User Reviews

This is an enchanting film, one of the best musicals of the decade. Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald are incredibly appealing in a rich-girl-poor-boy musical romance. It's one of those rare films where the girl runs away from the palace to follow her true love and you *don't* think "wait a minute, you'll never survive out there", no, you want them to be together. The score is enchanting (the big hits being "Isn't it Romantic" and "Lover"), Chevalier is devastatingly attractive, and MacDonald is vulnerably appealing and completely without the annoying primness that marred her later films.

It's also a remarkably well made film for 1932, when most films were just getting used to sound and suffered from a horrible stiffness on the part of the actors and the camera. You'd think this movie was made ten years later, it's lively and sparkling, and directed with a smoothness and originality that's still amazing.

There are so many elements regarding LOVE ME TONIGHT that crossed to create one of the great musicals of American film. It probably was the best score for a Hollywood film done by Rodgers and Hart, including "Isn't It Romantic", "Mimi", and "Lover", as well as "The Sonofagun is Nothing But a Tailor" (only their scores for HALLELUJAH, I'M A BUM and THE PHANTOM PRESIDENT are as interesting, but the former only produced one standard, and the latter produced none). From their first arrival in motion pictures Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart experimented with singing that replaced dialog. Here it finally got it's opportunity to show what it could do. That's due to them having a master director (who would turn out to be more of a stage and musical director than a film one - though his films remain more than interesting), Rouben Mamoulian. Always willing to experiment in his film (in DR. JECKYLL AND MR. HYDE, having the camera take the point of view of Fredric March for part of the film; using color to show suggestions of the threat of military violence in BECKY SHARP) Mamoulian was willing to go along with his musical pair in the extended songs like "How are you?" and "Isn't It Romantic". The latter beginning in Chevalier's tailor shop eventually involves people passing the melody from the street to a musician in a taxicab to a marching brigade of troops to gypsies to Jeanette at her palace. The cast was perfect, with Chevalier and MacDonald joined by their former ONE HOUR WITH YOU co-star Charlie Ruggles, as well as Myrna Loy, Charles Butterworth (who has some funny lines for a change), and C. Aubrey Smith. It is rare for everything in a musical to fit together so well.

Chevalier is a tailor who made the mistake of making a complete wardrobe for Ruggles a supposedly wealthy aristocrat. Ruggles owes him a lot (as well as all the other people who made parts of the clothing for Ruggles - at Chevalier's recommendation). So they send him after Ruggles, who has gone to his rich uncle's home in the country. This is C. Aubrey Smith, a reactionary old Duke. He is also the protector of Princess Jeanette, now a widow (don't feel bad for her, as Dr. Joseph Cawthorn finds out). Also staying with the Duke is Count Charles Butterworth, a scholarly aristocrat (and just as hesitant and bumbling in his delivery of dialog here as in other films, but here his comments are funny). Finally there is Smith's niece, Myrna Loy, who never saw a pair of men's pants that she did not care to open.

Chevalier's appearance is an embarrassment to Ruggles, who may be disinherited by Smith over his debts. So he keeps Chevalier from admitting that he is a tailor, and finally suggests that Chevalier is a king traveling incognito. As Chevalier and MacDonald slowly fall in love, the suspicion that he is a monarch makes him possibly a perfect match for the widowed Princess. Chevalier also enlivens the dull château with his songs (including an "Apache" number, as well as "Mimi" which everyone ends up singing - including C. Aubrey Smith!). But what would happen if the truth comes out? That is what leads to the conclusion of the film.

Many of the early surviving films of the 1930s are cut from what they originally were like. And the film that was cut is usually lost forever. In the case of LOVE ME TONIGHT, the loss is truly sad because of the quality of the film that survives. But at least we do have that surviving footage to marvel at and enjoy.

Only five years after the invention of talking pictures, Rouben Mamoulian created this wildly inventive, cinematic, featherweight musical comedy that was decades ahead of its time.

The entire movie has the lighthearted, devil-may-care charm of its star Maurice Chevalier, as a Parisian tailor who falls for a princess (Jeanette MacDonald who shows a seldom-seen flair for comedy here).

It's a screwball comedy in which the music is seamlessly integrated into the story. The songs by Richard Rodgers and the brilliantly witty lyrics of Lorenz Hart are both delightful and laugh-out-loud funny.

It has the sophistication and sexual sauciness of Broadway fare of the time, while other early movie musicals were still clunky backstage tales with disposable plots and paper thin characters.

A very young and funny Myrna Loy as a man-crazy countess is merely one of the delights of the pitch perfect supporting cast.

LOVE ME TONIGHT (Paramount, 1932) directed by Rouben Mamoulian, marks the third teaming of Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald, following THE LOVE PARADE (1929) and ONE HOUR WITH YOU (1932), as well as their best collaboration of four musicals together, in fact, the privilege of being one of the best musicals ever made in the 1930s.

