It seems that within every generation, there is at least one comedic voice that defines the humour, being the definitive voice of comedy during this period. The 1930s had some of the most exceptional, and we were truly spoiled for choice, with the likes of The Marx Brothers, Charlie Chaplin, Mae West and Laurel and Hardy doing some of their very best work during this period, even though they each had very strong careers in the surrounding decades. However, someone whose peak was during this time was W.C. Fields, whose impeccable ability to harness every bit of charm from the crotchety everyman persona that he portrayed for most of his career. Someone whose work extends to the early years of Hollywood, where he rose from the rough-and-tough vaudeville circuit, but who was never going to be intimidated by the advent of sound films, managing to weaponize his gift of the gab to become one of the most popular comics in Hollywood at the time, Fields was a terrific performer whose work is incredibly nuanced, always quite progressive and objectively very entertaining. However, as is often the case with these comedic icons, choosing an entry point is a challenge – starting at the beginning is not ideal, especially when dealing with someone who came up around the same time as Hollywood itself, meaning that his early shorts were rough around the edges. Looking at the films that came at the end is not any better, since they may seem more polished, but we lack the context to understand some of their intricacies. In terms of Field, the choice is quite simple: It’s a Gift, which is not only considered a personal best for the actor but also one of the greatest comedies ever produced, which has become one of those opinions that are so widely held, it has grown to be something of a sacrosanct fact, agreed upon almost universally. Even viewing it from a modern perspective makes it very clear that this film is a striking and unforgettable work of pure brilliance, with its reputation being both secure and undeniable, and allowing us to experience the truly exceptional gifts that Fields bestowed on us throughout his iconic career.

The aspect that made a lot of Fields’ work intriguing was how he approached the stories and constructed them to be unlike other comedies produced at the time, while still working towards the general structure that usually defines them at the time. Primarily, he was a very gifted satirist, but his style was distinctly non-political (or at least as much as it could be, given the constraints with which he was working), and instead focused on the more social aspects of everyday life, which were usually the topics that he aimed to explore. This is reflected in the structure of his films, which It’s a Gift follows extremely well – firstly, he chooses a broad topic to serve as the central storyline. In this case, we have the story of Harold Bisonette, the luckless owner of a struggling corner store who aspires to be a man of wealth and influence, a dream that is consistently squandered by his shrill family, who present themselves as nothing but obstacles to his everyday work. However, his salvation comes in the form of a distant relative dying, his inheritance including an orange farm in California, which has always been seen as the land of prosperity – but the journey to get there is certainly not an easy one, with many hilarious challenges standing in his way. This is the basic foundation on which the film is built, but it is not the sole focus of the story, since it is only the framing device, with the typical Fields method of utilizing several lengthy sketches revolving around these characters as the main attraction. This gives the film an easygoing, almost carefree demeanour, and the freedom to go in pursuit of a few deeper ideas without ever instilling any real expectations in the viewer outside of the knowledge that whenever Fields appears on screen, hilarity cannot be very far behind (if it hasn’t had a head-start already), and which ultimately adds a lot of charm to an otherwise very simple film that could have easily been dismantled with even the slightest shift in tone or focus on the wrong details, something that is quite easily circumvented as we watch these hilarious misadventures of the world’s most lovable grump and his deeply irritating family.

