Screwball comedy ‘Nothing Sacred’ an innovative satire

A screwball satire of the media, 1937’s Nothing Sacred brims with high-quality acting and cinematography to make a truly delightful and classic film.

Newspaper reporter Wally Cook, played by Fredric March, tries to win the approval of his boss by covering the New York City visit of a beautiful young woman named Hazel Flagg (Carole Lombard) supposedly dying of radium poisoning. As the entire city becomes obsessed with pitying Hazel, Hazel wins the heart of Wally. Unbeknownst to everyone but Hazel and her small-town doctor, Hazel is actually faking her illness. Hilarity ensues as Hazel tries to hide her well being from a slew of doctors and from Wally.

Fredric March and Carole Lombard in “Nothing Sacred”

Named as one of the greatest actresses of all time by the American Film Institute, Carole Lombard’s extreme skill at screwball comedy helped to define the genre and greatly influenced other actresses such as Lucille Ball. Lombard’s playfully innocent acting and fast-paced but relaxed delivery brings Hazel Flagg to life and makes Nothing Sacred special. Lombard manages to create an extremely sympathetic character despite the fact that Hazel deceives thousands for personal gain.

Director William Wellman inventively uses cinematography to provide some of the laughs in the film by placing objects in strange places in relation to the actors and the camera, sometimes even concealing the actors. This effect is used in different ways multiple times in the film and works beautifully.

Remarkable for a 1930s film, Nothing Sacred was filmed entirely in full color. It used a process called three-strip Technicolor, the same color process famously used in The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind two years later. Three-strip Technicolor was the earliest feasible process that produced a full spectrum of colors. It was first used in 1933 in a Disney short and was not used for feature films until 1935, just two years before Nothing Sacred was filmed. In the early days of three-strip Technicolor, few studios were willing to use the process because of its extreme expense and because the process required intense lighting and cumbersome cameras. The extra effort and expense definitely paid off in Nothing Sacred; 1930s New York shines beautifully in the brilliant Technicolor.

As Nothing Sacred examines the flaws of journalism and mass media, it also, when viewed by modern audiences, unwittingly examines the flaws of 1930s American culture and its insensitivity to and mistreatment of minorities and women. A few gags reflect these old ideas and can make modern audiences cringe for good reason. Ironically, as none of the characters in the film are without fault, the film itself is not without fault, making the title apply to the film itself as well as the industries it meant to critique. However, in spite of its flaws, Nothing Sacred still manages to win over audiences with its humor and charm, much like its main character, Hazel Flagg.

Nothing Sacred is available on Netflix streaming, Amazon Instant Prime streaming, Blu-Ray and DVD. Please watch it and comment below!