The story focuses on a French tailor named Maurice (Maurice Chevalier) who is swindled out of his fee by the Vicomte DeVarez (Charles Ruggles). He soon sets out for the castle of the Vicomte's uncle, The Duke (C. Aubrey Smith) to collect the fee. While there, at the advice of the Vicomte, who promises to pay him within a few days, to remain at the castle under the guise of a royal Baron. Maurice, who had earlier encountered Jeanette (Jeanette MacDonald), a beautiful but lonely princess, immediately falls in love with her, in spite of her resistance. Things start to look bright for Maurice and Jeanette until it is discovered that Maurice is not nothing but a tailor.

The supporting cast consists of Myrna Loy (on loan from MGM) as Countess Valentine; Charles Butterworth as Count DeSavignac, the deadpan character who loves Jeanette as well as his flute; Elizabeth Patterson, Ethel Griffies and Blanche Frederici as the maiden aunts; Robert Greig as Flamond; with Clarence Wilson and Gordon Westcott, among others. The biggest surprise is Myrna Loy, better known for her sophistication rather than her Oriental vamps from her early years, playing an offbeat character as a man-chasing gal who goes for anything in pants, something to the liking of Lillian Roth, who had demonstrated a similar chore in THE LOVE PARADE. Loy even gets some of the film's most witty lines. In a scene where Jeanette becomes ill, and a doctor is needed, her cousin (Ruggles) asks her, "Could you go for a doctor?" She replies, "Certainly, bring him right in."

With the music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, songs include "The Song of Paree," "How Are You?" (both sung by Maurice Chevalier); "Isn't It Romantic?" (sung by Chevalier, Bert Roach, Rolfe Sedan, Tyler Brooke, cast members and Jeanette MacDonald); "Lover" (sung by MacDonald); "Mimi" (sung by Chevalier); "A Woman Needs Something Like That" (recited by MacDonald and Joseph Cawthorne); "Mimi" (reprise, sung by C. Aubrey Smith, Charles Ruggles, Elizabeth Patterson, Ethel Griffies, Blanche Frederici and Charles Butterworth. Myrna Loy's suggestive version to the song wearing a transparent negligee has been deleted from reissue prints); "I'm an Apache" (sung by Chevalier); "Love Me Tonight" (sung by MacDonald); "The Son-of-a-Gun is Nothing But a Tailor" (sung by cast); and "Love Me Tonight" (sung by Chevalier and MacDonald).

Of the many songs, all are first-rate, but the title tune did not become as memorable as "Isn't It Romantic?" which should have been the film's title since it more fits the mood to the story than "Love Me Tonight." But whatever title, some might shy away from it believing this to be an unbearable sugary love story, but on the contrary, is more than that. It's a love story with a first-rate script, risqué dialog and wonderful tunes that fits together like a jigsaw puzzle. Others might avoid LOVE ME TONIGHT because of its age. Certainly it's old, but in spite of that, it not only gives the impression of being ahead of its time, but that European film-making style to it, ranging from people riding their horses in slow motion photography, lovers communicating in song through their thoughts in split screen, as well as superimposing on MacDonald's face as she must make a big decision while at the same time Chevalier is awaiting for his train with each other's voice singing the title tune in the soundtrack. Up to this time, nothing this original has ever been used for a musical. The wit and wisdom of Ernst Lubitsch might have made LOVE ME TONIGHT a witty love affair, but Mamoulien combines his musical romance with advance technology and style, which is why LOVE ME TONIGHT continues to find a new appreciative audience decades after its initial release. With lines such as, "Once upon a time there was a princess and a prince charming, who was not a prince, but who WAS charming," LOVE ME TONIGHT is a musical fairy tale indeed, something not found in storybooks for children but more on the adult level.

Aside from late night viewing on commercial television from the 1960s to mid 1980s (depending on whatever state this was shown), LOVE ME TONIGHT enjoyed frequent revivals on American Movie Classics cable channel from 1990 to 1996, and resurfaced again on Turner Classic Movies where it premiered July 29, 2004. Thanks to KINO Video, LOVE ME TONIGHT is also available on video cassette and DVD. Originally released at about 100 minutes, prints in circulation today run at 90 minutes. But even the shorter version doesn't take away the impact, simplicity and joy of watching LOVE ME TONIGHT. Sit back, relax and enjoy this one. (****)

I have watched this movie in part several times, but caught it tonight on TCM or from my DVR of a recent showing. It is a special one, and was interested in checking out these magnificent sets created for it. They were wonderful.

Liked Chevalier in this particularly. I agree with the reviewer who finds Jeannette McDonald's singing a bit of a trial. I don't care for most opera type singing. Get ready for some corn here: Was reminded of something Andy Griffith said about opera singing (from a comic recording), "Some people say opera is just hollerin', and it is; but it's high class hollerin'." It comes across that way to me. That quote may offend the cinematic detail oriented enthusiasts of this film - sorry.

