So much average

Simply Perfect

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Being a fan of classic film and being an admirer of Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy, also having heard near-unanimous positively for it and liking Jeanette MacDonald in general than most people, interest was high for seeing 'San Francisco'.Seeing it, maybe it is not quite as good as touted and not quite the masterpiece personally was expecting. However, 'San Francisco' is still a very good and truly impressive film, it must have been back then and still holds up well from personal opinion (though not everybody is going to agree). Some things work better than others, with a few things that could have come off much better, but the good things, which are numerous and big in size, far outweigh the bad things.Can definitely understand the mixed opinions on Jeanette MacDonald. Being a lifelong fan of classical music, opera and operetta, and actually liking her voice, to me the music was wonderful (particularly the title song, which MacDonald sings the heck out of, the rousing and moving Battle anthem, the 'Faust' sections and 'La Traviata's' "Sempre Libera") and she sang the music very well with a silvery purity and limpid beauty.With that being said, MacDonald (who usually is a good actress, in her outings with Nelson Eddy, she was the superior actor of the two) disappoints dramatically and it is down to that the role is not right for her, she is over the top and she is too lightweight for the role for somebody who is better known for operetta and her films with Eddy. As good as the music is, there could have been a little less of it because it does tend to slow the film down and spoil the flow of the story.The film is also a little too heavy on the religious elements, which were in serious need of a toning down. The love triangle does have a lot of heart, but is rather predictable and corny while the chemistry between Gable and MacDonald could have been stronger.However, there are so many good things about 'San Francisco'. It is a great-looking film, beautifully filmed and the production design and costumes are similarly gorgeous. The adroit direction helps things too. As said the music is wonderful, and much better performed than people give credit for.'San Francisco's' script is intelligent, rousing and heartfelt, with only the religious elements in need of a toning down. The story is compelling, lifts the spirits, wrenches the gut and brings tears to the eye. The ending is melodramatic in a way but is also poignant, full of inspiration and spirit-rousing.As people have said, the highlight is the earthquake sequence, a thrilling and gut-wrenching sequence with astounding special effects that were revolutionary in their day.Gable gives one of his best performances as a quite complex character that he brings many nuances to it in a way a number of people would not. Tracy is restrained but also commanding and both men work wonders together. The supporting cast are all solid.Overall, very often and often truly impressive if not quite a masterpiece. 8/10 Bethany Cox

When Jeanette MacDonald hits the high C then leaves the old San Francisco dive bar in anguish, you know it's only a matter of time before the ground starts shaking and old San Francisco becomes a city of the past. Of course, the iron butterfly only gets her evening gown torn just slightly with a smudge or two of dirt as she makes her way through the fallen debris. No MGM diva would dare be seen any other way, even if the plot called for that. The public wouldn't stand for seeing their MGM goddesses any other way but pristine.Long before lost youth wore flowers in their hair and political activists marched for gay rights, San Francisco was a wild place where poor folks from the east coast traveled thousands of miles to establish a new life and hopefully become the new rich of the west coast. Blackie Norton (Clark Gable) is a charming but ruthless political hopeful who discovers Mary Blake (Jeanette) singing in a dive, and thanks to his influence, she rises to the top of the cities' cultural center as an opera star. This attracts the attention of wealthy Jack Burley (Jack Holt) whose matriarchal mother (the fantastic Jessie Ralph) was once one of those poor folks, and a lucky one since her late husband had made a fortune after they arrived in the undeveloped Northern California coast. Overseeing all this intrigue is a compassionate but tough priest (Spencer Tracy) who acts as Gable's moral conscience.While there had been earthquakes on film before (both real and fictional), none had been as lavishly filmed like this one. Irving Thalberg's unit at MGM spared no expense in putting together one of the most thrilling sequences in film that truly was ground breaking. The political story, fictional in story but true to life in historical accuracy, gives a moral twist to this epic tale that comes together at the end where Gable, as the anti-hero, finds a soul in himself and realizes that there is more to his character than just the desire for money and power. MacDonald gives her best dramatic performance as the fragile looking but ultimately strong heroine, while Tracy (nominated for a leading actor Oscar in an essentially supporting role) is outstanding.Try not to have the desire to hug Jessie Ralph as the portly matron who confides her humble beginnings to MacDonald in a truly profound scene. That vinegary voice and grandmotherly feel of this veteran actress made her a natural scene stealer, and her final scene in this film is tear-jerking. She certainly was deserving of an Oscar nomination for her part which would have made her more well known today than she is, even though she certainly has made a following thanks to this film, "David Copperfield", "After the Thin Man" (refering to nephew in law William Powell as "Nicolass" and half a dozen screwball comedies where she showed her salty aunts and matrons had equally as much life in them as the feisty heroine she usually advised.An exciting opera sequence is just one of the movie's musical highlights which includes "Would You?" (famously reprised in "Singin' in the Rain"), an emotional "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and of course, the rousing title song which Jeanette rips into with the teeth of a shark and that Judy Garland would famously re-record with added lyrics. Everything about this film is exciting from start to finish with more than just the earthquake sequence to recommend it. Even if there is one shadowy flaw in the special effects, that hardly matters because this film has stood the test of time and remains as profound drama and strong entertainment.

