It's 1914, and a town festival is interrupted by the arrival of the Archduke and Duchess who are promptly assassinated, erupting Austria-Hungary into war with the Serbs. For town mayor Walter Huston, this brings on another crisis, as his officer pal Nils Asther falls deeply in love with Huston's wife, the noble Kay Francis. For years, Francis and Asther manage to avoid each other, often causing Huston to believe that his wife resents their friendship, but as the political climate changes, secret come out, betrayals are revealed, and a sacrifice must be made, not only to save a friend, but to aide the political climate as well.
This is a complicated almost operetta like tale of an affair that is more stolen kisses than sexual lust, as Asther and Francis remain loyal to both their friendship and marriage to Huston, even though it's obvious that Francis isn't deeply in love with her husband, even at the beginning. The film starts off literally with a bang, slows down tremendously as the details of the love between Asther and Francis are revealed, but explodes suddenly into the lavish fiesta where rich and poor mingle together, dancing furiously to the music of the happy gypsies as flowers fly, kisses are stolen in secret, champagne corks pop and the food turns the revelers into gluttons. But behind that celebration, there are more than just land wars going on, and when this takes on the serious dilemmas, it becomes nearly a landmark work of art.
For comical relief, there's Louise Closser Hale as Huston's much older sister and Eugene Palette as Asther's right-hand man who seem to have a secret past. Ms. Closser Hale admonishes Palette for his ogling nature then slyly invites him into her kitchen. Jean Parker, as Hale's daughter, is seen only briefly, so by the time she re- appears for one major scene, it's almost forgotten that she was ever on before. The film drags in a few spots that almost brought my rating of it down, but once it builds up to a high crescendo of the huge party scene and all the drama that occurs afterwards (particularly Huston's realization of what has gone on all along), it settles into a fine film. As one of only four films that Francis made for MGM during her career (on loan), it shows her in a beautiful light, particularly the scenes with her and Asther's close-ups framed by candles as if to say that the flame was flickering with tremendous heat.
This is a complicated almost operetta like tale of an affair that is more stolen kisses than sexual lust, as Asther and Francis remain loyal to both their friendship and marriage to Huston, even though it's obvious that Francis isn't deeply in love with her husband, even at the beginning. The film starts off literally with a bang, slows down tremendously as the details of the love between Asther and Francis are revealed, but explodes suddenly into the lavish fiesta where rich and poor mingle together, dancing furiously to the music of the happy gypsies as flowers fly, kisses are stolen in secret, champagne corks pop and the food turns the revelers into gluttons. But behind that celebration, there are more than just land wars going on, and when this takes on the serious dilemmas, it becomes nearly a landmark work of art.
For comical relief, there's Louise Closser Hale as Huston's much older sister and Eugene Palette as Asther's right-hand man who seem to have a secret past. Ms. Closser Hale admonishes Palette for his ogling nature then slyly invites him into her kitchen. Jean Parker, as Hale's daughter, is seen only briefly, so by the time she re- appears for one major scene, it's almost forgotten that she was ever on before. The film drags in a few spots that almost brought my rating of it down, but once it builds up to a high crescendo of the huge party scene and all the drama that occurs afterwards (particularly Huston's realization of what has gone on all along), it settles into a fine film. As one of only four films that Francis made for MGM during her career (on loan), it shows her in a beautiful light, particularly the scenes with her and Asther's close-ups framed by candles as if to say that the flame was flickering with tremendous heat.