Adventure

Starring: Clark Gable, Greer Garson, Joan Blondell, Thomas Mitchell, Tom Tully, John Qualen
Directed by: Victor Fleming
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Drama, Romance, Comedy
1945

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A merchant mariner (Clark Gable) and a librarian (Greer Garson) fall in love despite their differences, but their lifstyles may be too different to maintain their relationship.

Review:

Tim: Adventure is a film that felt like it was going to be a lesser effort from everyone involved. The title was strange- this was mostly a romantic drama. The adventure components are minimal. The movie was probably too long at 2 hours, 15 minutes. And, in an age when some of the all-time classic films were released, this one clearly doesn't match up. Early on in the movie, I suspected this would have been a miss. However, something funny happened as I continued to watch this movie. Perhaps it's the greatness of director Victor Fleming (the most likely bet), or maybe the script required time to really hit its stride. What started as an average movie for me became better and better the longer I watched. At the end, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the film.

The biggest attraction is the pairing of Clark Gable and Greer Garson. This was Gable's first postwar film and he makes a solid return to the screen. It's funny- when I think of my favorite actors from this time period, Gable never jumps to my mind. And yet, I think I've enjoyed every performance of his I've seen. Sure, the over-the-top machismo is a little hard to take, but that was a product of the times. What impresses me about Gable is that he draws you in. Whatever he does, you're kind of okay with it. When he's arrogant, it comes across as cool. When he's kind, it touches your heart. He has this energy and charisma that really draws you to him. He does that here- I didn't particularly like his character as it was written on the page, but Gable makes you overlook those flaws. It felt impossible not to like him. It's really quite amazing. Garson gives a strong performance as well. She was hampered a little by having to play opposite Gable- he's so energetic that it required a slightly more reserved performance from Garson. She slips into this comfortably though and she still gets a few moments to really break out and shine. Her immediate change of personality on the dance floor at the beginning is a great example. There's a few moments throughout this film when you get to see how talented Garson was. You learn to care about her character quite a bit as the film progresses.

What really helps the movie is that in addition to the strong performances from Gable and Garson, you had some great supporting work as well. I have to say- I'm a huge fan of Thomas Mitchell. There's some magic Mitchell has- he conveys this world weary yet naive quality that is quite frankly, mesmerizing. I loved his performance here. There's a few scenes- especially in the latter stages of the film where Mitchell is nothing short of fantastic. He is an incredible actor and I absolutely loved him in this role. I thought Joan Blondell gave a good performance, too. She has a few moments where it felt like she was overacting, but mostly she adds to the film. She was fun to watch opposite Gable and she and Garson had some nice moments together, too.

I've done a lot of second guessing of thoughts on Adventure. It doesn't appear that tons of critics liked the movie as much as I did. I thought the film had a good cast, great direction, and it felt like it was actually about something. The relationship between Gable and Garson is the most memorable part, and I thought that was depicted in a complex, believable manner. You got drawn into the ups-and-downs of their love affair. However, I thought the film touched on other substantial themes. The whole subplot of Mitchell believing he has lost his soul was bizarre, but I was also fascinated about the psychological ramifications of his character. The movie explored that to a nice extent. I thought there was some interesting commentary about formal education verses real-life experience. It felt like this movie covered a lot in its run time.

I walked away from the movie feeling impressed. It might not be the most straightforward or obviously strong movie. It requires some work and effort to get into it, but I had an entertaining time watching this movie and it's one I would consider exceptionally strong.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: It Happened One Night, Stagecoach, My Favorite Wife