This is a pretty straightforward romantic comedy of the era. Clark Gable is clearly having the most fun out of anyone in making this movie, which lends a refreshing kinetic presence as the plot plods along. It’s a charming diversion, which is all it really needs to be.
Closest comparison: It’s like The Philadelphia Story by way of You Can’t Take It With You (1938).
Setting: Adventure
Plot: Romantic Comedy
Tone: Comedy
This is a classic epic-scale film with excellent trappings and nothing to say. The first half is quite good and would probably get a 4/5 on its own but the second half drags on and on. It plagues the audience with painful repetitions of previously established material, over long dramatic yet exhaustingly boring tantrums from the main character, and pointless drawn out tragedy that adds nothing to the narrative. Even though there are some truly great moments, the rest of the runtime weighs it down and loses the plot in the weeds.
Closest comparison: It’s like The Ten Commandments (1956) for the first half and the never-ending slough of AI: Artificial Intelligence for the second half.
Setting: War
Plot: Tragedy
Tone: Petty Squabbles
