It Happened One Night

As I was watching It Happened One Night, I could tell why it won so many Academy Awards. I also kept thinking how many movies made knock offs of this movie. The whole concept of traveling with someone and falling in love with them on the journey is in multiple movies, such as When Harry Met Sally and The Sure Thing. I also thought it was funny when Ellie bolted at her wedding and left in a car, which Runaway Bride copied from this movie.
This movie also had a father-daughter relationship like the other two movies. Ellie's father tries to protect his daughter's virginity, even saying that he will not let Ellie and King Wesley sleep in the same bed although they are already married. The relationship between Peter and Ellie's father is interesting in the one scene they are together. Peter has already judged Ellie's father even before they met. Ellie tells her father that "He (Peter) blames you for everything that's wrong with me". After Ellie's father sees that Peter was not after Ellie for their money, he believes that Peter is a good chap and surprisingly approves of him. At the end of the film Ellie's father says to let the walls of Jericho fall down, implying that he can no longer protect his daughter's virginity, but he will let Peter take care of Ellie now.
I was surprised at the end of the film that Ellie and Peter's faces were not shown. Usually at the end of the movie, you see the lovers kiss and then the screen fades, or in this case, the walls of Jericho fall down. Perhaps their faces were not shown because it was unnecessary since the audience had seen them alone in a room multiple times already.
Throughout the movie, I was thinking of who the dominant character was, Ellie or Peter. I believe that Ellie and Peter are both dominant in the relationship at different times throughout the movie. The audience is led to believe that Ellie is independent when she jumps of the boat, leaving her father, and going on a bus alone. I believe she is the dominant one in the beginning. Of course, later in the movie, Peter helps her many times: finding a room for her, telling her not to buy the chocolates because she is on a budget, making a bed of hay for her, finding her carrots, getting a car, etc. But, Ellie gets the first car in her sly hitchhiking maneuver. She also leaves her own wedding to find Peter and marry him which showed dominance there. In the end, I think they were both equally dominant in different parts of the movie.
It Happened One Night was a phenomenal movie and I am so glad that we were acquainted. I definitely need to add this movie to my movie collection!