I have been a fan of both leading players, but this film doesn't do either one any favor. The screen play is a conglomerate of three story lines, none of which get full treatment. It seems the writers couldn't decide if they were producing a comedy, a romance or a deep dark drama. Leo Carrillo exceeds any previous attempts at being a first class HAM with his elastic facial expressions; watching him is comedic reason enough to stay to the end. Speaking of the end, when the ship miraculously stays afloat one is reminded of Deus ex machina serves these writers well. One wonders why Titanic couldn't have such brilliant good fortune and stay stuck against the ice berg. Has there ever been a real example of such occurrence?

Two years before a shipboard romance with Irene Dunne in "Love Affair", suave Frenchman Charles Boyer did the same with Jean Arthur in this lavish and sometimes comic tearjerker. Arthur is a run-away bride who spends one glorious evening with Boyer after he rescues her from a plot by her evil husband (Colin Clive). Later separated from Boyer, Arthur ends up in New York where fate brings them together and onto a return voyage to France that will change the course of their destiny.This might not be the classic love story of Leo McCarey's 1939 masterpiece and its 1957 remake "An Affair to Remember", but it is worthy of inclusion with the greatest love stories ever made. Any film with Boyer and Arthur will include dollops of humor here and there, and it helps the film avoid being mawkish and melodramatic. Colin Clive is a predictable villain, much like Billy Zane years later in "Titanic". References to that ship and the Hindenburgh are mentioned. Some good special effects are involved in the film's chilling conclusion.The film has many implausibilities, but that has really no consequence because of the ultimate satisfaction it gives. Leo Carrillo shines as Boyer's pal, a cook who can do the most wonderful thing with lobster. That would be a great dinner to serve while watching this movie, with pink champagne of course!

When I wash up on that proverbial desert island with little more than a generator, a VCR (or DVD player) and a TV, I want "History is Made at Night" among the 10 films in my possession.Someone -- film critic Myron Meisel, I think -- once described this as the most romantic film ever shot in the English language, and I completely agree.The plot turns on some of the creakiest story points ever conceived. But no matter, because the leads are so appealing, the look of the film so overwhelmingly romantic (Borzage at his best) and the score is so warm and appropriate, that "HIMAN" is just irresistible.

Film critic Andrew Sarris once said that HISTORY IS MADE A NIGHT is the most romantic title in all of film history, and I'm happy to report that this movie lives up to its reputation. An independent production made by former MGM producer Walter Wanger, the film reputedly cost nearly a million dollars - a huge sum in 1937 - and the money really shows on the screen. Leads Charles Boyar and Jean Arthur have such a wonderful screen chemistry between them that it's surprising that they never made another film together. Director Frank Borzage was a specialist in romantic films and here he adroitly blends romantic drama, comedy and even tragedy into a seemless garment.The plot is surprisingly complex but unfolds in a logical manner. A theme running throughout the story is mistaken identity and characters relying on mistaken information. Boyar thinks he's killed a man, but we know he didn't. Jean Arthur thinks he's thief, but we know he isn't. Arthur's husband thinks she's cheating on him, but we know she isn't. If you wonder how these and other plot points make any sense, you just have to see this film.Composer Alfred Newman provided a charming theme for the film and I am surprised that it has never been issued in a modern recording of movie mood music. Leo Carrillo supplied hilarious support as Boyar's friend and the ill-fated Colin Clive gave a haunted, tormented performance as the villain. Clive is remembered today as the first Dr. Frankenstein in the first two of Universal's series, FRANKENSTEIN (1931) and BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935). By the time he made this film, a frail-looking Clive was only months away from his own death in June 1937 caused by alcoholism. His performance is all the more poignant as a result.The film is climaxed by a Titanic-like shipwreck (huge ocean liner on its maiden voyage collides with an iceberg) leading to a final misunderstanding that results in an ironic but satisfying conclusion. The special effects work by James Basevi, while primitive by today's computer graphics standards, is nonetheless impressive. My only complaint is the relatively poor quality of the film print that is available on video today. Considering the fine restoration work that has been done on other films such as HIS GIRL FRIDAY, a restored HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT should be on some company's priority list.