The Merry Widow (1934)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Ernst Lubitsch

Writers:

Ernest Vajda (screenplay) &
Samson Raphaelson (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

2 November 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

The musical that set all the standards.

Plot:

The small kingdom of Marshovia has a little problem. The main tax-payer, the wealthy widow Sonia (who...

Plot Keywords:

Paris | Cancan Dance | Mythical Kingdom | Mistaken Identity | Parade

Awards:

Won Oscar.

Cast

Maurice Chevalier	...	Count Danilo
Jeanette MacDonald	...	Madame Sonia / Fifi
Edward Everett Horton	...	Ambassador Popoff
Una Merkel	...	Queen Dolores
George Barbier	...	King Achmet
Minna Gombell	...	Marcelle
Ruth Channing	...	Lulu
Sterling Holloway	...	Mischka
Donald Meek	...	Valet
Herman Bing	...	Zizipoff

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (nf)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

MGM hired at least 500 extras for the "Merry Widow" dance number.

Quotes:

King Achmet: Now tell me, if you weren't married... if you weren't my wife, could you fall for Gabrielovitsch?
Queen Dolores: If I weren't married... if I had it to do over again, and had the choice between you and Gabrielovitsch? Frankly, I'd take you.
[King Achmet laughs contentedly]
Queen Dolores: That shows you what I think of Gabrielovitsch.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 100 Years of Comedy (1997) (V)

Soundtrack:

Melody of Laughter

Give yourself over to absolute pleasure!

This film is nothing short of glorious. Before films decided they had to be realistic they had style, and Lubitsch was the style king. Everything about this film is sumptuous and beautiful, and the Oscar winning art direction of Cedric Gibbons and Fredric Hope is truly magnificent. Not bad either are the gowns of Adrian.

MacDonald and Chevalier are excellent together, there is great support from Edward Everett Horton - and who will ever forget the magic scenes between Chevalier and the king and the queen - irresitably played by Una Merkel and George Barbier. The script is witty and a little naughty ("I know what to do with her but I'm too old"), the cinematography breath-taking and the music gorgeous.

But the star of the show is Lubitsch - the mass waltz scene is magnificent, the depiction of MacDonald's mourning clothes (all black - even the dog!) and their transformation into white is astonishing and, just when you think the plot is running out of steam, he gives us an hilarious ending that is unforgettable.

If you ever get a chance to see this on the big screen, run don't walk to the cinema. A perfect 10.