San Francisco (DVD)

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Yet it's the special effects that eventually upstage them all. Even today with our elaborate CGI work, we would probably have a hard time duplicating all the earth tremors, cracking sidewalks, and burning buildings we see in "San Francisco."

Trivia: Both Gable and Tracy resisted participating in the movie. For his part, Gable was not fond of the idea of having Jeanette MacDonald singing at him. There are stories of his being aloof with her throughout the filming, ignoring her off the set, and even purposely eating garlic before their first on-screen kiss. I would also theorize that Gable, carefully nurturing his manly image at that time, had his doubts about appearing in a musical. Tracy, too, had his uncertainties about doing the picture, mainly because he wasn't sure about portraying a priest, being of Irish Catholic descent. Ironically, he was nominated for an Academy Award in the part and several years later won an Oscar for his role as Father Flanagan in "Boys Town."

Video:
The 1.33:1 black-and-white transfer looks good for its age, especially in terms of its solid shades and its B&W contrasts, which show up quite vividly. Definition is also quite good, and there is hardly an age mark, line, blemish, or flicker in sight. There are, however, varying degrees of grain, the image looking anywhere from crystal clear to slightly rough. Fortunately, the original print must have been in excellent shape and WB's video engineers must have done a fair amount of touching up because the result is more than pleasing.

Audio:
One finds a pleasantly wide dynamic range for so early a sound film, the sonics nicely reproduced and cleaned up by the Dolby Digital 1.0 mono processing. Perhaps we might have expected this, given that the movie won an Oscar for Best Sound Recording. Background noise is mostly absent, too, making the dialogue and music easy to appreciate. The frequency range is limited, though, and the midrange and treble are a little hard sounding, but it's nothing distract one from the film.

Extras:
In tribute to an enduring classic, Warner Bros., who now own the MGM film, afford it a decent slate of extras. First up, there's a forty-six minute TNT documentary profile, "Clark Gable: Tall, Dark & Handsome," hosted by Liam Neeson. Surprisingly, while it comments on a good deal of Gable's public and personal life, with extensive excerpts from his films, it contains practically no mention of "San Francisco." Next, there are two vintage James A. Fitzpatrick "TravelTalk" shorts: "Cavalcade of San Francisco" and "Night Descends on Treasure Island," both in color and each lasting about eight minutes. Then, there is a classic MGM cartoon, also in color, called "Bottles," about ten minutes long. Finally, there is an alternate ending sequence that features unfinished glimpses of the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges in what was then the present, 1936.

The extras conclude with thirty-two scene selections (but no chapter insert); a return engagement theatrical trailer; English and French spoken languages; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles.

Parting Thoughts:
The very best period pieces often hold up well in movies, and "San Francisco" is a prime example. It could have been made in 1936, 1946, or 1956; and if it had been in widescreen and color, it could be mistaken for 1966 or 1976. The acting, the direction, the technical effects all look as good today as anything Hollywood has produced in the last sixty years. And if you're not moved by the movie's ending, you're made of stone.

"San Francisco" is grand entertainment, nominated for six Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor (Spencer Tracy), Best Director (W.S. Van Dyke), Best Assistant Director (Joseph Newman), Best Writing (Robert Hopkins), and winning, as I said earlier, for Best Sound (Douglas Shearer).

Warner Bros. have made "San Francisco" available separately or in a box set, "The Clark Gable Signature Collection," which also includes "Dancing Lady," "China Seas," "Wife Versus Secretary," "Boom Town," and "Mogambo."

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