Customer Reviews

History Is Made at Night [VHS]

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Though it is almost forgotten today, History is Made at Night is one of the most beautiful and romantic films ever to grace a movie screen. Not made by one of the major studios and released through United Artists in 1937, this gemstone has a fine screenplay from Gene Towne and Graham Baker, and some lovely words of dialog from Vincent Lawrence and David Hertz. A young and luminous Jean Arthur and the continental Charles Boyer utter those words in tremendously engaging performances. Director Frank Borzage, responsible for some of the loveliest films from both the silent and sound era, and perhaps the greatest romanticist the medium has ever produced, helms this one, charting a coarse to tender romance. It is a story of two people who try to cram a lifetime of memories into one night, and then one moment, when tragedy looms on the horizon in the form of an iceberg.

Jean Arthur is Irene Vail, the wife of a cold and unhappy shipping magnate who is holding on tight, his jealousy finally driving her to divorce. Colin Clive portrays her bitter and obsessed husband Bruce, who hatches a plan in Paris to catch her in a compromising position before the divorce decree can become final. But Bruce's plan goes awry and their history will never be the same. Charles Boyer is Paul Dumond, headwaiter at Chateau Bleu, and Leo Carillo is his very funny chef pal, Cesare. Paul charades as a jewel thief to rescue Irene and whisks her away in the moonlight in one of many great scenes in a film filled with memorable ones. Unaware Paul is only a waiter at Chateau Bleu, she and Paul spend a charming and poignant night falling in love. Carillo is warm and funny as Paul's pal for life who watches the silly American girl from Kansas discover a happiness she has never known. Seeking to protect Paul from a murder charge concocted by Bruce, Irene sacrifices her own happiness to keep Paul safe.

The friendship of Paul and Cesare adds a charming humor to the story. They scheme to open a restaurant in New York and hold a table for her, hoping Irene will show. But when she does, she is not alone. Genuine love overcomes misunderstanding regarding his lowly position in life but a dark cloud hangs over their happiness as an innocent man is set for a date with the gallows. Booking passage on her husband's newest ocean liner, the S.S. Irene, they head towards France to make things right. As the two lovers head towards their destiny, Bruce fumes to discover the French papers are sympathetic to Irene's sacrifice and Paul's gallantry and dangerously orders the captain to break the transatlantic record in a deep fog and cold water, bringing about a tragedy reminiscent of the Titanic's fate. Borzage stages both the tragedy and the desperate plight of the lovers with tension and emotion. To say more would ruin the film's ending. It is beautiful and poignant, like the film itself. Perhaps no other director of his time could have pulled all the elements of this story together so well.

Jean Arthur is wonderful as the woman clinging to a happiness she has never known and Boyer had one of his finest moments in American film portraying the affable and charming Paul. Borzage sets a very special mood for this touching story of a love that sails with no wind and a full moon. Not just a great romantic film, but one of the great films period, History is Made at Night is a forgotten film from a forgotten director, and both deserve to be remembered. All those who love romance will certainly never forget either once they see this most beautiful of films for the first time.

Upon knowing this movie featured Charles Boyer and, especially, Jean Arthur, I expected a light romantic comedy, but what I got was much more...

First of all, this is a powerful romantic film, directed by one of Hollywood's masters of Romance, Frank Borzage. Jean Arthur stars as Irene Veil, in a role different from the usual stuff we expect from her.... she portrays this character, sensitively, luminously, almost with an ethereal quality, but at the same time very humanly. She's simply terrific.

Charles Boyer, is great as Paul Dumond, a headwaiter who falls madly in love with her, and after watching him in this 1937 film, one understands why he became the continental lover per-se, the epitome of the romantic and sensitive hearthrob.

There's wonderful chemistry between the two leads, sadly they never worked together again.

The picture also features outstanding performances by Colin Clive (star of "Frankenstein" and "The Bride of Frankenstein"), who plays Bruce Veil, Arthur's megalomaniac husband, and Leo Carrillo, who impersonates wonderfully a Chef who's Boyer's best friend.

