The Merry Widow (1934)

ERNST LUBITSCH

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBB.5.  USA, 1934.  .  Screenplay by , , based on the musical book and lyrics by , , from the play L’Attache D’Ambassade by .  Cinematography by .  Produced by , .  Music by , , , .  Production Design by .  Costume Design by .  Film Editing by .  Academy Awards 1934.  

Jeanette Macdonald and Maurice Chevalier in The Merry Widow

Harmless fluff musical about a gigolo soldier (Maurice Chevalier, annoying as ever) sent on a mission by his worried superiors from a fictional eastern European country to retrieve a traveling widow ( at her most tuneful) whose vast inherited fortune they need to save their small country’s dire finances. This charming operetta was adapted (somewhat faithfully) from the original stage play, but Ernst Lubitsch’s starry-eyed direction and opulent sets will be what most impress you about it. The music is beautiful, and performed with exceptional vigour.

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