For the last three decades now I've considered Ernst Lubitsch's Trouble In Paradise from 1932 to be one of the best films ever made, but it's taken me all this time to get round to his Love Parade made a few years earlier. Mainly because in the last three decades it's never been shown on UK TV; their schedules are so packed with indispensable brilliant TV they couldn't find an empty 2 hour slot. Is it worth looking up? Well yes, it's a fascinating early talkie/musical, very redolent of the future Trouble In Paradise and One Hour With You (and Love Me Tonight), with lavish sets, sumptuous décor and elegant costumes and a bearable plot and music.
The Queen of Sylvania (Jeanette MacDonald) with her many ministers urging is keen to get married, Count Alfred (Maurice Chevalier) blows in fresh from life and death romantic scandals in Paris and they fall for one another. Except that he eventually objects to being her Poodle Consort... There are quite a few pretty forgettable songs the best by miles being the title song which is reprised twice, although slapstick music hall artist Lupino Lane also gets to sing a witty ditty with Lillian Roth as butler and maid respectively. Mustachioed minister Eugene Palette's voice never sounded so razor-like! It's continually charming and witty in Lubitsch's best style, acting and singing fresh and stilted at the same time, interesting and even riveting in places – the print and sound are in fine condition considering it was made in 1929. By the way, does this mean that a few years later the Queen appointed dirty-necked Trentino (Louis Calhern) as Sylvanian Ambassador to Freedonia for Duck Soup?!
It's not Trouble In Paradise - nothing is, and at nearly 2 hours long it has a lot of padding to it, but as it opens up such a completely different and lovely world to us now it's well worth watching.
The Queen of Sylvania (Jeanette MacDonald) with her many ministers urging is keen to get married, Count Alfred (Maurice Chevalier) blows in fresh from life and death romantic scandals in Paris and they fall for one another. Except that he eventually objects to being her Poodle Consort... There are quite a few pretty forgettable songs the best by miles being the title song which is reprised twice, although slapstick music hall artist Lupino Lane also gets to sing a witty ditty with Lillian Roth as butler and maid respectively. Mustachioed minister Eugene Palette's voice never sounded so razor-like! It's continually charming and witty in Lubitsch's best style, acting and singing fresh and stilted at the same time, interesting and even riveting in places – the print and sound are in fine condition considering it was made in 1929. By the way, does this mean that a few years later the Queen appointed dirty-necked Trentino (Louis Calhern) as Sylvanian Ambassador to Freedonia for Duck Soup?!
It's not Trouble In Paradise - nothing is, and at nearly 2 hours long it has a lot of padding to it, but as it opens up such a completely different and lovely world to us now it's well worth watching.