However, I have enjoyed a few old operettas, thinking of "Sweet Kitty Bellairs" from 1930 featuring Claudia Dell and Walter Pidgeon. Ms. Dell was easier on the ears than Ms. McDonald. Pidgeon's singing was pleasing, and I found the piece entertaining.

In watching C. Aubrey Smith in this, I thought for the umpteenth time whether he was born an old man. He is always ancient in every movie I have ever seen with him. Actually, his Hollywood films were done in his elderly years. Finally looked him up and found he was born in 1863. Wow. He did London stage, Broadway and came to Hollywood much later. He died in California at age 85.

This is a good film and has interest for its genre. It is probably my favorite Chevalier. It was odd seeing Charles Ruggles in this. They were talking about Myrna Loy during the intro to the movie, saying this film may have begun her being used in something other than the Oriental evil women or vamp types. Only a few people were making the decisions on casting back then in the studio system, and thankfully, they finally broke her out of that old mold and began to find out how engaging she was as a wife and later as a comedienne.

Good film.

Often silly, somewhat disconnected, and hopelessly dated, the early-1930's musical "Love Me Tonight" is more historical curiosity than entertainment. Based on a French play, the nonsensical plot involves a Parisian tailor who pursues a deadbeat Viscount to his chateau, where he impersonates a Baron and falls in love with a princess. While some familiar Rodgers and Hart songs are performed, the sing-songy dialog sequences with lots of rhymes become tedious quickly, and many of the lines are so bad, they are unintentionally funny.

The film features Maurice Chevalier as Maurice, the tailor, and Jeannette MacDonald as Jeannette, the princess; both stars are acquired tastes, especially the mannered MacDonald. Chevalier chews on his thick trademark accent, while he warbles such standards as "Mimi," rolls his eyes, and twists his mouth to charm his fans. Meanwhile, the icy MacDonald emotes shamelessly and trills in her high soprano to thrill her own legions of fans. The supporting cast fares better than the leads, and they provide most of the amusement. Both Charlie Ruggles as the Viscount who never pays his bills and Charles Butterworth as the Count who hopelessly and ineptly courts the Princess register strongly, while C. Aubrey Smith as the Duke is an always welcome presence in any film. A lovely young Myrna Loy plays a countess, who is more worthy of Chevalier's attentions than MacDonald, but love is blind apparently. A trio of dotty aunts, led by Elizabeth Patterson, are either a Greek chorus or on disguised witches on leave from "MacBeth." The threesome flutter about, worry about the Princess, and spread gossipy news.

A series of dramatic black-and-white images of Paris opens the film, before the action moves to the Paramount back lot, where events immediately begin to become strange and silly. Director Rouben Mamoulian utilizes a few amusing camera tricks that hark back to the silent era and remind the audience that sound films were only five years old at the time. "Love Me Tonight" is an odd film, at times difficult to sit through, and today impossible to recommend except to dedicated film buffs and diehard fans of Chevalier and MacDonald. Others may want to take a pass on this one.

Yes, it's available from Kino. If not in general distribution, you can still order it from most Internet-based distributors. Its publication is coincidental with one of Rouben Mamoulian's other masterpieces of the sound era, 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' (the Fredric March version, 1931). Although the producers of this last two-for-one DVD (where it is coupled with Victor Fleming 1941 version with Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman and Lana Turner) were able to restore most of the parts of 'Jekyll' which were cut away either by the studio (Paramount) or the censors, the same cannot be said of 'Love Me Tonight'.

Don't get me wrong: it still is a must-own masterpiece reproduced in a pristine print with sound as clear as a bell, but it is still missing songs and scenes that were cut because they were too long or because the censors repeatedly asked for their exclusion. I didn't have time to listen to the whole commentary by Miles Kreuger, who probably explains how these tasty bits were either destroyed or lost to posterity.

What remains, of course, is the version film lovers have always known from television and have recorded on their VCRs for years. What comes out in this print is that the photography by Victor Milner is very reminiscent of the celebrated Brassaï still photographs of Paris, the lighting is extremely rich and complex and the camera movements are unusual for the time (including a discreet use of the zoom lens for comic effects). Two set pieces ('Isn't Romantic?' and ''The son-of-a-gun is nothing but a tailor') are guaranteed to knock the wind out of you. One song, 'Mimi', has Maurice Chevalier singing to Jeanette MacDonald but directly to the camera and Jeanette looking back at him in the same way, which is spine-tingling. Another song (the pre-recorded 'Love Me Tonight') Is sung over a split-screen view of the lovers sleeping each in their own bed. The film even includes a full-regalia deer hunt and a race between a train and a horsewoman worthy of the 'Perils of Pauline'.

The script is based on a French boulevard comedy called 'The Tailor and the Princess' by Armont and Marchand but it has been amplified by a very witty and poetic script by American Samuel Hoffenstein (who also worked on 'Jekyll'), spoken and sung rhymed couplets by Lorenz Hart and, of course, songs and incidental music by Richard Rodgers.

