First comes loves, then comes marriage—well, at least in most rom-coms, the marriage is the big culminating scene, and then everyone is supposed to live happily ever after. It Happened One Night is no exception to this rule, but here again it offers a twist on the norm—because Ellie's already married when the film begins. This fact lets the film become a tale of two marriages: one based on the mere desire to escape, the other based on shared experience, adventure, and above all love. You could say that Ellie's marriage to King Westley is a foil for her marriage to Peter; it sets up a contrast and shows us the need for Ellie's second marriage.
Questions about Marriage
- What purpose does Ellie's marriage to King Westley serve in the narrative of the film?
- Why do Ellie and Peter wait for the annulment of Ellie's marriage to Westley? Why does the film bother to mention, in the end, that they've obtained a marriage certificate?
- Is Ellie's father's permission for Ellie to marry important or unimportant from the standpoint of the film as a whole?
Chew on This
It Happened One Night is structured around a contrast between two marriages, one unconsummated, the other consummated at the very end.
It Happened One Night has it both ways where marriage is concerned: It emphasizes the importance of love but also makes Ellie wait until she finds a man her father approves of.