I saw this movie in the early 1980s, taped it on VHS sometime in the late 1990s, and breathlessly waited for it to be released on DVD. When I upgraded my old TV/VCR a few months ago, I purchased this and Auntie Mame (1958, Rosiland Russell version ONLY , please!!). And I watched this film first!!
Trouble in Paradise is a wonderful, funny, touching, beautiful film. Pay attention to the small details and you will be amply rewarded well beyond the actual plot (hint: doors, clocks, stairs). The timing of every single scene is pure joy, the characters are all delightful, and the sets are out of this world! Clothing, household furnishings, hair/make-up/accessories are all simply astonishing. You don't even realize how important they are as part of the "set piece" until the 3rd or 4th viewing, so captivating is the actual plot and the desire to follow the characters' paths throughout the film.
It is a screwball comedy, to be sure, but it is also a statement of the times it depicts and when it was made. In 1932, the US was still struggling with the national economic depression, and people probably ached for a little getaway. This film, set in Paris (and other equally exoticespecially in 1932places), must have provided the perfect balm for people looking for both validation of "desperate times call for desperate measures" (Lily and Gaston are, after all, thieves!) and a whimsical escape into another, more glamorous world than the one most people experienced in 1932.
Please watch this more than once! The first time, you will enjoy it and laugh gently (it's not a "guffaw/belly-laugh" film), the second time you will begin to notice the sets and how much they contribute to the overall quality of the film, the 3rd time you will see the timing/camera work/social policy at work, and you will only then begin to fully appreciate the film. And the 4th timethis I promise!!you will put it all together and marvel at the wonder of the whole package. To think that such a fabulous film was made 65+ years ago will, or certainly should, give you a new perspective and appreciation for rue creativity, and recognition that it is indeed timeless. OK, I have to go watch it again....
Trouble in Paradise is a wonderful, funny, touching, beautiful film. Pay attention to the small details and you will be amply rewarded well beyond the actual plot (hint: doors, clocks, stairs). The timing of every single scene is pure joy, the characters are all delightful, and the sets are out of this world! Clothing, household furnishings, hair/make-up/accessories are all simply astonishing. You don't even realize how important they are as part of the "set piece" until the 3rd or 4th viewing, so captivating is the actual plot and the desire to follow the characters' paths throughout the film.
It is a screwball comedy, to be sure, but it is also a statement of the times it depicts and when it was made. In 1932, the US was still struggling with the national economic depression, and people probably ached for a little getaway. This film, set in Paris (and other equally exoticespecially in 1932places), must have provided the perfect balm for people looking for both validation of "desperate times call for desperate measures" (Lily and Gaston are, after all, thieves!) and a whimsical escape into another, more glamorous world than the one most people experienced in 1932.
Please watch this more than once! The first time, you will enjoy it and laugh gently (it's not a "guffaw/belly-laugh" film), the second time you will begin to notice the sets and how much they contribute to the overall quality of the film, the 3rd time you will see the timing/camera work/social policy at work, and you will only then begin to fully appreciate the film. And the 4th timethis I promise!!you will put it all together and marvel at the wonder of the whole package. To think that such a fabulous film was made 65+ years ago will, or certainly should, give you a new perspective and appreciation for rue creativity, and recognition that it is indeed timeless. OK, I have to go watch it again....