Overview
A singer's dreams collide with love and ambition against the backdrop of a city on the brink of disaster.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- sincere
- romantic
- sentimental
- classic movie night
- musical movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a satisfying classic Hollywood musical melodrama whose graceful songs and spectacular earthquake sequence elevate its conventional romance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Mary's saloon singing and operatic ambitions place her between Blackie's working-class Paradise and Burley's Nob Hill opera world.
The earthquake destroys the old social and commercial order, prompting Blackie and Father Tim to search for Mary amid the ruins.
Mary's performances of popular and operatic music repeatedly determine whether she belongs with Blackie or at the Tivoli.
The film culminates in collapsing buildings, burning streets, dynamited sections, and the emergence of a rebuilt San Francisco.
Films like San Francisco, and why
The Great Ziegfeld
classic Hollywood musical romance combining charismatic stars, ambitious performers, and lavish production spectacle
A Star Is Born
romantic musical melodrama centered on a singer navigating competing personal and professional loyalties
The Roaring Twenties
emotionally direct pre-Code-era drama pairing romance, music, moral conflict, and large-scale catastrophe
In Old Chicago
classic disaster spectacle using a major historical catastrophe to transform an intimate melodrama
Movie Details
- Director
- W.S. Van Dyke
- Release Date
- 1936-06-26
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (89)
Cast
- Clark Gable
- Jeanette MacDonald
- Spencer Tracy
- Jack Holt
- Jessie Ralph
- Ted Healy
- Shirley Ross
- Margaret Irving
- Harold Huber
- Edgar Kennedy
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is San Francisco about?
- A glamorous singer, a possessive gambling-hall impresario, and a compassionate priest are tested by love, ambition, and the catastrophic destruction of 1930s San Francisco.
- What is San Francisco like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of San Francisco as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is San Francisco violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in San Francisco as moderate.
- What did critics think of San Francisco?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a satisfying classic Hollywood musical melodrama whose graceful songs and spectacular earthquake sequence elevate its conventional romance.
- Which films are like San Francisco?
- Films with a similar feel include The Great Ziegfeld, A Star Is Born, The Roaring Twenties, and In Old Chicago.
- How long is San Francisco?
- San Francisco runs 115 minutes.
- Where can I watch San Francisco?
- In United States, San Francisco is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
