Journal
Content: It Happened One Night
1.
Relate what was discussed in class or the text
to the screening.
Before the
Production Code was put into place in 1934, women were allowed to have sexual
desires. They would wear long, sexy gowns, smoked cigarettes, drank, and talked
“vulgar.” They were also allowed to show nudity, or partial nudity on screen.
Women like Jean Harlow, Theda Bara, and Mae West became sex symbols as a
result. Once the code was put into place, everything changed for women in film.
They wore tailored suits, and were seen as working class heroines. They also
adapted to the characteristics and roles for men. Some of the big female film
stars include Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, and Claudette Colbert.
This also brought
in the concept of screwball comedy. It replaced real sex with a battle with the
sexes. Women wanted to prove that they were equal or better than their male
counterparts, and often took on, or challenged the traditional roles of women.
Some of the greatest male/female duos include Katharine Hepburn and Spencer
Tracy, and Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.
It Happened One Night was the embodiment
of what screwball comedies, and the power of the female in films were about.
Claudette Colbert’s portrayal as Ellie Andrews was deserving of an Oscar
nomination, and win in 1935. She, along with her Clark Gable, represent the “battle
of the sexes,” concept. For example, in the hitchhiking scene, when Peter tried
to use the thumb technique to hitch a car, it failed. When Ellie tried it, by
“showing some leg,” a car stopped for her. It proved that women could be equal
in film.
2.
Find a related article and summarize the
content. (on the film, director,
studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) You can use the library or the
Internet. Cite the article or copy
the url to your journal entry. Summarize in your own words the related article
but do not plagiarize any content.
In the article I
found, it starts off by honoring the birthday of Clark gable, and mentioning
the fact that he won an Oscar for Best Actor in 1935. However, it was for It Happened One Night, a film that Gable
didn’t want to do. He would be nominated two more times, but never won again.
The article would go on to describe him as having a “powerful on-screen
charisma that went way beyond his evident virility.” They also mention that
because of his success in Hollywood in the late 30’s, he was proclaimed as the
“King of Hollywood.” Even with all
of the success, it was a pretty hard, and long climb to get to this point.
Gable lost his
mother while he was still a baby, and mostly lived with his stepmother. He
dropped out of school at the age of 16 to work jobs to support him, but when
Gable became drawn to the stage, he knew acting could get him out the
hole. By fixing his physical
appearance, and marrying his acting coach, he went on to Hollywood.
The rest of the
article talks about Gable’s life and achievements, along with several
marriages. His legacy in film is talked about, along with the films that made
him the “King of Hollywood.” (I.e. It
Happened One Night, and Gone with the
Wind.)
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.?
This article
support the way I thought about the film because Clark Gable’s dominance, along
with Claudette Colbert’s defiance, makes this the perfect movie about opposites
attract. Everything these two doe seemed natural, and it was magical.
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.
It
Happened One Night is a charming film that backs up its merit as a multiple
Oscar winner. It is one of those films that may not be completely profound or
deep, but is important nonetheless if anything, for its place in film history. This
film was also one of the lighter moments of the Depression. At a time when the
country needed release, they could find that release and laughter in movies
like It Happened One Night.
CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM
1) ( ) I have not handed in
this assignment for any other class.
2) ( ) If I reused any information
from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in
the paper.
3) ( ) If I used any
passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used
indentation and citation within the text.
4) ( ) I have not padded the
bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of
the paper.
5) ( ) I have cited in the
bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) ( ) 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) ( ) I did not so over-use
direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
8) ( ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore
have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.