In this gentle lampoon of French aristocracy and the democratic aspirations of the working classes, songs are not mere filler, they announce scenes, introduce characters and propel the action. They also give rise to very cinematic montages which keep the spectator in a perpetual state of expectation. In this respect, Mamoulian was probably paying respect to what René Clair had accomplished in his French musical 'Le Million' a short time before (1931). Its sexual content, however, was clearly inspired (or dictated) by the preceding film Ernst Lubitsch had directed starring the box-office smash duo of Jeanette MacDonald and Maurice Chevalier ('Love Parade', 1929, followed in 1935 by 'The Merry Widow'). 'Love Me Tonight' in turn inspired the French style of film comedy for decades to come, where the introduction of working class elements in an aristocratic setting became a kind of stock situation (see 'The Rules of the Game', Jean Renoir, 1939).

As Miles Kreuger explains, this is probably the last screen musical where most of the sung numbers were recorded live on the soundstage, with a live orchestra in attendance off-screen (as evidenced in the production photographs), because the complexity of film-making from this point on required the songs to be pre-recorded. This gives the film a unique, spontaneous quality even in the most choreographed numbers.

The inclusion of the three spinster sisters is a particularly fine touch, reminiscent of the famous 'Mesdames' of Louis XVth's court (his three moralizing unmarried daughters), but they also serve as Greek chorus and a benevolent version of the Three Witches or Three Fairies of folk literature.

Luckily, the DVD also includes a complete reprinting of the script pages of the scenes that were lost to censorship or cut by the studio, as well as censorship notes and they make for fine reading.

All in all, this is one of the most important films in cinema's history, a timeless comedy whose enjoyment will never be marred and a fine DVD package.

It was cute, to be sure, but it was overly corny and unmemorable. It doesn't deserve its reputation as a neglected romantic classic (it has an outrageous 8.7 unweighted average on IMDb, with well over 300 votes). It stars Maurice Chevalier as a tailor who falls in love with a princess played by Jeanette MacDonald. I think both did better in The Merry Widow two years later. Myrna Loy, Charles Ruggles and C. Aubrey Smith co-star - and are given nothing to do. Well, C. Aubrey Smith sings a couple of times, which is actually amusing to see. Any movie where the hero has to decide between Jeanette MacDonald and Myrna Loy and he picks MacDonald strains believability. Mamoulian's direction is nice, but he also did better the next year with Queen Christina. The film seems way too much like the films of René Clair (the style, at least), and I would guess that some of the technique has been stolen. It's a decent movie, but nothing too special. The Kino DVD, btw, is gorgeous.

No, really -- I defy anyone to name a movie musical more exuberant, more creative, more romantic, melodic, hilarious, or escapist; not even "Singin' in the Rain" equals it. From opening shot (a rhythmic ballet-mechanique of Paris coming to life at dawn) to fade-out (a happy-ending finale that also parodies Eisenstein), it's bursting with ingenious ideas.

The pre-Code screenplay, rife with double entendres and social satire, is a princess-and-commoner love story written to the strengths of its two stars: Chevalier, never more charming, and MacDonald, never a subtler comedienne. With one foot in fantasy and the other in reality, it manages to sustain an otherworldly feeling even while grounded in the modern-day Paris of klaxons, tradesmen, and class consciousness. The supporting cast is phenomenal, with Myrna Loy as a man-hungry countess, C. Aubrey Smith doing his old-codger thing, Charles Butterworth priceless as a mild-mannered nobleman ("I fell flat on my flute!"), and Blanche Frederici, Ethel Griffies, and Elizabeth Patterson as a benign version of the Macbeth witches' trio.

All are wonderful, but the real muscle belongs to the director and the songwriters. Mamoulian's camera has a rhythm of its own and many tricks up its lens: note the fox-hunt sequence suddenly going into slow-motion; the Expressionist shadowplay in Chevalier's "Poor Apache" specialty; the sudden cuts in the "Sonofagun is Nothing But a Tailor" production number. As for the Rodgers and Hart score, it's simply the best they ever wrote for a film -- maybe the best anybody wrote for a film. The songs are unforgettable in themselves -- "Isn't It Romantic?", "Mimi," "Lover," etc. -- but, and here is where genius enters, they're superbly integrated and magnificently thought out. Note the famous "Isn't It Romantic" sequences, the camera roaming effortlessly through countless verses from tailor shop to taxi to field to gypsy camp to castle, finally linking the two leads subliminally, though their characters have never met. "A musical," Mamoulian once said, "must float." This sequence may float higher than any other in any musical.

Best of all, you can sense the unbridled enthusiasm the authors must have had for this project: Rodgers and Hart seem positively giddy with the possibilities of cinema, eager to defy time, place, and reason as was never possible for them onstage. What a pity that this magnificent movie isn't available on video, so that future generations can't easily rediscover its brilliance.

