Why the heck haven't I bought this one until today? It's just so incredible.
"Mein Fuhrer, I Can Walk" -- Dr. Strangelove
Lubitsch is always superb. Lines like "I wouldn't fall for another man if he were the greatest crook on earth" are absolutely classic. I've always really enjoyed his movies.
shareI couldn't agree with you more. The ultimate Lubitsch. And the ultimate Depression Deco
dream . . . this is truly exquisite, and I wish it was better known. But it makes a swell
double feature with Design for Living.
"Even a stopped clock is right twice a day"--Bazooka Joe
it's amazing. i would also recommend robert mamoulian's "love me tonight," it's like "trouble in paradise" but with music, and it takes place in france and does not deal with jewel thieves.
shareYou are SO right. This film is my favorite of all time, which says something being I am a film whore. Love Me Tonight is also incredible, more people need to see these perfect films.
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I completely agree with you.
shareYes - and the analogy with Love Me Tonight is perfect too - I got them at the same time - they are both extravagantly wonderful.
shareTrouble in Paradise is one of cinema's great Romantic Comedies I would suggest. Brilliantly scripted, acted and directed it is certainly one of the best films of the 1930's.
shareYes it's a perfect film, not just for the 1930s but for any time. God bless Ernst. We owe all clever, sophisticated films to your influence!
shareRight. I'm off to buy Trouble in Paradise and Love Me Tonight.
shareFunny that no one has mentioned what I think is the best thing in the movie: the "Colet and company" jingle. Brilliant.
sharenow , now its a very good film but in no way perfectWhen there's no more room in hell, The dead will walk the earth...
just watched it...marvellous simple comedy!!! didnt expect to see such a lighter side of herbert marshall (epecially after seeing him in "little foxes").
the costumes are beautiful and gorgeous and i love the catchy title song!!!
Explain what you think is wrong with this movie. Lubitsch certainly wasn't going to have any arrests; this is Pre-Code. And we're talking about Pre-Code PARAMOUNT. # The way Lubitsch uses the camera, and those doors, and oy, such clocks! Wonderful! Divine!
shareYes, I'm also curious to know: If you find this movie flawed, what exactly are your standards of perfection? And what film(s) would you judge as being perfect or close to perfect? And what are the flaws in Trouble in Paradise? (Those are not rhetorical or sarcastic questions; I really want to know.)
"When you feed people crap, they lose their tastebuds." ~Henri Langlois
Can I speak for myself? I liked this movie, but this wasnt perfect for me either. Main reason - is supposed to be a comedy, but I didnt laughed and even smiled.. So for me (dont take it too personal) I find those jokes too out of date. Its not like I dont like old movies, for example I started to watch old comedies because of "it happend one night" - it was so funny, even now
By the way, do you remember russian guy there? In subs there were "Phooey" word, but It sure sounded like russian "f-word" which means "dick" :)
He didn't say 'hui', no. He indeed said 'phooey'.
And in his "Russian speech", he just quoted Trotzkiy's original words re what he said previously, about handbags.
Then he was told (in Russian) to go away.
No Russian swear words were used.
then i probably heard what i wanted to hear :)
shareI don't know if the Trotsky quote is real or made up though. What he says in Russian is the same as he says in English before, but it might not be a real quote. I tried to find it via googling (both in English and Russian) and failed.
shareThe dynamic chemistry between the three main characters was great and the sexual innuendo in the dialogue conveyed comic value. If there is a flaw in Trouble in Paradise it would be the characterisation of Gaston in the narrative's latter stages. He fell for Mariette yet for danger of being arrested left and got back together with Lily. Obliviously there is logic behind his decision in order not to be arrested, yet in the final scene Mariette's bag is shown in Lily's procession which Gaston sees but is not affected by. In my opinion it undermines the deep feelings he had for Mariette.
"I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not".
Lubitsch. Says it all. Strange that I too haven't been aware of this gem.
Thanks TCM! "It's how you smell!" the French perfume ad.
Delightful. Not in the typical broad American style of comedy. More polished
as to lighting, sets, costumes, players, writing.
Highest of High Style. Don't miss.
You're posting in the middle of the movie! Wait...so am I!
So who wrote the opera? Studio composer?
cinefreak
hmm Good question. Would have to do deep googling for answer. Did like the way
camera lingered over her body, then to jewel purse, then her, then purse!
Didn't really take in the opera itself at that moment. But Lubitsch was known
for his love of the music form early on. See info in this link (1917 film).
http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/trouble-in-paradise-33123
Rene Clair in Le Million 1931 was a master of music into film.
Apparently use of music was just the coming thing as talkies began to take over.
Here the opera was just becoming nicely musical enough that I had a moment of
irritation with her looking so nosily for the purse. lol
Maybe is from an original opera. Didn't recognize the brief piece tho. Was kind of early, and short film, to rate having a special composer I'd guess. That creative component might have come along as a separate category 5 years or
so later. Cheaper and easier to just lift from an existing work that pay for
a whole score.
