Love Me Tonight

This must be the greatest pairing of Chevalier and MacDonald... Having not seen either "The Love Parade" (1929) nor "One Hour With You" (1932), I cannot say it 100% sure...but I'm pretty sure anyway.

I feel that if it wasn't for this musical, there wouldn't be a "Gigi", "My Fair Lady", "The Harvey Girls", "Easter Parade"...or whatever...this one is the grandparent of all movie musicals...either transferred from Broadway or not...it's just perfect. A masterpiece by the great Rouben Mamoulian.

I even must say, hardly enough, that in my innermost self...I feel this even tops other Pre-Code all-time-fave of mine (which is not a musical) from the same year (1932), "Trouble in Paradise", Lubitsch's masterpiece.

I was amazed by the Pre-Code dialogue & situations, the finesse of the screenplay treatment, the witty dialogues, the fantastic numbers by Chevalier, MacDonald, et al: "Isn't it Romantic", "Lover", "Mimi", "I'm an Apache", the innovative opening sequence: "The Song of Paree", "Love Me Tonight"...Really, when I read again on the dvd's package back that Leslie Halliwell said about it: "The most fluently cinematic comedy musical ever made"...the statement is true, absolutely!!! and in its actual 89 minutes version ('cos it underwent several cuts for its re-release) "Love Me Tonight" is still THE LANDMARK MUSICAL OF ALL TIME.

I had never seen this film before, never-ever, only read (a lot) about it...and words are short of praise to this marvel... Chevalier, MacDonald, never have been better (alone or together)....Myrna Loy looks so ravishing, such a "coquette" as the Countess...C. Aubrey Smith at his authoritative best as the Duke....Charlie Ruggles, deliciously "mischevious" as Monsieur le Vicomte (The Viscount)...the three elderly aunts, played flawlessly by Elizabeth Patterson, Blanche Frederici and Ethel Griffies.....and last but not least...the great Charlie Butterworth utterly funny as a Count, pretending Jeanette.

By the way both stars characters bear their same names... they're Maurice (the tailor) and Jeanette (the Princess)....It's a treat!!...I cannot say enough to praise this film.

The transfer is beautiful...the image quality (from 1932) is better than Criterion's transfer of "Trouble in Paradise" (from the same year)...It looks sharp, with much contrast, in glorious black and white.

The Bonuses are real wonders...Chevalier singing "Louise"... Jeanette giving a sensuous, tongue-in-cheek rendition of "Love Me Tonight" (Hollywood on Parade)....The audio commentary is precise, great, by Miles Kreuger...One has to watch the film really twice (with and without the audio commentary)...'cos the latter is absolutely very good.

The Screen Play Excerpts of the Deleted Scenes...are simply wonderful to undertsand the original story as it was intendend to be. And the Production Documents and Censrorship Records, is plain-simply necessary material, to understand not only the reason of the cuts this gem underwent, during the Production Code's Reign, after 1934 (for its 1949 re-release)....but all the trouble that went on during its filming in 1932.

Music Lovers, Early Talkies lovers, Jeanette & Maurice Lovers, Pre-Code fans....do yourself a favour and buy this DVD immediately.

This DVD is worth every dollar it costs...I hope Universal Pictures will continue giving the copyrights the've got on the thirties Paramount movies, to Kino Video, Criterion, et al...'cos there's still too much to be restored and edited on this format (DVD): "The Smiling Lieutenant" (1931), "The Story of Temple Drake" (1933), "Peter Ibbetson" (1935), etc..

[As for the line about 'a peach must be eaten .......' WELL!]

THAT's the kind of delightful precode humor in this special, spectacular - and extremely advanced for its period MUSICAL BON-BON by the Great ROUBEN MAMOULIAN.

SIMPLE TALE of tangled identities - a Princess, a Tailor, a few eccentric relatives, and a Stag! [As in Stag Hunt] - 'Auntie Mame's' foxhunt owes quite a lot to this special episode, counterpointing the stag - ala bambi music - versus the thundering hooves of the hunt ..... then there's 'Solitude' - Chevalier's 'not so trusty' steed .... this one laid the foundation - a riot.

ALSO, Miss Jean-ette's [that's correct not je-net - but Jean-ette] unique way of stopping a train ..... and what a babe - err, lady for that period ... so's Miss Loy - exquitely gowned in contemporary costumes for that period.

From the unuslay percussive ala "Triplets of Belleville" opening - through Chevalier's trend setting "American In Paris" flaunt through the neighborhood - We know we're in for something special - zoom shots, slow motion, fast motion - it's all here - even a 'soldier's chorus' similar to the "Evita" group warbelling furiously.

DELIGHTFUL DVD - with LOTS OF EXTRAS - including trailer, gallery shots, two music 'videos' - JUST PERFECT.

NOW, just where is the other MACDONALD/CHEVALIER outing - Merry Widow"? Would be nice.

AND this one - although pre-code - is kidsafe ..... SUCH FUN TO BEHOLD!

Jeanette MacDonald also shows WHAT it meant to be a STAR - prfect teeth, smile, profile, hair - it's all there - just look!

But in one regard he completely surpasses Lubitsch: Mamoulian was able to work with songs the likes of which Lubitsch was never able to. The film is filled with great songs by Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart. The score is so good that songs that would normally be the finest in a musical, like "Mimi" and "Love Me Tonight" are completely overshadowed by two of the greatest songs that the legendary team wrong: the waltz-like "Lover" (sung by Jeanette MacDonald in a carriage) and the almost epic "Isn't It Romantic?" Rogers was one of the greatest composers the American stage or cinema has seen, but as fine as his music is in these two songs, Hart just might be a tad better. The lyrics are simply astonishing. Take these from "Lover," which are closer to poetry than to mere song lyrics: Lover, when I'm near you/ And I hear you speak my name/ Softly, in my ear you/ Breathe a flame. The lyrics, on the other hand, of "Isn't It Romantic?" are cleverly nonchalant, many of the lines mere vowels as the singers hum rather than sing. Later versions "cleaned up" the lyrics, but in the movie the rough, almost unfinished quality of the lyrics enhances their appeal. It begins in Paris with Maurice Chevalier singing in his shop (with marvelous use of mirrors), and the tune leaving the shop on the lips of a customer, only to be passed onto a cab driver, from him to a fare who is a composer, on from him to a troop of soldiers marching in the countryside, and from them to a gypsy violinist who is overheard by Jeanette MacDonald in her chateau, where the song concludes. It is a breathtaking performance.

There is so much nonchalant fun in this film! For instance, a marvelous conversation between C. Aubrey Smith and Charles Butterworth in a stable, with a horse's head firmly wedged between them. Or the remarkably humorous fox hunt.

This is a must-see film for anyone who loves classic cinema or pre-code musical comedies. It is almost impossible to surpass in terms of cast, music, camera work, or humor. Love it tonight.