Trouble in Paradise (1932)

Director:

Ernst Lubitsch

Writers:

Aladar Laszlo (play)
Grover Jones (adaptation)

Release Date:

21 October 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Romance

Plot:

High class European thief Gaston Monesque meets his soul mate Lily, a pickpocket masquerading as a countess...

Plot Keywords:

Thief | Secretary | Perfume | Pickpocket | Jealousy

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Miriam Hopkins	...	Lily
Kay Francis	...	Madame Mariette Colet
Herbert Marshall	...	Gaston Monescu
Charles Ruggles	...	The Major (as Charlie Ruggles)
Edward Everett Horton	...	François Filiba
C. Aubrey Smith	...	Adolph J. Giron
Robert Greig	...	Jacques, Mariette's Butler
Leonid Kinskey	...	The Communist
George Humbert	...	Waiter

Also Known As:

The Golden Widow (USA) (pre-release title)
The Honest Finder (USA) (working title)
Thieves and Lovers (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | Russian | Spanish | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Norway:16 (1933) | USA:Passed | South Korea:12 (2003) | Australia:PG | Finland:(Banned) | West Germany:12 (nf)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

"Little" Mary Pickford, the silent film star, liked Ernst Lubitsch's tasteful touches of suggestiveness enough to ask him to direct her in a film that would help her show more maturity on screen. But she did not get along with Lubitsch himself nor did she appreciate 'Rosita,' the film they made together. In later years she usually ranked it with her worst films.

Quotes:

Lily Vautier: [fuming] I wouldn't fall for another man if he was the biggest crook on earth!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in One, Two, Three (1961)

Soundtrack:

O Sole Mio

Under-appreciated masterpiece!

Although this film is greatly valued by critics, film historians and its many fans, it still does not receive the respect it is due. Turner Classic Movies broadcasts Casablanca, Now Voyager, Citizen Kane, Philadelphia Story, Adam's Rib, African Queen and Bringing Up Baby 10 times for every time this film is shown. It is an injustice that this film is shown so rarely. (I would recommend to TCM that they show their "classics" less frequently and a number of less well-known films such as this more often.)

Trouble in Paradise is a comedy counterpart to a melodrama; it is a romantic melo-comedy. It is unlike any other Lutitsch film with which I am familiar. In fact, it is difficult for me to think of any film with which to compare this masterpiece. The cast is outstanding, each delivering dialog in mock melodramatic style. The soundtrack, the editing, and especially the sublime writing all combine to produce a unique, satirical melodrama parody. Perhaps this film was the model for many later films that hoped to attain the same comic irony, but seem humorless to me. The key seems to be that the actors do not take themselves seriously, but they portray characters who do.

Everything about this film is fabulous. I cannot fathom how anybody could suggest this film is outdated in any manner because it captures the ambiance of an era so perfectly. The era is past, but not this film! Do period films made today seem outdated to them? I do not need to heap redundant praise on a film that other commentators have described so well. So that you know where I'm coming from - I admit to being a HUGE Lubitsch fan. The Shop Around the Corner and Ninotchka are also among my very favorite films.