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:

This movie was popular both with critics and with audiences, but was made before the enforcement of the production code. After 1935, it was withdrawn from circulation and was not seen again until 1968. The film was never available on videocassette and only became available on DVD in 2003.

Quotes:

Mariette Colet: I have a confession to make to you: You like me. In fact, you're crazy about me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in One, Two, Three (1961)

Soundtrack:

Colet and Company

sparkling diamond of a film

Please read the other reviews for the full measure of this treasure - I will just string together my observations:

Amazingly deft display of international sophistication for such an early film - who knew? Pre-code comedy of adult realities, without a hint of exploitive sensationalism.

Herbert Marshall as a romantic lead, every bit as good as, say, Cary Grant or Ronald Coleman - at absolute top of form, like everyone in the cast. Again, who knew? Miriam Hopkins, just stunning. Pure chemistry with Marshall.

Kay Francis, new to me, but gorgeous and utterly believable.

And all the supporting players - C. Aubrey Smith, Edward Everett Horton, Charlie Ruggles, even Robert Grieg, the butler (as also in The Lady Eve, a film of similar polish) - each familiar from many other films, but scarcely if ever seen in better form.

I truly do not understand why this film is not better known to me and everyone. I had to see it in a film class, and was frankly expecting much worse considering it was made scarcely three or four years into the "talkie" era. This is a polished many faceted gem, criminally under-circulated. It makes you wonder what Hollywood might have accomplished without an over-restrictive Production Code.

I see DVD became available only in 2003? This is a MUST SEE!