{"id":17064,"date":"2011-05-18T20:29:11","date_gmt":"2011-05-19T03:29:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=17064"},"modified":"2020-12-10T14:44:45","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T21:44:45","slug":"its-a-gift-1934","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=17064","title":{"rendered":"It&#8217;s a Gift (1934)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;You have absolutely no consideration for anybody but yourself.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Poster-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17065\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Poster-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Poster-85x128.jpg 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Poster.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA henpecked store owner (W.C. Fields) receives an inheritance and dreams of moving to California, against the wishes of his overbearing wife (Kathleen Howard).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Family Problems<\/li>\n<li>Henpecked Husbands<\/li>\n<li>Inheritance<\/li>\n<li>W.C. Fields Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary argues that this &#8220;side-splitting W.C. Fields comedy&#8221; &#8212; essentially &#8220;a series of set-pieces strung together&#8221; &#8212; is &#8220;the best showcase for the comedian&#8217;s unique brand of humor, which is based on characters annoying one another.&#8221; He notes that &#8220;it is these annoyances, piled one on top of the other, that in Fields&#8217;s eyes summed up the life of a married man in America&#8221;; indeed, <em>It&#8217;s a Gift<\/em> probably remains the most iconic representation of henpecked-dom in cinematic history. Peary points out, however, that while &#8220;the domesticated Fields is suffocating, he isn&#8217;t entirely defeated by his constrained life&#8221;, given that he &#8220;still has his wonderful vices&#8221;, and &#8220;remains an iconoclast in a world of conformists&#8221;. Indeed, Peary argues that while Fields&#8217;s Harold Bissonnette apparently &#8220;endures indignities without self-pity or complaints&#8221; and &#8220;accepts the absurdity of his world&#8221;, we are nonetheless privy &#8212; at least in the final shot &#8212; to &#8220;how Harold feels about his life under his expressionless facade&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>I recall being truly enamored by <em>It&#8217;s a Gift<\/em> when I first saw it years ago, and was looking forward to a revisit &#8212; yet I must admit that I no longer find the film quite as &#8220;side-splitting&#8221; as Peary (and so many other diehard fans) consider it to be. While I continue to appreciate the craftsmanship of each &#8220;hilarious&#8221;, expertly orchestrated vignette (which Peary spends the remainder of his review summarizing), I apparently wasn&#8217;t in the right mood to enjoy watching Bissonnette passively accepting one indignity after the other: a little of Fields&#8217;s characteristic sarcasm and mean-spirited retorts were actually missed! With that said, first time viewers (at the very least) are sure to enjoy watching the classic grocery sequence (involving a reckless blind patron, an irate kumquat requester, and a molasses-spilling child):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Store.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Store.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1669\" height=\"1015\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56833\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Store.png 1669w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Store-300x182.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Store-1024x623.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Store-128x78.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Store-768x467.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Store-1536x934.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Store-444x270.png 444w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1669px) 100vw, 1669px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; the attempted porch-sleeping sequence (interrupted by countless annoyances, both inanimate and human):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Porch.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Porch.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1679\" height=\"1029\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56834\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Porch.png 1679w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Porch-300x184.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Porch-1024x628.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Porch-128x78.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Porch-768x471.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Porch-1536x941.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Porch-441x270.png 441w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1679px) 100vw, 1679px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and the truly jawdropping manor picnic sequence (in which Bissonnette and his family cluelessly trash the lawn of an estate they&#8217;ve mistaken for a park). <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Picnic-Trash.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Picnic-Trash.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1633\" height=\"1039\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56835\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Picnic-Trash.png 1633w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Picnic-Trash-300x191.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Picnic-Trash-1024x652.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Picnic-Trash-128x81.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Picnic-Trash-768x489.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Picnic-Trash-1536x977.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Picnic-Trash-424x270.png 424w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1633px) 100vw, 1633px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Numerous humorous vignettes<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Kumquats.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Kumquats.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1683\" height=\"1029\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56837\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Kumquats.png 1683w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Kumquats-300x183.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Kumquats-1024x626.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Kumquats-128x78.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Kumquats-768x470.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Kumquats-1536x939.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Its-a-Gift-Kumquats-442x270.png 442w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1683px) 100vw, 1683px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as an acknowledged comedic classic. Peary nominates the film as one of the best pictures of the year &#8212; and Fields himself as one of the best actors of the year &#8212; in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em> book. Discussed at length in Peary&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=5986\"><em>Cult Movies<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0025318\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1935\/01\/05\/archives\/wc-fields-and-its-a-gift-at-the-roxy-theatre-kentucky-kernels-at.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/movies.tvguide.com\/gift\/review\/102367\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.filmsite.org\/itsag.html\">Greatest Films Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/79549\/its-a-gift#articles-reviews?articleId=88233\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/its-a-gift\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;You have absolutely no consideration for anybody but yourself.&#8221; Synopsis: A henpecked store owner (W.C. Fields) receives an inheritance and dreams of moving to California, against the wishes of his overbearing wife (Kathleen Howard). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Comedy Family Problems Henpecked Husbands Inheritance W.C. Fields Films Response to Peary\u2019s Review: Peary argues that this &#8220;side-splitting W.C. Fields comedy&#8221; &#8212; essentially &#8220;a series of set-pieces strung together&#8221; &#8212; is &#8220;the best showcase for the comedian&#8217;s unique brand of humor,&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=17064\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17064"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56838,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17064\/revisions\/56838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}