Apart from being a romantic film, this movie has very dramatic moments indeed, but at the same time has fine lightweit comic touches, here and there.

In all a great poetic & ultimately romantic melodrama, with comedy touches, featuring a very warm and credible love story, between two human beings, who meet by chance. Great!!!

This is an incredible movie when you consider when it was made (1937). Charles Boyer was just making his mark as a leading man. Jean Arthur has a down home quality even in her voice as she is swept off her feet by Boyer. Colin Clive is absolutely sinister as her always suspicious husband who goes so far as to set up a indiscretion with the cheauffer which backfires. But the character who steals the show is Leo Carillo. He plays Boyer's best friend and reknown chef, Caesar.His broken english is a howl as he gives advice and tries to understand and support his friend. Some of his lines are classic. When on deck of the ship coming to America he points to the buildings and says to Boyer, "Hey, Paul, Looka dose skywipers". He provides the comedy relief throughout with real style. This is a great movie. The ocean liner crashing into the iceberg must have made a great impact on audiences since the Titanic tragedywas still fresh in their minds. The special effects for the time were outstanding. And the ending was great.

History is Made at Night is a fine romantic film with a good cast. Jean Arthur stars as Irene Vail, a faithful wife to a jealous husband. One night, her husband plans to frame her, attempting to prove she has cheated on him so that she cannot get a divorce from him. The plan fails when a good samaritan (Charles Boyer) walks in and foils the plan. He takes Irene away and the two fall madly in love with each other. When the jealous husband comes back to find his wife missing and his plans in disarray, he murders the man in on the frame-up in order to get his wife away from the mysterious kidnapper. Everything goes crazy from there, with the new couple desperately trying to be happy and the jealous man constantly ruining it all.

This is perhaps one of Arthur's best films. She shines like a true star here in all of her sweet glory. Boyer is an odd but wonderful choice as her lover, a sensitive but strong man.

The film ends with a scene almost identical to the tragic scenes of the Titanic. It provides some extra drama to a sweet story and a marvelous climax.

Long suffering wife (brilliantly played by Jean Arthur) of abusive husband (brilliantly played by Colin Clive) meets an unexpected intruder (brilliantly played by Charles Boyer) kidnaps her and takes her out to dinner at his friends restaurant (brilliantly played by Leo Carillo) where they dance all night, fall madly in love, later face a murder rap together, and then almost die on what serves as the model for the Titanic. What.....you say you never heard of it before. You say you won't watch black and white movies. You say you won't watch a VHS tape only DVD's anymore. Hey movie goer.....it don't get any better than this. This film will transport you to another time and place and make you beg for more of the same. This film is a prime example of what the old Hollywood was capable of producing. It does what all great movies are supposed to do, and it does it as well as Gone with the wind, Wuthering heights, Camille, Dr Zhivago, and all the other greats! A true classic! If you can find it.....buy it at any price in any format you can find!

A wonderfully off-beat, finely acted melodrama which contains elements of spite, revenge, murder and love. Steamship owner Bruce Vail (Colin Clive) is out to frame his wife Irene (played by the uniquely husky-honey-voiced Jean Arthur) by planting his chauffeur in her room and bursting in on her with lawyer in tow. Boyer, unaware of all this, happens to climb down her balcony and sees Jean struggle with the chauffeur. After taking her to safety, Boyer gives the impression of a robbery, stealing some jewels and knocking out the chauffeur...This is only the beginning of a frankly twisty plot which is mesmorizing to watch nevertheless, because the production is nigh flawless and the performances are immensely enjoyable to watch. Trivia footnotes: the song ADIOS MUCHACHOS was later given lyrics and became Tony Martin's hit I GET IDEAS. The cinematography was completed by the great Gregg Toland and Joshua Logan was the dialogue director. Senor Wences did his famed "Coco" hand trick in this film.