What to make of this movie? It has 3 terrific stars in Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable, and the female interest and singer, Jeannette McDonald. I cannot say that McDonald's singing thrills me because she has a dated style and warbles but Tracy and Gable deliver. Especially Gable who is at his macho best.What undercuts this story is the religious message which is about the strongest outside of any movie outside of the "10 Commandments" where it is more understandable. The plot is written so you have good vs. bad, white vs. black, Tracy vs. Gable. Of course, the earthquake not only shakes the city, it shakes Gable's entire outlook and he gets on his knees and thanks God that his love, McDonald, survived. This is all a bit soppy in the 21st century. And Tracy, although a very good actor, almost is given a halo in this movie.Perhaps the star of the movie is the earthquake itself; considering this movie was made in 1936, the special effects were fantastic, even good by today's standard. Superb directing of the earthquake scene, Wikipedia says by D.W. Griffith in addition to the credited director Woody Van Dyke.Also notable are black performers, first in a contest scene (won of course by J. McDonald) and then some children as dancers in the earthquake scene. This was in 1936 so quite unusual.It is notable in a 3rd way: it is one of the movies credited with launching Spencer Tracy as a mega star. A good performance, but definitely not his best. Gable's performance here is far more powerful.So, like its theme of good and bad, this movie is a mix. It did not do well in the academy award hunt although nominated frequently (only 1 win) and I can see why: too much religion.

There's a lot to be said about this film, most of it positive. The acting, dialog, character development, cinematography, scenes were all above par. It's a film that will hold one's attention from beginning to end and even by today's standards that's fairly surprising given that it's almost two hours long. Clark Gable plays one of his usual tough but fair and sensitive boilerplate roles but he fleshes him out very well and presents us with a portrayal of a complex individual. Jeanette McDonald is nothing short of amazing in her role of a country girl in the big city trying to make it good. Hers is another successful portrayal of a complex character torn between her strict religious upbringing and her attraction to a man that would hardly qualify as decent with the folks back home. And that voice, oh that voice!If I have any qualms with this film it is with a disturbing undercurrent personified by the Spencer Tracy character, a self-important priest who is nothing short of arrogant. Tracy is well suited to this role but there were times when his character's behavior was absolutely exasperating. The undercurrent I mentioned implies that the earthquake of 1906 that flattened San Francisco was divine payment for the sinful ways both of the wealthy and poorer classes. Only the good priest is deserving. The symbolism is clear. After the earthquake while everyone walks around disheveled, in torn and dusty clothes, the priest is the only one without a mark on him. I mean there's nothing out of place, not a hair, nothing. His clothes are spotless. He looks fresh as a daisy as if he had just left the barbershop. If it weren't for that cheap shot I would have given the film higher marks.Be that as it may, the scenes of the earthquake and its aftermath are nothing short of stunning. There's a realism to them that kept me riveted. Just about every human emotion was portrayed from the joy of finding a loved one alive to the desperation of finding him dead. I can't vouch for their authenticity but I imagine that many of the steps taken by the authorities in the event of such a catastrophe were realistically portrayed. There's even a scene of a man with a sign that reads "Shot for looting". Now there's realism for you.Highly recommended.