1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.
The textbook defines screwball comedy as a "battle of the sexes." It Happened One Night most certainly was that. Peter Warne stumbled upon what he thought could be the story of the century when he saw Ellie. Knowing she was of the upper class and that she had ran away, Peter thought he could blackmail her into getting a story. This was important to Peter since he was fired beforehand. Later you find out that it wasn't about the money or fame, it was about love. Although Ellie had an endless supply of money, she lacked common sense. Peter was the opposite. Peter was a journalist who was not wealthy, but used his charm and wit to get through any social predicament. Although it was a battle of the sexes, Peter still is a gentleman when it comes to the sleeping arrangements. He put a string in between the two beds and hung a blanket, or the "walls of jericho" as he called it. He respected her even when she threw herself at him. Knowing she was married he denied and forced her back to bed. The character dynamics also rang true to the style of movie this was. The characters almost sounded like they were talking in fast forward. By this I mean, they talked in a faster pace than normal. Prior to it's release, It Happened One Night went on to be the most popular movie of it's time and went down in history as an instant classic.
2) Find a related article and summarize the content.
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/12648/It-Happened-One-Night/articles.html
The article gives a brief summary and plot of the film. It also gives a little insight to the film and the characters before the film was made. The article mentions how Columbia Pictures were only putting out "B-Movies" until the production of this film. This film turned the company around and eventually swept all the awards come Oscar time. Nobody believed this movie would amount to anything, but they sure were wrong.
3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.
The film overall was a very well thought out film. Taking into account of the new style and the time period, it really worked out well. Coming from someone who really enjoys comedies, this film was very enjoyable. The character dynamics, use of props, and catchy lingo really added to the overall enjoyment. The plot was very prominent of it's time. Since there were no television sets and radios weren't popular yet, newspapers were the only source of news. This played into the plot of the entire film; news reporter looking for a scoop. But, you almost knew that they would eventually fall in love in the end. In conclusion, the film was very well directed and the actors played very convincing rolls.
4) Write a critical analysis of the film.
The film It Happened One Night was a well directed film in all it's entirety. From the character dynamics to the storyline, even down to the humor. It was a very enjoyable film filled with laughs, morals, and a great plot. When it comes to screwball comedies you need to have the wit or the humor. Ellie really set up Peter's joke throughout the film because she was a bit of an "airhead" and lacked common sense. This played to Peter's character very well since he was the one who had common sense and was always two steps ahead. One can see why this was such a successful film during this time period. You had two of the most promising actors in the business working side by side together, and I feel it worked out very well. They both fed off each others actions and jokes which made this film great. In conclusion, this film should be watched by all in order to understand where films came from and even though it was a different time period, comedies still worked and still work today.
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: Brandon Rossi Date: 10/16/13
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