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Rating:  - Great classic
This is one of the great special effects movie of the golden age of Hollywood. A great cast and story, along with memorable tunes, would be enough, but the topper is the spectacular special effects that were the gold standard for years showing the San Francisco Earthquake of 1904. The scenes came back realistically when compared with the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001. One of the better outings for MacDonald without Nelson, and a rare, wonderful chance to see Gable and Tracy play off each other. Absolutely a classic for the library.
Rating: - Saaaaan Fran-Cis-Co
I have always loved this movie. Watching Mary Blake sing San Francisco at the Chicken Ball to save Blackie Norton's Paradise Bar always brings tears to my eyes. Jeannette McDonald's got some pipes.
Rating: - One of the muscles of Clark Gable.
Before there was a Las Vegas, there was San Francisco: "sin city," the most corrupt town in the U.S.A., according to Father Tim Mullin (Spencer Tracy). It was filled of illegal gambling dens, like the one run by Blackie Norton (Clark Gable), Mullin's boyhood friend whom he has been trying to reform for years. When Norton hires Mary Blake (Jeanette MacDonald) to sing in his club, she seeks the guidance of Father Mullin to help her survive this den of iniquity. The plot is a rather forthright formula story of a tug-of-war romance between bad boy Blackie Norton and mama's boy Jack Burley, scion of a well-to -do family for the affections of singer Mary Blake. It's also a story of good vs. evil, the good being Father Mullen and the bad obviously being Norton.
Romance don't come like this no more and out of all the films that I've seen with Gable, this is his other shining moment, along with "Gone With The Wind". McDonald is one beautiful lady and she sings frequently in the film in that soprano operetta vocal style that apparently was popular back then, and there is even an overlong sequence where she plays Marguerite in Gounod's "Faust" and brings Blackie rather incredibly to tears. In a thankless role. Tracy is a natural actor and symbolizes the film's heavy religious overtones resulting in a most unbelievable conversion at the end. There is the scene where Jeneatte McDonald is having a 1 on 1 conversation with her future mother in law. Mrs. Bailey tells her that the "aristocracy" of San Francisco is not what people think. "They are a wild and crazy bunch living a sinful life with party's that last for days! She says. So you see the film wanted us to feel how society viewed others in those days.
Interesting enough, the special effects showing San Francisco April 18, 1906 Earthquake engulfed in flames following the quake and its aftermath were high tech in 1936 (a special effects tour de force for art directors Arnold Gillespie and his unaccredited associate James Basevi) and are still effective today. The quake takes place at a key point in the film toward the end. Because the audience becomes enthralled in what is taking place on the screen, the quake is totally unexpected--though waited for since the beginning of the movie. Director W.S. Van Dyke does a masterful job of bringing the quake to bear at just the right moment for full effect. Today's disaster flicks such as The Day After Tomorrow (Widescreen Edition) should take a lesson from this film because that won me over.
One of my favorite's scenes was when Blackie, was desperately searching for Mary in the rubble, at long last finds religion and prays to God for his sweetheart's salvation. At the end, an unidentified bit player shouts defiantly "We'll build a new San Francisco!" -- and by golly, they do!
Thanks Claire for sharing one of your favorites with me.
Rating: - A classic - City and Film
The film San Francisco, like the city itself, is a classic. While not a musical, there are some great musical numbers including the theme song, "San Francisco, open your golden gate..." It's a basic, boy meets girl, losses girl, has to fight to get her back, etc. with the climax the destruction of the great city the film is named for. Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, and Jeanette MacDonald are all wonderful in this film. Tracy is not competing with Gable for MacDonalds love, but for her sole - Spencer plays a priest again.
I've waited a long time for the release of this DVD, and enjoyed the opportunity to finally buy it.
Rating: - Gable & MacDonald never better !!!
San Francisco is a great film & with Clark Gable & Jeanette MacDonald at the peak of their careers & in fine form. The Story is one you'll never get tired of no matter how many times you watch it. Unlike today's films, once you see them you wouldn't watch them again, unless maybe it was a Denzel Washington, Harrison Ford, Robert DeNiro or even Halle Berry.
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