Did you see the link to Tarantino inspired by exiled directors
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0523932/news#ni0933170
hmm here's a bit as to some of the words in the opera. Longish review.
Nonetheless, the two competitive, elderly male suitors join together with Mme. Colet to take her to the opera where she has her own private box, but they end up quarreling over her. During the operatic performance, a pair of opera glasses [held by a high-class, unemployed thief - Gaston] are aimed at Mme. Colet's 125,000 franc precious handbag encrusted with jewels. As a soprano sings, "I love you," the pages of the conductor's musical score flip over to symbolize the passage of time. The key of the singing shifts from major to minor, as she continues singing: "I hate you." The chorus responds: "She hates him."
http://www.filmsite.org/trou2.html
I didn't take note of Herbert's artificial leg either - well handled.
And geez, the actor Emil Jannings sure ended up in a nasty way after his Nazi
career. What a footnote he had being "the very first Best Actor Academy Award for his first two American films, The Last Command (1928) and The Way of All Flesh (1927)." He was in early silents via Lubitsch.
http://www.allmovie.com/artist/emil-jannings-35211
How about the mad Russian goof. That became a common staple of early Depression era classics use to hold off the populace from out right rebellion
by painting the anti-money class as rather icky types. Ninotchka 1939 did
that routine so well.
Today money is so common that no one needs to spoof the monied crowd since it
does quite well on its own.
. As a soprano sings, "I love you," the pages of the conductor's musical score flip over to symbolize the passage of time. The key of the singing shifts from major to minor, as she continues singing: "I hate you." The chorus responds: "She hates him."
I sing in operas and my wife is a conductor/vocal coach. She absolutely howled during that bit!
I always thought of "King Kong as the first sound film of note to go with a so-called 'wall-to-wall' sound track. This was a revelation.
Likewise on having to hit Google to find out. I'm reasonably knowledgable on opera, but this stumped me. Obviously the "I love you/hate you" thing was a gag written for the movie, but I don't know about the big stretch of music heard previously. (The last time I was stumped that way was trying to find out what opera was used as background during "Marathaon Man". Not easy. It turned out to be a very obscure aria from a very obscure opera).
cinefreak
As a soprano sings, "I love you," the pages of the conductor's musical score flip over to symbolize the passage of time. The key of the singing shifts from major to minor, as she continues singing: "I hate you." The chorus responds: "She hates him."
I sing in operas and my wife is a conductor/vocal coach. She absolutely howled during that bit!
I have to say I'm a bit baffled by the praise this film has received. It's certainly my least favorite film of this type from the 30s. I found the characters very flat and uninteresting despite being interesting concepts for characters. Some of the wordplay is fun, but there are so many moments that fall flat, awkward beats/editing (I felt this a few times, the instance I remember is a shot of Francois trying to recall Gaston's face. He makes strange faces for about fifteen seconds in one shot, and it doesn't seem like there's anything running through his head, just a back and forth between confused and enlightened. It was very cumbersome and made me lose a bit of respect for Lubitsch and company). Perhaps I didn't watch it in the right mood or the right circumstance, but there wasn't anything in it that made me want to go back and see it again.
The three shots when Gaston and and Mariette were first getting together, the first two in mirrors and the last their shadows over the bed, was a great short sequence though, saying a lot with images. The rest of the film is kind of a drag though.
By now I've come to accept that if a movie is still this acclaimed after so many years, it's probably something about myself that makes me not like the movie, and it's not necessarily that the movie is just junk. But don't discount my opinion as an action junkie who tuned into "Trouble in Paradise" because he couldn't sleep. I'm a true cinephile who appreciates the type of film this is supposed to be, I just don't think Trouble in Paradise achieves anything special.
rhanna-1,
I can definitely empathize with your confusion, though not necessarily with 'Trouble in Paradise' (I was utterly captivated by the film's wit, grace, and sophistication from the first five minutes on).
Sometimes, we're just not in-tune with the particular rhythms and visual demands of a particular film, and that's perfectly alright. I can still remember the first time I watched 'Days of Heaven,' the 1978 Terrence Malick masterpiece starring Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, and Sam Shepherd. I too am a cinephile, and though I watched the film as a senior in high school, I was the kind of teenager who stayed home on prom night to watch Robert Altman's 'Nashville' (trust me, the much better alternative!). Yet, 'Days of Heaven' refused to click for me. It seemed slow, plotting, with uninterested performers and an even more lethargic script.
Turns out, I wasn't quite ready for Malick's narrative style. 'Days of Heaven' is a visual film to the apex, so much so that the script itself only tells half the story. Through his camera, and the way he captures the landscapes and the characters interactions with its generous (and pithy) nature, completes the other half of the store; I just wasn't prepared for a film that demanded so much of me as the view.
Now obviously, 'Trouble in Paradise' is a MUCH different film from 'Days of Heaven,' but I think the principle holds true: sometimes, we're just not ready for certain pictures. I re-watched 'Days of Heaven' about a month ago — roughly four years after my first viewing — and it gave me chills. So give it a couple years; maybe 'Trouble in Paradise' will appeal to you then.
Absolutely PERFECT.