After watching Pygmalion the previous night, Love Me Tonight seemed boring and I couldn't wait for it to finally end. The first 15 minutes or so seemed interesting and amusing, but then it became more and more cheesy, all the way up to the cheesy and unlikely ending.

Without a doubt, this is a film that should be seen by more people as it was way ahead of its times! The film is helped by the magnificent direction of Rouben Mamoulian, who knew a thing, or two, about how to create movies that endured the passage of time. The film has the magnificent score by Rodgers and Hart, the leading geniuses of the American musical theater.

The picture is a joy to watch from the beginning. The opening sequence in Paris, as people go about their daily routine, ending with Maurice arriving at his own tailor shop is amazing. The story is pure fantasy, but it serves the movie well. The time where this movie was made had a different feel and there was an innocent air surrounding the magic the new talking pictures that were coming out in the early 30s.

The casting proves to be also excellent. Maurice Chevalier, who was an idol in France, made it big in America. He had a personality that put a good feeling to any character he played. Jeannette McDonald, the leading lady was a favorite of the movie going public and it's easy to see why she was adored.

Also a young and fresh Mirna Loy, joins Charles Ruggles and Charles Butterworth in the supporting roles.

This film should be included in any collection of the discriminating movie fan.

If you know the two previous M. Chevalier/J. MacDonald collaborations, Love Parade and One Hour with You, both directed by E. Lubitch, I suspect you will find this movie a major disappointment, as I did. There are a few good lines, but basically the script is very dull. There are two good songs, Isn't it Romantic (which is a very good song, developed over a series of scenes in a way movies no longer do that is really very striking) and Mimie. The rest of the songs are very forgettable - which is strange, given that they were written by Rodgers and Hart, who wrote some of our best musicals. MadDonald does some decent acting; Chevalier is pure corn for most of the movie. The small comedy parts are fine but not outstanding.

In short, a largely forgettable movie, save for "Isn't it Romantic," and the opening of the movie, which does a nice job of evoking the sounds of Paris as the day starts.

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I watched this movie again tonight, and I have to admit that I enjoyed it much more than I did five years ago when I wrote the above review.

This is not a Lubitch comedy, so it is not filled with clever double-entendres, though there are a few. What I found interesting this time were the camera angles and the way some of the scenes were set up. They were really very innovative, often, as when Jeanette MacDonald's real horse is set up in parallel to an iron horse along side which she is riding. There are other scenes as well in which the camera work is really very innovative and impressive.

I also found the movie funnier tonight than I gather I did five years ago. There are little touches, like the forever sewing three aunts meant to recall the three fates, that are really very clever.

So I raised my vote for the movie to 7, and would say that yes, it is worth a watch.

It's one of those musicals where people start singing to each other for no apparent reason. It's one of those films where people talk to each other in rhyming couplets. I love a good old fashioned 1930s musical but this is not Busby Berkeley! If you like pretend fantasy operettas (and possibly opera, which I can't stand either) you'll probably enjoy this because it's beautifully made, perfectly acted but everything I hate.

So why on earth would someone like me watch something I'd know I'd hate?

1. It's made by one of the most innovative and talented directors of the early thirties. If you're expecting a typical Rouben Mamoulian masterpiece, you'll be disappointed.

2. Maurice Chevalier was fantastic in Folies Bergère de Paris - that was a proper film, a fun farcical romantic comedy. If you're expecting something similar, you'll be very disappointed.

3. Jeanette MacDonald is sometimes described as the American Jessie Matthews. Although they both had annoying singing voices, Jessie Matthews was a gorgeous bubbly funny and believable actress whereas Jeanette MacDonald just had the annoying voice. If you're expecting something like EVERGREEN then you'll be disappointed.

If, for some bizarre reason you liked ONE HOUR WITH YOU then ignore me - this is your sort of film. Of its rather unique genre, this is the cream of that (sour) milk but I, as you might have gathered, hated this with every cell of my body and fibre of my soul.

Looking for the fees owed him by an eccentric nobleman, a Parisian tailor arrives at the country château of a lovely, lonely princess.

Blending wonderful music, witty words and first-rate performances, director Rouben Mamoulian created in LOVE ME TONIGHT a superlative concoction which will delight any discriminating aficionado of early movie musicals. With remarkable naturalism & refinement, Mamoulian weaves the songs into the fabric of the film, managing to highlight the best of them with great gusto, while still displaying some delicate touches of his own. The opening sequence of an awakening Paris and the gradual orchestration of sounds, followed immediately by the integration of the first song into a quick walk along a busy street, is a case in point. The viewer knows instantly that the director is in charge and has everything well in hand--which leads to one's wondering what kind of a Land of Oz Paramount Studios must have been in the early 1930's with both Mamoulian and Ernest Lubitsch working on the lot...

