A musical remake (1932) of Ernst Lubitsch‘s silent The Marriage Circle, directed from a detailed Lubitsch plan by George Cukor. Maurice Chevalier is a doctor happily married to Jeanette MacDonald but temporarily distracted by Genevieve Tobin. Every so often, Chevalier interrupts the story to ask the audience for advice with the plaintive “What Would You Do?”—demonstrating that you could get away with things in a comedy that most people still won’t accept in a drama. Very funny and very highly recommended.
Ernst Lubitsch’s second American film (1924) and his first major American success, an elegant comedy of marital complications adapted from Lothar Goldschmidt‘s Only a Dream (a fitting title for a Lubitsch inspiration). Adolph Menjou and Florence Vidor star in a tale of infidelity and flirtation that gave new meaning to film satire and introduced a note of subtle wit and movement into an industry reared on slapstick. Even more innovative than it seems, and well worth seeing. About 110 min.
By Don Druker
distinctive features 