Two Comedy

It Happened One Night – Frank Capra, 1934
 

The pioneer of what would become the ‘screwball comedy’ subgenre, It Happened One Night proposes a story of two people in ridiculous jeopardy through which they struggle to understand each other’s and their own inner self. All gags and banters spark from the characters’ class differences. Whereas Peter Warner is a man fighting for his position at a newspaper, Ellen Andrews is a typical spoiled princess of a millionaire father. At least that is what Peter Warne thinks when the film starts moving. His prejudice against Ellen’s innocence, which he mistakes for self-indulging ignorance, conflicts with his own will to protect her. And so a chain of quarrels, threats, crying (both real and make-believe), happy songs, spellbinding conversations, and surprisingly, love.

If the film’s choosing of location and wide-angle scenes realises the class-crossing trip as much as possible; Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert’s responsive interaction heightens their characters’ journey and romance to its peak. In juxtaposing two seemingly different personalities towards a happily comical ending, It Happened One Night demonstrates the impossibility of their characters’ own existence elsewhere in life. When Ellen wails in crazily amateurish attempt to be a housewife, it is shown how hopeless not only to find such situation in any reality-based genre, but also something only a talented actress and an intelligent screenplay can offer.  

Director: Frank Capra
Screenplay: Robert Riskin
Cinematography: Joseph Walker
Starring: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert 
Country: United States

Bringing Up Baby – Howard Hawks, 1938
 

 

Ok don’t hate me if I say this was my first Katharine Hepburn flick. I mean if you do, I’m still writing this short review anyway.

Let’s start with the fact how FLIPPING CRAZY this film is. Any patient and logical viewer would scream ‘STOP for a moment and think!’ to the characters – majorly the naïve daydreamer/palaeontologist David Huxley, and his mishap of a companion Susan Vance, who loves him so much she makes this film happen, dragging him from New York to Connecticut with her, erm, leopard Baby. Blame Susan Vance on all this misunderstanding, mistaken identities, misled hunters and countless misery. Again, it is very irritating to watch, as long as you stick to your own logic: ‘THERE ARE NO LEOPARDS IN THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT.’ But no, just STOP and for a moment listen to Hepburn’s surprisingly modern feel of voice, giggle at Cary Grant’s young, dazed and confused expressions, shriek at Baby and abandon your scientific self to believe a leopard can be that tamed on set. Bringing Up Baby can be illogical and lengthy and what-not, but it is creatively put together and sustains interest when it has the least going on. When you’re tired of Susan Vance’s soft dreamy voice, it will be when she switches to a husky tone along a smouldering manner. When you feel like the couple is quarrelling for nothing, they will immediately be dealing with the ridiculous aftermath of their own conversation.

Just have a laugh watching this crazy comedy, and try not to do any tricks with olives!

Director: Howard Hawks

Screenplay: Dudley Nichols, Hagar Wilde & Robert McGowan

Cinematography: Russell Metty

Starring: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Nissa, May Robson

Country: United States