dmh7-1

Clark Gable is fine as usual, but this film is so obviously struggling to amuse the audience that it becomes painful, then dull, to watch. The reliance on repeated shtick and what is often a wasted talent (Donald Meek's take as the mentally unbalanced caretaker is depressing, as he is usually a reliable character actor, here asked to broaden his approach to paint a personality of bizarre - but not amusing - proportions). I really wanted to enjoy this, but the speed at which it became obvious this was a leap at an "It Happened One Night" clone only made it suffer by comparison. Every frame screamed "love me!"

Others speak of the chemistry between Gable and Crawford, but I do not see how it translates to the screen; I never once thought they were meant for one another, and was not entertained by the time it took to get there. The entire film - although spotted with good dialogue - failed to convince me that there was a guiding intelligence behind the tale, that the creators were convinced of its vitality as a comedy, or that it was meant as anything other than a desire to cash in on Gable's award-winning role in a better film. The slapstick is painful, the male rivalry unconvincing, and Tone particularly grievous, as he mugs and screams his way through this "comedy."

This film has all the elements to have made it utterly superior: a great cast of major and secondary performers, a sophisticated director/writer, and a storyline that appears to be charmingly eccentric and replete with the possibility of urbane dialogue.

And yet it is very strangely cool, the characters' talk seemingly hanging in the air, emotional outbursts muted instantly by ambiguous explanations, and a alienated and robotic air which smothers the comedy and the drama beneath a blanket of distance. The material strikes me as the basis for a good screwball comedy (the collegiate setting, the secret past, the childish banter and behavior between old friends) and yet there is no manic energy or feeling of fun, and it seems we are to take seriously what is impossible to absorb.

The film simply never "gels" as a cinematic experience, and it is no wonder that it is not more widely known. A near-numbing ride...