{"id":44825,"date":"2019-09-19T11:51:14","date_gmt":"2019-09-19T18:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=44825"},"modified":"2021-01-24T12:58:45","modified_gmt":"2021-01-24T19:58:45","slug":"san-francisco-1936","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=44825","title":{"rendered":"San Francisco (1936)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;How does it feel to feel like a woman and be afraid of it?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Poster-203x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"203\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-44833\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Poster-203x300.jpg 203w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Poster-87x128.jpg 87w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Poster.jpg 338w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 203px) 100vw, 203px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nShortly before the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco, a tough saloon owner (Clark Gable) falls in love with a talented singer (Jeanette MacDonald) who is simultaneously wooed by an opera impresario (Jack Holt).\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>Career-Versus-Marriage<\/li>\n<li>Clark Gable Films<\/li>\n<li>Disaster Flicks<\/li>\n<li>Historical Drama<\/li>\n<li>Jeanette MacDonald Films<\/li>\n<li>Musicals<\/li>\n<li>Opera<\/li>\n<li>Romance<\/li>\n<li>Singers<\/li>\n<li>Spencer Tracy Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review:<\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that this &#8220;old-fashioned Hollywood hokum&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;an amazingly elaborate M-G-M production&#8221; nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award &#8212; employs &#8220;numerous theater and saloon sets and hundreds of extras&#8221;, leading to director W.S. Van Dyke presenting &#8220;a properly rowdy San Francisco of 1906 (does that year worry you?).&#8221; He notes that MacDonald &#8220;is the moral daughter of a country parson&#8221; who would &#8220;like to sing opera, but settles for a job singing popular tunes in the dance hall&#8221; owned by Gable&#8217;s &#8220;well-meaning but roguish character&#8221;, who she &#8220;falls in love with&#8230; despite his being an atheist and allowing gambling in his joint.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Gable-MacDonald.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Gable-MacDonald-1024x759.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"474\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-65603\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Gable-MacDonald-1024x759.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Gable-MacDonald-300x222.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Gable-MacDonald-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Gable-MacDonald-768x569.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Gable-MacDonald-364x270.png 364w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Gable-MacDonald.png 1381w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>He points out that the script by Anita Loos &#8220;is one of the first&#8230; to deal with a woman experiencing a man-vs.-profession conflict&#8221;, and argues that MacDonald &#8220;makes a lovely lead&#8221; but Gable is just &#8220;okay playing his typical tough guy&#8221; and Oscar-nominated Spencer Tracy &#8212; playing &#8220;a priest and Gable&#8217;s boyhood chum&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;doesn&#8217;t have enough to do.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Tracy.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Tracy-1024x766.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"479\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-65604\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Tracy-1024x766.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Tracy-300x224.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Tracy-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Tracy-768x574.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Tracy-361x270.png 361w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Tracy.png 1373w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>He correctly argues that the film&#8217;s highlight is its &#8220;stunning earthquake sequence, which is famous for its impressive special effects and great montage work&#8221; &#8212; though he asserts that this &#8220;enjoyable film is almost spoiled by a silly finale, in which earthquake victims get carried away with religious fervor.&#8221; I&#8217;m essentially in agreement with Peary&#8217;s review, though I find it more tolerable than &#8220;enjoyable&#8221; over all, and would simply add that film fanatics should simply be sure to seek out the <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/hnk7FidwnTA\">remarkable earthquake sequence on its own<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The impressive final earthquake sequence<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Earthquake-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Earthquake-1-1024x764.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"478\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-65606\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Earthquake-1-1024x764.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Earthquake-1-300x224.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Earthquake-1-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Earthquake-1-768x573.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Earthquake-1-362x270.png 362w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/San-Francisco-Earthquake-1.png 1369w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, though the final scene is certainly worth a look. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0028216\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1936\/06\/27\/archives\/san-francisco-at-the-capitol-is-a-stirring-film-of-the-barbary.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2035san.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/3173\/san-francisco#articles-reviews\">TCM Articles<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/yPztxiUY0rw\">Tired Old Queen at the Movies Video Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;How does it feel to feel like a woman and be afraid of it?&#8221; Synopsis: Shortly before the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco, a tough saloon owner (Clark Gable) falls in love with a talented singer (Jeanette MacDonald) who is simultaneously wooed by an opera impresario (Jack Holt). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Career-Versus-Marriage Clark Gable Films Disaster Flicks Historical Drama Jeanette MacDonald Films Musicals Opera Romance Singers Spencer Tracy Films Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: Peary writes that this &#8220;old-fashioned&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=44825\"> 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-44825","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\/44825","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=44825"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65607,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44825\/revisions\/65607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}