Before you add it to your Netflix list, my wife's advice is to skip this, asserting that this is not one of Rogers and Hart's better collaborations.
But, I liked the movie, staring Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald. Also in the movie was Myrna Loy, in a supporting role in which she showcased some of the presentation that would show up in her role as Nora Charles. And, someone we think of as an older character actor, Charles Ruggles, who was also in the 1961 version of The Parent Trap.
I liked the beginning of the movie which shows an aerial view of Paris and then focuses down on a workman using a pick on the street. The sound is rhythmic and to that rhythm is added the snoring of a man sleeping outside, and then a woman sweeping in front of her door. Then more sounds are added, creating a rhythmic picture of Paris waking up. Then we cut to the room of Maurice Chevalier, a tailor. From there the story proceeds.
I liked several of the songs, including "Isn't It Romantic?" Here is a clip from the film. And a Tony Bennett rendition. And here is "Mimi", which can be found here.
Per the imdb site, the film was:
approved with eliminations in ... and Massachusetts.Now it seems nothing is banned in Boston.
UPDATE: I woke up this morning and remembered that there was something I wanted to note in this post, but forgot, which I attribute to the lateness of the composition. There is a term to describe Mr Chevalier's way of singing, Sprechgesang. It is a term I had never seen before researching this blog post. It used to "refer to an expressionist vocal technique between singing and speaking." And that is one of the things I like about Mr Chevalier's singing.
One of the down sides of the movie is the sound quality. Sometimes the singing seems to trail off. But, still, I enjoyed it very much.
Regards — Cliff
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