Lavishly put together, with excellent sets and costumes that celebrate the depicted era, combining this with brisk pacing and vibrant characters helps to create a highly engaging experience here. Spencer Tracy was Oscar nominated for his performance, but it is Clark Gable who really shines. He not only has to be charismatic, but has to be able to show true emotion too, which occurs towards the end of the film. The final twenty or so minutes of the film are superbly crafted, showing the aftermath of the quake, and the climax point of the material is very intense. Also, the special effects are impressive even by standards today. Unfortunately, the film is tries to fit in a musical side too, and it does not work out, with the song and opera scenes being a bit of a distraction from the plot. The story itself is rather convoluted too, with unions, elections, rivalry and a whole array of different things fitted in without being explored properly. Otherwise, this is a wonderful piece of cinema, ending on a solid note, relatively gripping with its content, and led well by Clark Gable. It is one of the best films that I have seen from 1936 so far.
Review of San Francisco
