IMDb > Midnight (1939)
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Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   1,586 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 13% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Charles Brackett (screenplay) and
Billy Wilder (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Midnight on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
15 March 1939 (USA) more
Genre:
Plot:
A chorus girl, stranded in Paris, is "set up" by a millionaire to break up his wife's affair with another man. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
NewsDesk:
(6 articles)
Best Films - 1939
 (From Alternative Film Guide. 10 May 2009, 1:26 AM, PDT)

Line-Up of 2009 Cannes Film Festival Announced
 (From Aceshowbiz. 23 April 2009, 7:49 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
A sophisticated comedy classic more (37 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Claudette Colbert ... Eve Peabody aka Baroness Czerny

Don Ameche ... Tibor Czerny

John Barrymore ... Georges Flammarion
Francis Lederer ... Jacques Picot
Mary Astor ... Helene Flammarion
Elaine Barrie ... Simone
Hedda Hopper ... Stephanie
Rex O'Malley ... Marcel Renaud
Monty Woolley ... The Judge
Armand Kaliz ... Lebon - Eve's Lawyer
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Additional Details

Runtime:
94 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:
USA:Approved (PCA #4906) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | Argentina:16

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Mary Astor's pregnancy caused some filming problems. more
Quotes:
Judge: It's a confounded nuisance, but it's the law. more
Movie Connections:
Remade as Midnight (2010) more
Soundtrack:
Étude No.12 in C minor Op.10-12: Revolutionary more

FAQ

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16 out of 16 people found the following comment useful.
A sophisticated comedy classic, 17 March 1999
9/10
Author: Oriel from Athens, Georgia

Although languishing in obscurity in comparison to other great films of 1939, Midnight is a classic that deserves to be ranked among the best comedies. In this sophisticated twist on the Cinderella story, a penniless showgirl (the incomparable Claudette Colbert) passes herself off as a foreign aristocrat to help John Barrymore win back his erring wife from a champagne mogul. If she succeeds in winning this millionaire for herself, she'll have the rich lifestyle--the "tub of butter"--for which she's been scheming, but taxi driver Don Ameche is determined to teach her the age-old lesson that love is better than riches. Not only is the film a delight for fans of Colbert, whose genius for offhand, sophisticated comedy shines here, but viewers are also treated to one of Barrymore's last and funniest performances. Although he is said to have read his lines from cue cards for this film, his performance looks flawless: worldly, cunning, and wildly eccentric. Ameche provides the perfect counterpart for Colbert, holding his own in the dizzying round of deceptions, impersonations, and frivolous lawsuits. This is a sparkling, witty film that should be part of every comedy fan's library.

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