A movie that swept the 1934 Academy Awards and captivated Depression-era
America, It Happened One Night challenged the ways Americans imagined
marriage, romance, gender, and class difference. This book examines key
scenes and formal features of It Happened One Night, and explores its
lasting importance in film history and in cultural studies.
- Consideration of the film's role in establishing the genre of the
romantic comedy film
- Investigations into the film's persistent sexuality and its creativity
in avoiding Depression-era censorship
- Establishment of the cultural, economic, and political context of a
film that directly addresses the Depression and class issues
- Exploration of how the film invokes and develops the stardom of Clark
Gable and Claudette Colbert and how this stardom intersects with the
film's topics of gender, genre, sexuality, and class