It Happened One Night  A-, C

Columbia/1934/105m/FS 1.33

            It's still a comic delight sixty years  after since it won the hearts of the public and captured five Academy Awards, including Best Actor, Actress, Picture, Director and Writer. The fairy tale trek across country of a snooty young heiress accompanied by a news hound hot on the story has Clark Gable at the peak of his charm and Claudette Colbert a perfect foil  his irreverence.

             Frank Capra's direction has elements of his signature populism, such as the wonderful rendition of the song, The Man on the Flying Trapeze, rendered by a busload of travelers. Of course, there's the classic class on hitch-hiking, frequently shown as a highlight of the film.

            The new transfer of the film is most welcome, but it still falls short of what the film deserves. Soft focus at barely acceptable levels serves as a reminder of how bad the previous video incarnation looked.  Still, it's watchable now and with nothing better for the foreseeable future, it is a collectible.

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out the  Movie Poster   Archive for short bios and images of Susan Hayward, Kirk Douglas, Katharine Hepburn and many more. This month's featured star is  Humphrey Bogart

 The Feature Archive has articles ranging from Akira Kurosawa to Blonde Bimbos, The Heistmasters and John Ford. 
 
Click on the image of  for a candid interview with Shawshank Redemption director Frank Darabont, Redeeming the Writer

HOT LINKS
National Preservation Film Board
Learn about what this organization is doing to preserve our film heritage. Want to know the guidelines for proper handling of film? This is the place.

Imaging Science Foundation
The Imaging Science Foundation promotes proper standards in home theater viewing. ISF trained technicians offer monitor calibration services to consumers. The difference in a  properly calibrated monitor can be astounding. Click on the image to find an ISF member near you.

 

Home Theater Reference Reviewing System
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