THE MERRY WIDOW d: Ernst Lubitsch
The Merry Widow (1934)
Direction: Ernst Lubitsch
Screenplay: Ernest Vajda and Samson Raphaelson; from Franz Lehár’s operetta
Cast: Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Edward Everett Horton, Una Merkel, George Barbier, Minna Gombell, Sterling Holloway
The Merry Widow is not one of Ernst Lubitsch’s most discussed films. Critics generally tend to focus on his early Paramount talkies, such as One Hour with You (co-directed by George Cukor) and Trouble in Paradise, and his later comedies Ninotchka and To Be or Not to Be.
Yet, The Merry Widow is a superior musical, boasting sumptuous sets (production design by Cedric Gibbons), exquisite cinematography (courtesy of Oliver T. Marsh), a magnificently staged ballroom-dancing sequence, witty lines and situations (by Lubitsch collaborators Samson Raphaelson and Ernest Vajda, from Franz Lehár’s operetta), and charming performances by a surprisingly restrained Maurice Chevalier, and by an alternately hilarious and heartrending Jeanette MacDonald. Indeed, in the title role, MacDonald delivers the best, most nuanced performance of her career.
One of the most expensive productions of the 1930s, The Merry Widow failed to recover its cost despite solid revenues from around the world.
Academy Award Win
Best Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons, Fredric Hope
MY KID COULD PAINT THAT – Part II
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Tags: Cedric Gibbons, Classic Movies, Comedies, Ernst Lubitsch, Five-Star Movies, Five-Star Oscar Nominees, Franz Lehar, Jeanette MacDonald, Maurice Chevalier, Musicals, Oscar 1934, Oscar Movies, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Romantic Movies, Samson Raphaelson, The Merry Widow, Una Merkel
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My favorite Lubitsch is Trouble in Paradise, made in 1932. Lutbitsch was at the top of his form in the 1930s.
Una Merkel was charming as well. You should have mentioned her.