Though it is almost forgotten today, History is Made at Night is one of the most beautiful and romantic films ever to grace a movie screen. Not made by one of the major studios and released through United Artists in 1937, this gemstone has a fine screenplay from Gene Towne and Graham Baker, and some lovely words of dialog from Vincent Lawrence and David Hertz. A young and luminous Jean Arthur and the continental Charles Boyer utter those words in tremendously engaging performances. Director Frank Borzage, responsible for some of the loveliest films from both the silent and sound era, and perhaps the greatest romanticist the medium has ever produced, helms this one, charting a coarse to tender romance. It is a story of two people who try to cram a lifetime of memories into one night, and then one moment, when tragedy looms on the horizon in the form of an iceberg.

Jean Arthur is Irene Vail, the wife of a cold and unhappy shipping magnate who is holding on tight, his jealousy finally driving her to divorce. Colin Clive portrays her bitter and obsessed husband Bruce, who hatches a plan in Paris to catch her in a compromising position before the divorce decree can become final. But Bruce's plan goes awry and their history will never be the same. Charles Boyer is Paul Dumond, headwaiter at Chateau Bleu, and Leo Carillo is his very funny chef pal, Cesare. Paul charades as a jewel thief to rescue Irene and whisks her away in the moonlight in one of many great scenes in a film filled with memorable ones. Unaware Paul is only a waiter at Chateau Bleu, she and Paul spend a charming and poignant night falling in love. Carillo is warm and funny as Paul's pal for life who watches the silly American girl from Kansas discover a happiness she has never known. Seeking to protect Paul from a murder charge concocted by Bruce, Irene sacrifices her own happiness to keep Paul safe.

The friendship of Paul and Cesare adds a charming humor to the story. They scheme to open a restaurant in New York and hold a table for her, hoping Irene will show. But when she does, she is not alone. Genuine love overcomes misunderstanding regarding his lowly position in life but a dark cloud hangs over their happiness as an innocent man is set for a date with the gallows. Booking passage on her husband's newest ocean liner, the S.S. Irene, they head towards France to make things right. As the two lovers head towards their destiny, Bruce fumes to discover the French papers are sympathetic to Irene's sacrifice and Paul's gallantry and dangerously orders the captain to break the transatlantic record in a deep fog and cold water, bringing about a tragedy reminiscent of the Titanic's fate. Borzage stages both the tragedy and the desperate plight of the lovers with tension and emotion. To say more would ruin the film's ending. It is beautiful and poignant, like the film itself. Perhaps no other director of his time could have pulled all the elements of this story together so well.

Jean Arthur is wonderful as the woman clinging to a happiness she has never known and Boyer had one of his finest moments in American film portraying the affable and charming Paul. Borzage sets a very special mood for this touching story of a love that sails with no wind and a full moon. Not just a great romantic film, but one of the great films period, History is Made at Night is a forgotten film from a forgotten director, and both deserve to be remembered. All those who love romance will certainly never forget either once they see this most beautiful of films for the first time.

Superior romantic drama, strong lead performances. One cannot help but notice the similarities between this film and TITANIC of 1997. A poor man falls in love with a rich woman who is betrothed to a posessive, slightly mad wealthy man, with everything changed by a big piece of ice. For 1937, the special effects are marvelous, surprisingly well detailed. The model ship used look suspiciously like the fabulous NORMANDIE.

Charles Boyer, Jean Arthur & Colin Clive in a classic almost forgotten, love story, History is Made at Night, that spans the ocean. Paul (Boyer) saves Irene (Arthur) from a staged attack & at the same time a loveless & cruel marriage. Her husband is the loathsome & evil creature Bruce Vail, (Clive), the fabulously wealthy ship builder & well known paranoid. He manages to frame Paul for the murder he has committed. He does not know who Paul is. In a strange way he has brought Irene & Paul together. It is love at first sight. She must promise Vail that she & Paul will never see each other again & they leave for New York the next day. Aside fron the mellowdramatic love story, there is comedy mostly provided by Paul's best friend & chef extradinaire Cesare' (Leo Carillo). Ms Arthur is the star & carries it off with pathos, humor & her girl next door attractiveness. You may feel this movie must have a happy ending for the lovers despite a terrible accident at sea reminiscent of the Titanic. The action takes place in New York City & Paris. But this is a Hollywood movie of the 30's & a very good one.