Maurice Chevalier exudes Gallic joie de vivre as the honest tailor whose extraordinary charm & talent beguiles a bevy of blue bloods. Effortlessly dominating his every scene, he exhibits the over-sized personality which put him into the rarefied stratum of the top performers (Baker, Coward, Robeson) of his generation. Lovely Jeanette MacDonald once again is the perfect romantic partner for Chevalier. A fine actress as well as an excellent singer, she throws herself into the film's farcical atmosphere and lends her celebrated voice to the musical proceedings.

Jeanette's château is populated by a gaggle of expert character performers: stern old Sir C. Aubrey Smith as the ducal head of the house; gently daffy Charlie Ruggles as an improvident vicomte; elegant Myrna Loy as a young amorous countess; and Elizabeth Patterson, Ethel Griffies & Blanche Frederici as the Aunties--slyly depicted as either a trio of benevolent witches or a pack of excited puppies. Soft-spoken Charles Butterworth plays the timid count who wishes to marry Miss MacDonald. Joseph Cawthorn is the no-nonsense family doctor. Rotund Robert Greig portrays the château's imposing major-domo.

Movie mavens will recognize sour-faced Clarence Wilson as a shirtmaker; Ethel Wales as a temperamental dressmaker; and Edgar Norton as a valet--all uncredited.

Except for the sadly vulgar--albeit tongue-in-cheek--apache tune, the rest of Rodgers & Hart's music is very entertaining, especially the two most famous numbers: 'Isn't It Romantic' (begun in Paris by Chevalier, and traveling by taxi, train, marching soldiers and gypsies it eventually reaches MacDonald on her balcony) and 'Mimi,' sung first by Maurice to Jeanette, but eventually echoed, hilariously, by many of the inhabitants of the château).

Sumptuous production values and costumes by Edith Head add greatly to the film's overall quality.

I've always found Maurice and Jeannette to be acquired tastes but they really shine here. The "Iron Butterfly" had a high soprano with an exaggerated pronunciation but she shows herself to be a gifted comedienne in this film and so one forgives her that. The opening scene is justly famous with its use of natural street sounds shading off into music and the camera work is highly fluid, especially for 1932.

Is it the greatest movie musical of all time? It may well be and that would even include "Singing in the Rain" but I wouldn't want to make a choice and I don't think anyone has to.

Rodgers and Hart were at their peak here though they did equally fine things later on. But certainly "Isn't it Romantic", "Mimi" (though more of a specialty for Maurice), and "Lover" are standards in anyone's book. The story, though typically silly, is treated in such a way that it is elevated to at least a serviceable level.

The "Western Electric Noiseless Recording" process is just that though one would hardly confuse it with modern Dolby stereo.

The supporting cast is equally excellent including the Charleses Ruggles and Butterworth as well as Myrna Loy who had a much solider screen persona later on (Thin Man series and "Best Years of Our Lives") though she's fine here as a man-chaser.

Many of the original innuendos remain intact but others were censored later for rerelease and they were lost. But screenplay excerpts of these are given on the video.

The Kino DVD is well done but since the library copy I saw was a little damaged, I was not able to watch all of the comments by Miles Kreuger, an associate of Reuben Mamoulian's in later years.

10 out of 10.

I'd start this review with a classic Woody Allen quote: "I though of that old joke, y'know, the, this, this guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, "Doc, uh, my brother's crazy. He thinks he's a chicken." And, uh, the doctor says, "Well, why don't you turn him in?" And the guy says, "I would, but I need the eggs." Well, I guess that's pretty much how I feel about relationships. Y'know, they're totally irrational and crazy and absurd and, but, uh, I guess we keep going through it because, uh, most of us need the eggs."

Well, this movie is like a caricature of love. Suddenly the whole world around you starts to sing (the Isn't it romantic sequence in the beginning of the movie), you do the craziest things for the loved one while not realizing how nutty you actually are ('Let me sing for you!'), and even the movie is placed in a fabled castle, but who doesn't feel like living in one while being in love?

Chevalier was perfect as the Parisian tailor and I've always thought that there's something really calming about his timbre. This is my first Jeanette McDonald movie, but she was absolutely gorgeous in this one, and has a nice soprano range. And of course the one who made me watch this 'very crazy movie', Myrna Loy in the type of role I've never seen her in before. She had some of the funniest lines in the picture and was adorable and fresh as ever.

The songs were all superb, I especially loved Isn't it romantic?, Mimi & of course Love Me Tonight.

What can I say, not a typical movie, but if you're once captured by its spell...a 10/10 romance for me.

