Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

TheLittleSongbird Being a fan of classic film and being an admirer of Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy, also having heard near-unanimous positively for it and liking Jeanette MacDonald in general than most people, interest was high for seeing 'San Francisco'.Seeing it, maybe it is not quite as good as touted and not quite the masterpiece personally was expecting. However, 'San Francisco' is still a very good and truly impressive film, it must have been back then and still holds up well from personal opinion (though not everybody is going to agree). Some things work better than others, with a few things that could have come off much better, but the good things, which are numerous and big in size, far outweigh the bad things.Can definitely understand the mixed opinions on Jeanette MacDonald. Being a lifelong fan of classical music, opera and operetta, and actually liking her voice, to me the music was wonderful (particularly the title song, which MacDonald sings the heck out of, the rousing and moving Battle anthem, the 'Faust' sections and 'La Traviata's' "Sempre Libera") and she sang the music very well with a silvery purity and limpid beauty.With that being said, MacDonald (who usually is a good actress, in her outings with Nelson Eddy, she was the superior actor of the two) disappoints dramatically and it is down to that the role is not right for her, she is over the top and she is too lightweight for the role for somebody who is better known for operetta and her films with Eddy. As good as the music is, there could have been a little less of it because it does tend to slow the film down and spoil the flow of the story.The film is also a little too heavy on the religious elements, which were in serious need of a toning down. The love triangle does have a lot of heart, but is rather predictable and corny while the chemistry between Gable and MacDonald could have been stronger.However, there are so many good things about 'San Francisco'. It is a great-looking film, beautifully filmed and the production design and costumes are similarly gorgeous. The adroit direction helps things too. As said the music is wonderful, and much better performed than people give credit for.'San Francisco's' script is intelligent, rousing and heartfelt, with only the religious elements in need of a toning down. The story is compelling, lifts the spirits, wrenches the gut and brings tears to the eye. The ending is melodramatic in a way but is also poignant, full of inspiration and spirit-rousing.As people have said, the highlight is the earthquake sequence, a thrilling and gut-wrenching sequence with astounding special effects that were revolutionary in their day.Gable gives one of his best performances as a quite complex character that he brings many nuances to it in a way a number of people would not. Tracy is restrained but also commanding and both men work wonders together. The supporting cast are all solid.Overall, very often and often truly impressive if not quite a masterpiece. 8/10 Bethany Cox

pjferraresi Set in 1906, just days before the great San Francisco earthquake, Metro-Goldwyn Mayer's (MGM) 1936 movie spectacle, "San Francisco," offers up a unique retelling of the Barbary Coast's famous disaster. This classic drama-disaster film, directed by W.S. Van Dyke, stars Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, and Spencer Tracy. "San Francisco," tells the story of Blackie Norton (Gable), a handsome, hard-nosed saloon keeper who has his sights set on Mary Blake (MacDonald). Suddenly, things turn shaky. "San Francisco" is structured on the classic Hollywood formula; boy meets girl, boy loses girl, and boy wins girl back – with an earthquake as a memorable twist.Gable and MacDonald give convincing performances, as the movies signature star-crossed lovers. Even though, "San Francisco" is not a musical, Jeanette MacDonald lends the movie her operatic voice and is allowed to demonstrate it repeatedly. Not only does MacDonald sing the movie's signature theme song, "San Francisco – Open Your Golden Gate", she also entertains viewers with several other musical numbers. Some, however, might find that MacDonald's numerous musical numbers cause San Francisco to grind to a halt.While the special effects in "San Francisco" may appear to be lackluster, compared to those that destroyed Los Angeles in "Earthquake" (1974), by Universal Studios, they are still as impressive and captivating today as they were in 1936. Dramatic scenes, such as the one which shows citizens running helplessly as the dome of San Francisco city hall crumbles behind them, or the panoramic shot from atop Nob Hill showing the great city in a blaze of fire, are replicated convincingly."San Francisco" allows an audience to accompany Blackie and Mary on a romantic ride through love, song, and despair. The most significant factor in "San Francisco" is the movies ability to transport viewers to a different time and place, in order to experience a historical event that both shaped and built the great city of San Francisco, and to witness a bygone era of Hollywood film making.

Robert J. Maxwell On some barren hills just south of San Francisco sits the town of Colma, consisting mostly of cemeteries. The dead outnumber the living by thousands to one. Colma is known as "the city that waits for the city that waits to die to die." If it had been open in 1906 business would have been booming.In 1906, Clark Gable is Blackie Norton, proprietor of a honky tonk who hires Jeanette MacDonald as a singer, humiliating her in the process, although she's a nice young lady and he's a ruthless thuggish kind of guy. Blackie's pal, Spencer Tracy is a priest and always trying to snap Blackie out of his coarse ways, but doing it gently.MacDonald has a voice that belongs in the opera, and an impresario (whatever that is) tries to hire her, but Blackie won't let her out of her contract. Room for all kinds of conflict there -- nice girl loves ambitious bum, fatherly opera owner takes an interest in her, friendly priest tries to keep the lid on. There's even a rough-edged middle-aged blond who excoriates Blackie for his spitefulness, though she has a heart of gold and is fond of MacDonald.The Big One comes and MGM puts on a lavish display of earthquake and fire. It's not entirely historically accurate because the real one took place around five in the morning. But it was a monster alright. It drove Enrico Caruso out onto the streets in his night clothes, hugging a picture of Theodore Roosevelt. The effects are pretty good for the period and I'm happy they're there because without them this would have been a rather ordinary tale of misunderstandings, self interest, and love, enlivened by MacDonald's soprano, which sounds like a vibrato-ridden lunch whistle.Poor Blackie pulls himself out from under the rubble and stumbles about the streets, helping strangers, searching desperately for MacDonald, whom he has come to realize he truly loves.Does he find her? You bet. She's unharmed too. She's down at the car barn helping Father Tracy tend the wounded and underemployed. They hug. A crowd gathers and sings "Nearer My God To Thee" before engaging in a colossal thigmotaxis and marching back towards the ruins of the city to a rousing chorus of "San Francisco." They did rebuild it too, and quickly enough for an international exposition to be held there a few years later. And not everyone came out of it worse than he went into it. A. P. Giannini was able to turn his little Bank of Italy in North Beach into the big Bank of America by making loans to working people of the city. If you carry a Visa in your wallet, the San Francisco earthquake of April, 1906, has something to do with it.It's not a bad movie. It chugs slowly along though, and the plot seems at times like just mere filler until the Big One comes along. Spencer Tracy hadn't yet hit his stride as an actor. His priest, as written, is one-dimensional and his face is as interesting as a baked potato. Gable, as Blackie, although elevated by the nimbus of his Gablehood, seems darker than usual. Jeanette MacDonald at least is pretty and gets to sing an aria or two.

james higgins San Francisco is a truly remarkable film. The special effects in the earthquake scene rival the special effects from any decade of film making. It is such an entertaining movie. Clark Gable is well cast in a role that's perfect for him. Spencer Tracy is fine as always, and was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in this film. I am not a fan of Jeanette MacDonald, but this is one of her best roles. Jessie Ralph provides fine support. The plot is a familiar one to audiences today, but was quite fresh in 1936. Good music, excellent sound, costume design and score. Great production values. Very memorable and a great classic.