In West Berlin, the ambitious executive of Coca-Cola C.R. MacNamara (James Cagney) is negotiating with the Russian representatives the opening of several factories in the Iron Curtain, expecting to be promoted to a high position in Europe. However, his boss Wendell P. Hazeltine (Howard St. John) calls him from Atlanta and tells him to call off the negotiation since it is against the policy of the company. Further, he asks MacNamara to take care of his seventeen year-old daughter Scarlett (Pamela Tiffin) that is traveling through Europe during her two weeks vacation in Berlin. When MacNamara and his wife Phyllis (Arlene Francis) meet Scarlett in the airport, they feel that she would be a troublemaker with her "hot blood". However, Scarlett gets sick and stays for two months in MacNamara's house. When Wendell calls MacNamara telling that he would come to Berlin with his wife to bring Scarlett back to USA, Phyllis calls her husband and tells that Scarlett has vanished. However, Scarlett appears in MacNamara's office and tells that she got married with the communist Otto Ludwig Piffl (Horst Buchholz). The smart MacNamara plots a scheme to get rid of the youngster; but when he finds that Scarlett is pregnant, he reverts the situation and decides to transform Otto in the ideal son-in-law.
"One, Two, Three" is another delightful and witty comedy of Billy Wilder in times of Cold War. The hilarious story is developed in a fast pace, with wonderful and ironic lines and situations making fun of the socialist and the capitalist regimes. James Cagney has one of his best roles (if not the best) performing the ambitious and smart executive. One of my favorite lines is the one that Otto says "I have been a capitalist for only three hours and I already owe more than ten thousand dollars". This is the first time that I watch this movie, and I imagine how funny it would be before the fall of the Berlin Wall. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Cupido Não Tem Bandeira" ("Cupid does not Have Flag")
"One, Two, Three" is another delightful and witty comedy of Billy Wilder in times of Cold War. The hilarious story is developed in a fast pace, with wonderful and ironic lines and situations making fun of the socialist and the capitalist regimes. James Cagney has one of his best roles (if not the best) performing the ambitious and smart executive. One of my favorite lines is the one that Otto says "I have been a capitalist for only three hours and I already owe more than ten thousand dollars". This is the first time that I watch this movie, and I imagine how funny it would be before the fall of the Berlin Wall. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Cupido Não Tem Bandeira" ("Cupid does not Have Flag")