January 28

Ernst Lubitsch

I have seen all the Lubitsch films that TCM showed for his birthday. Last month Shop Around the Corner was shown 3-4 times. I have always like the line by Jimmy Stewart “Dearest sweetheart Clara, I can't stand it any longer, please take you key and open post office box 237 and take me out of my envelope and kiss me.” That is very suggestive.

Since I am still not feeling well and barely made it through work but I got to watch Trouble in Paradise starring Kay Francis, Herbert Marshall and Miriam Hopkins. I truly enjoy this film. There are great supporting actors Charles Ruggles, Edward Everett Horton and C. Aubrey Smith.
My favorite scene even though it does not feature Kay is when Herbert and Miriam are having their first meal together. They are sitting at the table eating and Miriam calls Herbert “a crook” and accuses him of robbing a wallet from a man in another room. Herbert states “You are a thief. The wallet is in your procession. I knew it very well when you took it out of my pocket. In fact you tickled me. Your embrace was so sweet.” He gets up, locks the door and closes the window curtains. He then shakes her until the wallet falls. He takes her pin and she takes his watch. “I hope you don't mind if I keep your garter?” She reaches down her leg and he pulls the garter out of his pocket. He kisses it and puts it back in his pocket. Miriam yells “Darling” and rushes to embrace him. He is a world known major thief.

Kay inherited a perfume company from her husband and is very wealthy, but has no head for business. She purchased a purse for 125,000 francs. At the Opera she has the bag on the balcony. Herbert with his binoculars looks at the bag looks at her, looks at the bag. She goes to the restroom where she looses the purse. (To reflect the time of the opera it starts out I Love You, I Love You. The pages of the score flip and the star sings I Hate You, I Hate You.) Kay puts an ad in the paper to get the purse returned with a reward of 20,000 francs. Miriam and Herbert decide to return the purse for the reward. While Kay turns to tell the butler to dismiss the rest of the people waiting Herbert looks at the other statues and items in the room. He gets himself in the household has assistant. He then hires a secretary, Miriam. Miriam is interested in the jewels, but Herbert states in this economy it is a cash business.

Kay is personally interested in Herbert but he is only interested in the contents of her safe (unbeknownst to Kay). Kay has a party and one of her suitors, Edward Everett Horton, seems to recognizes Herbert as the man who robbed him, but Herbert talks him out of that idea. They decide to leave. They are going to take the midnight train. Herbert calls Miriam and states they leave in the morning. C. Aubrey Smith as the company leader finds out who Herbert is, but Smith is the one who has taken money from the company. While Kay is at a party, Herbert is gets ready for her return, lowering the lights in her room, closing the curtains when he sees Miriam in another room. She is taking the money from the safe. She takes the money and leaves. Kay goes to open the safe and Herbert talks her out of it telling her about Smith and that he came to take her money but he was in love with her. As he was at the window he sees Miriam in the window of Kay's room. Miriam admits to taking the money, she throws the money on the bed, but then takes the money back. Herbert takes the pearls and leaves Kay to go with Miriam. In the last scene he is looking for pearls. Miriam pulls out Kay's 125,000 handbag and has the pears. She looks for the money and Herbert pulls the money from his pocket.

To me there are 4 qualities that make an excellent film: talented cast, good story and/or witty dialog, great photography and wonderful score. This film has it all. Every actor in the film is great. Miriam Hopkins plays a more lively character than I have seen before. The story which was based on a play that Lubitsch and the screenwriter Raphaelson threw out right away (because they did not read the play). Herbert Marshall can talk his way out of any situation. The photography shows all the actors to their best advantage and some great styled shots by Victor Milner. The score is a romantic sting orchestra that enhances the story. When the characters think about Vienna the O Solo Mia plays with a soft violin. A bonus in this film is Kay Francis looks delightful in her wardrobe and jewels.

Since it is Lubitsch birthday I should say more on him. The Lubitsch touch is the light sexual comedy styling he has on this film. It is a sophisticated comedy that does not have to resort to slapstick, but you still laugh out loud. You wonder what is going on behind closed doors. This is not the first Lubitsch film I saw, but it is the first film that I understood what the Lubitsch touch was.