This acclaimed musical falls far short, in my estimation, of several other contemporary films in the same genre starring Maurice Chevalier and/or Jeanette MacDonald, such as 'The Smiling Lieutenant', 'Naughty Marietta' and 'The Love Parade'. I found it narratively disjointed and lacking in artistic unity; the action proceeds in fit and starts, and at times the director, Rouben Mamoulian, seems unsure how to construct or energise scenes. Lacking the comic touch of a Lubitsch, he employs many styles of comic staging, which don't always knit together. Finally, while there is a great deal of rhyming dialogue in the film, it has comparatively few big musical numbers. 'Isn't It Romantic' is probably the only genuine hit. This review may sound too negative, but with so much hype around the film, its shortcomings need to be discussed.

On the plus side, it is a lavish production, and the film's stars are great talents. (Myrna Loy is a terrific foil to the main love interest, but her part is sadly underdeveloped in the script.) The opening sound sequence, incorporating actual shots of a nearly deserted, early-morning Paris, is a sparkling introduction. Alas, it is probably the best thing in the movie. Some of the dissolve and dual-image photography also delivers memorable images, that suggest a forward-looking creative spirit. At other times, in film-making terms, the production seems old fashioned and tired even for its day (1932).

There have been better film directors than Rouben Mamoulian and better stage directors as well. But no one has yet mastered both of those mediums so much so that his services to helm a project was in demand consistently in Broadway and Hollywood. Mamoulian certainly has his share of duds on both coasts, but he has his share of classics as well and none is more classic than Love Me Tonight.

Love Me Tonight is the third and best collaboration with leads Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald. Chevalier is but a poor tailor, the best at his craft who's just completed a big order for a rakish nobleman played by Charlie Ruggles. Ruggles is also a deadbeat who's stiffed half the merchants of Paris and they've appointed Chevalier a committee of one to settle the accounts. Off goes Chevalier to the countryside to get Ruggles to cough up.

Ruggles is mooching off his titled uncle C. Aubrey Smith and while nobility has been formally abolished in France, it's still held in regard in class conscious Europe. When Maurice gets to Smith's palatial digs, he also finds another cousin in Jeanette MacDonald and she falls big for him of course. And Ruggles not wanting to seem more of a deadbeat and a moocher than C. Aubrey Smith already thinks he is, introduces Chevalier as another titled fellow.

Two other main characters get into this mix. Charles Butterworth who is also a titled person and would like to marry Jeanette. Of course Butterworth isn't her romantic ideal, like he'd be anybody's. And Jeanette has a lady in waiting in Myrna Loy who's also got her eye on Maurice.

There are many who consider this the best musical ever made. It certainly was years ahead of its time. In fact Maurice and Jeanette were fortunate to also have Ernst Lubitsch directing their other features because they too were considered way ahead of their time and helped their careers along immensely.

One reason for the success of Love Me Tonight is the score written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, probably their best film score. When you've got such classics as Isn't It Romantic, Lover, and Mimi all in the same film, you can't miss.

One should also hear Chevalier's RCA recording of Mimi. It was one of the staple songs of his career. The record however has an interlude as Maurice reminisces about all the other girls he's sung about like Louise, Valentina, Mitzi, and his fabulous Love Parade. But no doubt about it, Mimi tops them all. I wish he could have used those lyrics in the film.

As for Lover this is a case of a hit song becoming far bigger in revival. Jeanette sings it on screen, but I would safely venture that more people identify the song with Peggy Lee and hit record she made of it in the Fifties. In fact a lot of her contemporaries also started recording it during that decade and Lover had a new burst of popularity then.

What amazes me about Rouben Mamoulian is that here was a man who directed such things as Oklahoma, Carousel, Lost In The Stars and Porgy and Bess on stage and then could go to the screen and do classics like Love Me Tonight, Blood and Sand, The Mark Of Zorro, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This man had a complete sense of the cinema, if you find any staged awkwardness in any of his films, I'm not aware of it. The staging of Isn't It Romantic where Maurice and all his neighbors and friends join in and then switching to Jeanette expressing her longing for real romance is perfect. As is the hunting scene which is something that could never be contemplated doing on stage. And Maurice saving the stag probably got him a lifetime appreciation award from PETA.

Love Me Tonight after almost 80 years still holds up well and it's a great opportunity for young people today to see and appreciate the lost art of the film musical.

This is one incredible charming musical/comedy, from the early '30's. And that coming from a non-musical fan of course says a lot.

It's not a musical with big dance acts, feather costumes, or anything of that sort but just a movie that happens to feature songs in it, which is the sort of musical approach I prefer. The characters would often burst into singing in the middle of the movie, which of course sounds totally ridicules but it's so charming and the songs are so nice that it attributes to what it is that makes this movie so irresistible, joyful and entertaining to watch. This is really not the sort of movie you would expect from the guy who had previously directed "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" before this movie.

Maurice Chevalier didn't had the best signing voice, also of course due to his accent and also especially compared to different genre actors from the same time period. Same goes for most of the actors within this movie. But I sort of like that he isn't perfect in his signing. It seems to fit the movie and its style.

The movie has got some nice cheerful innocent humor in it. The great fun but of course simple written script, contributes to the whole fun feeling and atmosphere of the movie.