One of the traits that are most admirable about Fields is that he was a true comedic auteur – he may not have directed his films (especially since outside of the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, we didn’t find many comedians directing their films). Still, he was involved in nearly every other area, helping fashion the stories around a particular subject. He was smart enough to know that the best person to write his material was himself since he could ensure that his skills were being well-utilized. We can question and debate what his finest performance is. Still, It’s a Gift will always be one of the strongest contenders if only for the pure fact that it is the most perfect distillation of everything that Fields represented, each side of his multifaceted personality is represented in one way or another, and this film essentially serving as an hour-long showreel for his comedic gifts. Whether the grouchy shopowner trying to make a living, or the submissive husband who is forced to endure the challenges of a family he never asked for, Fields is terrific. His act may not be for everyone – indeed seeing a never-ending stream of scenes in which our protagonist is constantly at the heart of some bickering or misfortune can get repetitive, but if anyone is going to easily overcome these issues without it starting to feel either grinding or as if they believe themselves to be somehow superior to the material, it would be Fields, who made a career in playing the most adorably unlikable dimwits and curmudgeons, which he may not have entirely pioneered (although his years on vaudeville did help him curate the persona well enough for it to become his trademark), but certainly perfected well enough for it to be a defining trait of his career, and one that we can experience in its most endearing form throughout this film, a masterful and deeply compelling combination of physical prowess and verbal creativity, the blend of which has always been the driving factor behind Fields’ terrific and revolutionary career.

There is always a risk when looking at a film like It’s a Gift, especially so many years after its release, which proves that time sometimes doesn’t bring the same amount of respect as it perhaps would for other works of art. Humour is not only subjective, but it is usually tied intrinsically to the period when it was made, and it can date quite poorly, especially when being watched by those who don’t have an interest in actually taking the humour at face value, and instead assert modern perspectives onto jokes written decades previously, a dangerous but unfortunately common practice. Perhaps it is a subjective opinion coming from someone who has always found him quite funny. Still, there is something about Fields’ humour that feels far more resonant than a lot of his contemporaries – perhaps it is the fact that he never relied on jokes that are only relevant to a specific time and place, which is one of the smartest approaches to comedy, since it immediately makes it more accessible. Instead, his focus is more on the universal quirks that are embedded deep within the human condition – the combination of slapstick humour and rapid-fire, witty dialogue filled to the brim with innuendo and double entendres (both of which are skills that he mastered throughout his career) make for bitingly funny scenarios, and his commitment to every single joke makes them double authentic. Following this, we find that this film is very much built on the foundation of focusing on ideas that can be related to any situation – whether or not this was the intention, we find that several moments feel like they could have been plucked directly from the present day – the frustration of an overly-demanding family, the anxiety that comes with trying to make ends meet (especially relevant considering this film was made at the heart of the Great Depression), and the aspiration for a future better than the one we have been given – these are all vitally important elements that drive the film, and allow it to still somehow feel unexpectedly fresh and compelling, despite its age.

It’s a Gift is certainly not a film that will be appreciated quite as widely as it perhaps ought to be, but it has mercifully been treated relatively well over the years, especially in the circles that rally around this film as one of the very best examinations of class, specifically from the social perspective, since this is not a subject that is regularly given the chance to be viewed as anything other than a political or economical matter. The elements that work well have stood the test of time better than many may have expected, and this film remains one of the most inventive and subversive comedies of its era. Ninety years since its release, It’s a Gift has achieved an enormous amount of acclaim, regularly being cited as one of the most incessantly brilliant comedies produced at the time, which has allowed it to maintain a firm and steadfast place within the global culture, being subjected to not only an enormous amount of acclaim but the kind of parody and mimicry that comes from a place of profound respect, almost as if those who try to imitate Fields are doing so to sample from his brilliance, rather than attempting to beat him at his own game, which is quite frankly impossible. The jokes are terrific and come about at a rapid-fire pace, but are never disorienting nor particularly abstract, instead being simple and well-formed enough to hold our attention for long enough to make it through this zany, off-the-wall production. It is consistently funny and manages to compress a significant amount into only an hour, which may seem like a short duration (and can evoke the idea of time flying when you’re having fun, certainly applicable in this case), but it is the perfect length since it allows to film to deliver everything it intended to do, while not overstaying its welcome. Hilarious and heartfelt, and driven by a sense of carefully creative chaos, It’s a Gift is a terrific film, and one that is fully deserving of its status as one of the great comedies of that era, and a deeply influential one in the modern cinematic landscape.