released before the MPAA began to strictly enforce the Production Code. The Production Code, would in the
following years rule how movies would be made. Movies during that era were much more conservative, but in
It Happened One Night you can already being to see the effects the ideals of a
culture.
Being
the first movie to sweep at the Oscars and the first to win all of the five
major film awards, it is a historic movie. It would be another 40 years before another movie was able
to achieve the same feat. So It Happened One Night deserves a place in history.
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Personally
I liked the movie, but it’s a type of movie that I would just watch once. Colbert and Gable did have great
chemistry with one another, they would become a comedy power duo, and they were
funny but the movie did not have a strong plot. You knew in the end that the two would end up together. But
being one of the first films of its kind, it was something new during that time
and people were not afraid to try new things and were open to change. And screwball comedy was funny to them
as was It Happened One Night.
References:
CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM
1) (x
) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) ( x ) If I
reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I
clearly explain that in the paper.
3) (x ) If I used any passages word
for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation
within the text.
4) ( x ) I have not padded the bibliography.
I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
5)
( x ) I have cited in the bibliography
only the pages I personally read.
6) ( x ) I
have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in
another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7)
( x) I did not so over-use direct
quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
8) (x
) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about
the research and ideas used in my paper.
Name: _________Juan Ortiz______________________ Date: ______2/24/14________
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