The movie doesn't necessarily really has a typical '30's style and more seems ahead of its time. It also makes this movie feel less outdated than most others, especially from the same genre, movies.

The cinematography is really amazing at times. It moves a lot, with pans and also zooms. It makes the cinematography in parts pretty original and innovating for its time. The movie also features some other 'tricks', such as split-screen and slow-motion, among other things. Perhaps this has to do with the Russian origin of director Rouben Mamoulian. His style seems more innovating than most of his fellow Hollywood colleagues from the same time period. It all adds to the atmosphere and unique quality of the movie. It of course also helps that the movie is set in France and Paris. It always has been the best backdrop for these sort of movies. There also was obviously put some effort and money into the sets of the movie.

Some real quality entertainment! This is as good as they can get.

10/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

A four star delight starring Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Charlie Ruggles, Charles Butterworth, Myrna Loy, and C. Aubrey Smith. Added to the National Film Registry in 1990. "Isn't It Romantic" is #73 on AFI's 100 Top Movie Songs of All Time.

Chevalier is a tailor owed money by aristocrat Ruggles, so he follows Ruggles' order of 15 suits to his château. There, the princess (MacDonald) is being courted by an uninspiring Count (Butterworth), put up to it by the Duke (Smith), who is hoping to find an adequate husband for her. The Duke keeps reign on the others because he controls the money, which he won't give to Ruggles or the Countess (Loy). When Chevalier shows up, he charms everyone and is pursued openly by Loy. Of course, there are opportunities for him to sing, and (double) of course, he will win the princess in the end.

Though the film "feels" like one of Chevalier's pairings with director Ernst Lubitsch, this one was directed by Rouben Mamoulian.

This is one of the most delightful musical comedies ever made, and it is crowded with innovations. It actually boosted the musical comedy of the 30s to a maximum height that it kept for 30 years. Rouben Mamoulian almost made only masterpieces, and each one was a new breakthrough into new possibilities and trains of thought in cinematic creativeness. Here Maurice Chevalier is teamed with Jeanette MacDonald, who always was reliable for her irresistible beauty and high musicality - add to this her perfect diction. The music is by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (lyrics) and is a prelude to the epoch of Rodgers & Hammerstein and their supreme musicals. There is so much to say about this enchanting picture which you never can see enough of or too many times, since it is replenished with enchanting detials, one of them being the very witty and at times poetical dialog. It also marked the main character of Hollywood in the 30s with their sprightly comedies and bursting inspiration into gaiety, happiness, light and delight. In brief, this is a musical for all times, and you can never grow tired of its limitless and transcendent inspiration.

Love Me Tonight (1932) : Brief Review -

An amusing romantic musical from early 30s with couple of revolutionary musical numbers. Love Me Tonight is film that can be watched watched any night and yet be loved. In early 30s when Musicals had just begun to rule over the audience's hearts you get a romantic musical with decent story and cult musical numbers, what more can you ask for? Of course we had better and higher quality musicals in Hollywood but most of them were not made by 1932. Yes i agree it is nothing extraordinary or marvelous or something to be remembered but yes it's certainly an amusing flick that should be watched at least once. Moreover, its songs are phenomenal which gives another solid reason to watch this flick. A Parisian tailor finds himself posing as a baron in order to collect a sizeable bill from an aristocrat, only to fall in love with an aloof young princess. You see, the same old formula but with little updation in the climax portion and believe me that's something to scream out, especially for female audience. The staging of "Isn't It Romantic?" which appears in the begining itself was revolutionary for its time, combining both singing and film editing, as the song is passed from one singer to another and the chain continues, all of whom are at different locales. This one song is enough to confirm you repeat viewing and then there is another awesome song 'Mimi'. However, the film and especially storytelling could been smarter, i mean even for its time. It has few cliches used a decade ago, couple of scenes looks dumb, actually the characters look dumb not the scenes and these things need not to be overlooked. Maurice and Jeannette's chemistry is fantastic in the film, mostly in the climax scenes. Rouben Mamoulian's direction is fine considering the low level of intelligence used in Musicals, after all entertainment doesn't need to be smart, you have thriller and noir genres for that.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest

I'm really on the fence about this movie. Though the score is wonderful and melodic, it is often interrupted by cheap directorial tricks. The ballad "Isn't It Romantic" would have been lovely if it had been performed straight, with no flounces. Instead it is truncated, and for me, ruined by cinematic tricks. "Lover," a superb Richard Rodgers waltz, is sung to a horse, the late Jeanette MacDonald halting her rendition to make jokes with the animal! There are many other examples of film fireworks that fizzle. Perhaps Mamoulian was anxious to show how a movie musical could be superior to the stage, but for me all that emerges are unwelcome and dated film artifices that serve only to annoy. I get the feeling that Mamoulian didn't really like the score and tried his best to submerge it. Though I'm still on the fence, I really detested this film.