By Candlelight (1933)

Beautiful woman mistakes a prince's butler for the prince.

Director:

James Whale

Writers:

Ruth Cummings, Karen DeWolf (additional dialogue),

Stars:

Elissa Landi, Paul Lukas, Nils Asther

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Elissa Landi	...	Marie
Paul Lukas	...	Josef
Nils Asther	...	Prince Alfred von Rommer
Dorothy Revier	...	Countess von Rischenheim
Lawrence Grant	...	Count von Rischenheim
Esther Ralston	...	Baroness von Ballin
Warburton Gamble	...	Baron von Ballin
Lois January	...	Ann - the Maid

Storyline

Josef is the valet for Count von Rommer and well trained in the philandering ways of his master. Mistaken for the Count by a maid, Marie, whom he thinks is an aristocrat, Josef shows her a merry time in the Count's Monte Carlo villa. Meanwhile, the Count escapes a situation with Countess von Rischenheim, when her husband Count von Rischenheim makes an unscheduled appearance, by posing as the butler.

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Plot Keywords:

mistaken identity | based on play

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 December 1933 (USA)

Also Known As:

A la luz del candelabro

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of By Candlelight (1949)

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Soundtracks

"Mizzi"
Music by Robert Katscher
Lyrics by Karl Fakas
Sung by Gusti Huber & Max Hansen

User Reviews

Charming and Clever

Robert Wyler was a director for Universal whom Laemmle Jr. had promoted; and he had a familial connection. Robert Wyler's maternal grandmother was a first cousin of Universal owner, Carl Laemmle.

There had been turn downs by Wyler, Whale getting the assignments instead, and also cases in which Wyler had failed to be able to make a satisfactory start, and then Whale was asked to continue them.

'By Candlelight' was one of those latter cases.

It had been very successful a few years earlier as a British stage play. Because Whale had already turned down some efforts by Robert Wyler, who did not have the talent to direct, he was nearly forced to take on the film. Perhaps it was a matter of discretion over valor. In the end, he took it on.

He took Ted Kent, his favorite cutter, and the then competent John Mescall as the camera director. Whale started the film over from the beginning.

He filmed the script as it was for the most part, but he also made a game of it, putting in his own special tricks of the trade.

Carl Laemmle was very happy with the result. He liked the film himself, and it brought in good money just in the nick of time to help save the studio once more, adding some good revenue to the spectacular revenues from Whale's 'The Invisible Man' which were then really piling up.

Whale had a contract offer from Paramount as director. He was very actively considering it, but wasn't sure of LeBaron's own firmness in the position of producer; it was LeBaron's offer.

Laemmle offered Whale both a set of raises to automatically kick in, and producer's credit even though Whale would not actually be the producer.

And it's a good thing for us that Whale took Laemmle's offer, or we'd not have had 'Bride of Frankenstein' or 'Show Boat'.

But I'll always wonder what would have become of Whale's career had he taken LeBaron's offer to come and direct at a really powerful studio, which could have offered him some of the best talent, actors, writers and crew, in the world.