Analysis - Frank Capras It Happened One Night - Movie Review Example

?Movie Analysis: It Happened One Night (1934 What is the film about and does it have a theme? If so, where do we first sense that theme developing? What methods are employed to emphasize this theme? Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night (1934) follows a story about Ellie Andrews, a spoiled heiress of a banker who escaped away from his father, and a newly-fired newspaperman, Peter Warne. Andrews was being kept by his father in his yacht away from his fortune-digger husband, but managed to escape by swimming into the sea and rode into a bus bound for New York. It was there that she met Warne, a snobbish, frank, and witty journalist who argued with her over a seat in the bus. After a stopover, Warne reads a newspaper and discovered that she is the Andrews heiress who escaped away from his father. When he told her about the news, they both had a deal: Warne will keep Andrews in his company without reporting to his father while Andrews will give her an exclusive scoop about her daily accounts. Their journey marked the beginning of a blossoming love story. Obviously, the theme is about love, and it was shown first during their first encounter in the bus and during their sleepover in a small rental house. The director used a scene in which two different personalities clash during their first encounter to emphasize the theme. 2) What were the choices made by the main characters and what were the consequences of those choices? When Ellie Andrews decided to escape away from his father, she changed the course of her personal history. Because of her rebellion to her father, she was able to see the world that is different from her affluent upbringing, more so, she was able to meet the person whose character makes her fall in love. There were also instances when she hesitated Warne’s offers during their journey, but her final decision to accept those pleasantries, such as an overnight stay and a breakfast, somehow gave her good results. Peter Warne had also made an abrupt but necessary decision when two detectives sought for Andrews by acting as if they were a couple fighting. Both of them were able to escape from the detectives. During an encounter in their rented room, Andrews got emotional and professed her love to Warne, but Warne decided to stay mum, but he knew he loves her. The following morning, he decided to marry her, but sold his written story to his boss in a publication and hurried home before she wakes up. He got the money, but he loses his love, Ellie Andrews, when she phoned her father about her whereabouts. However, Andrew’s last-minute decision to back-out from a supposed wedding with the gold-digger made her back in the arms of her real love, Peter Warne. 3) What three or four sequences are most important in the film? Why? First was when Ellie escaped away from his father. Because of that, she met Peter Warne and accidentally fell in love with him during their journey. Next was when Warne offered her a breakfast that made Ellie appreciated his efforts. That scene paved way for more funny but romantic scenes between the two. Next, when Ellie emotionally confronted Warne about her blossoming feelings for him, it made him want to marry her. When he left the following morning to secure money for his proposal and wedding to Ellie, that made the whole situation incomprehensible for Ellie that is why she decided to call her father because she thinks he left her. In the part of Warne, seeing Ellie rode in a car with his father also made the situation complicated. Lastly, when Ellie decided to back out on the day of her wedding after her father’s persuasion that Warne is a good person, she made the right decision by ending up with Warne. 4) Did the ?lm surprise you with anything unusual in its story, style, technique, or implications? The film is surprising in a sense that this type of theme, which I assume is a modern day invention, actually originated in the past. The exchanges of lines between the actors, especially between the couple, send shivery and fuzzy feeling to the viewers. It was indeed surprising that this classic movie exceeds the quality of romantic movies nowadays or equalizes the positive feeling it elicits from the audience with contemporary romantic flicks. Except for the black and white cinematography, Capra’s movie equates that of present films in terms of the storyline, theme, the dialogues, and the situations the main characters encountered. 5) Were any particular ?lm techniques used in key scenes? How did the film techniques and music enhance the setting and themes of the ?lm? Provide speci?c details and explanations. There was the use of long and close-up shots to the main characters to emphasize the emotions needed in a particular scene. According to Ebert, Capra provided the “prototype” of a particular form of comedy, called the “screwball comedy” (par. 7). This particular technique is used to add hype and a different taste to a usual romantic story which commonly uses tragic or serious themes. Screwball comedies nowadays owe a lot to Capra’s creativity. For instance, Warne’s sort of teases to Andrews during their sleepover in a particular room made Andrews somehow irritated, but the reception to the audience was more of that shivery, positive feeling. His use of ‘the walls of Jericho’ to mean the blanket that marks a boundary between their beds was also effective. Another scene was when Warne urges Ellie to take a bath immediately since the bus will leave in a minute. He does this as if Ellie is a kid. Their initial encounters also proved to be exchanges of lines as if they hated each other. There was also a minimal infusion of music, which proves to be complementing the movie and did not ruin its appeal to the audience. 6) Who directed the film? Does the director have a particularly distinct style? Would you recognize his work in other ?lms? What does the director's style reveal about him? Frank Capra is famous for his films that usually infused a simple yet interesting plot that actually aroused emotions from the audience. Capra was born from an illiterate Sicilian farmer and was one of the renowned names in Hollywood (Flint par. 3). Flint described her song as “suffused with affectionate portrayals of the common man” and “foibles of American democracy” (par. 1). His other movies Mr. Deed Goes to Town and You Can’t Take It With You also had similar themes with It Happened One Night, which all bagged him three Oscar’s Best Director trophies (Flint par. 4). These movies also had resemblances in their lead character, “the typical hero was a homespun American crusader, an honest and naive idealist threatened by evil forces” (Flint par. 7). In the end, the goodness of the lead character earned him a happy ending. His style reveals how much he loves happy endings to a deserving person after having suffered enough. His style also reveals his goal in making film watching a pleasant experience, and something that gives happiness to the audience after watching. Works Cited Ebert, Robert. “TCM’s 15 Most Influential Films of All Time, and 10 From Me.” Chicago Sun Times. Chicago Sun Times, 13 Apr. 2009. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. . Flint, Peter B. “Frank Capra, Whose Films Helped America Keep Faith in Itself, Is Dead at 94.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 4 Sept. 1991. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. . Read More