San Francisco (1936 film)
- Clark Gable: Blackie Norton
- Jeanette MacDonald: Mary Blake
- Spencer Tracy: Father Tim Mullin
- Jack Holt: Jack Burley
- Jessie Ralph: Mrs. Maisie Burley
- Ted Healy: Mat
San Francisco is an American movie from 1936 with Clark Gable and Jeanette MacDonald in the lead roles. The film depicts the events of the great earthquake in San Francisco in 1906.
Action
New Year's Eve 1905 examined the young singer Mary Blake's work in Blackie Norton's dance hall in San Francisco. Norton they committed, but not just because of her voice, but mainly because of their appearance. Mary's appearances are enjoying great popularity quickly and although you really like Norton, they do not want to get involved in an affair with her boss. In contrast, she befriends closely with the childhood friend Norton to the priest Tim Mullin.
In the local opera director Jack Burley, who belongs to the high society of San Francisco comes. Burley is the opponent of Blackie Norton. Both stand for election to the next City Council. He tries to convince Norton, not to stand in the elections. But Norton is sticking to his candidacy. Burley announces him a tough fight. As Burley Mary Blake hears singing, he is fascinated by her and offers her a commitment in his opera. Mary has long been dreaming of such a commitment, but now finds himself in a quandary. On the one hand she is in love with Blackie and want to be loyal to him, on the other hand, their dreams have never been so close to realization.
Mary and Blackie come slowly closer. Blackie is already celebrating his future marriage, but Mary away from him again, provoked by envious comments from fellow. She leaves Norton's establishment and goes to Burley in the opera. On the day of their first premiere she receives a marriage proposal, in turn, of Burley, but they can be answered. The premiere also Norton comes together with the sheriff to break up the performance with the argument of the existing contract with Mary. However, when he performed on stage Mary experienced and witnessed their success is, he drops this plan. After the performance, he makes her in the dressing room a marriage proposal. She then leaves again the opera and returns in Blackie's restaurant.
However, Blackie's friend Tim Mullin is of the opinion that this was the wrong move for the further career Marys. They have a row with the boyfriend, reflected in the Blackie Tim. Because of this brutal collision Mary Blackie leaves again and returns to Burley's opera. Burley now sees his chance and sends the police under most trivial reasons in Blackie's restaurant. The entire ensemble is arrested and Blackie is left with nothing. On the same evening a competition for the best ideas should take place in nightclubs. The gain should his campaign fund. The competition also come Mary and Burley. Mary learns from the machinations of her husband -to-be. She decides to help Blackie and for him to go in the competition. However, he knows nothing and is too proud to accept the award later, he insulted Mary, desperate leaves him with Burley. And just at that moment begins the great earthquake in San Francisco. Burley comes under the rubble of their lives. Blackie takes place during the disaster and experiences God. He pacified again with Father Tim Mullin and returns forever back to Mary.
Background
MGM was looking for a suitable film material to Jeanette MacDonald to give a solo vehicle, as they showed increasingly dissatisfied, always to play only in operettas alongside Nelson Eddy. Finally, the studio found in this Liebesmelodram to the rise of a young singer a suitable fabric. At the same time gave her the biggest male star of the studio to the side: Clark Gable. Jeanette MacDonald received the majority of the songs in the film. The biggest success was the theme song of San Francisco.
Gable and MacDonald did not get on well together because he did not like her constant Anstellerei in make-up and camera settings. It remained the only trip the actress in more serious climes. Your next solo performances were harmless comedies like The Firefly, which she used as a Napoleonic spy and Broadway Serenade in which she was seen as temperamental stage star. Ironically, in 1936 the film Rose-Marie, the sound film version of an operetta with MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, the larger commercial success.
Criticism
Reclam's movie guide According enjoy the movie " in many circles a legendary reputation, he probably is not least due to his popular song San Francisco ." Otherwise, contributed to this reputation were " possibly the main characters that keep the more conventional story about two thirds of the time in motion ". Toward the end, care ', then the trick technique [ ... ] in the former periods of unusually realistic representation of the earthquake for spectacular voltage ".
The filmdienst described the film as " [n ] och always effective theater entertainment ", which follows from a " mixture of emotion, excitement, trick technically excellent disaster sensations and groundbreaking sound effects ."
Awards
The film received six Oscar nominations in 1937, but only the Oscar for Best Sound went to the MGM musical. Spencer Tracy was nominated for best male lead, WS Van Dyke Best Picture and Best Director in the category film was nominated San Francisco. The star of the film Clark Gable went from empty. The film was also awarded the 1936 Photoplay Award for best film of the year.