You know it's funny, Gloria Swanson has such a weak voice and such a penchant for overacting, I wonder why I even like her movies.
In "Tonight or Never" she played Nella Vago, a famous Italian opera singer. The indication was that she was Italian although she didn't speak one Italian word. In her profession the biggest stage was the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Unless and until she was invited to sing there, she would never be considered one of the best singers in the world. So said her teacher Rudig (Ferdinand Gottschalk).
Nella was good, he proclaimed, but she could never be great until she sang with her heart and soul, and only singers in love could do that, which Nella was not. She had a fiance, Count Albert von Gronac (Warburton Gamble), but they were far from in love. They were more like associates than lovers.
Nella did have a schoolgirl crush on the anonymous man who frequently walked by her window. His mere presence made her giddy. It reminded me of "The Guardsman" (1931). Perhaps this strange man could be the lover she needed to bring out her full potential.
"Tonight or Never" was charming and funny and Nella's teacher Rudig was particularly funny. I liked the flow and pacing, it wasn't choppy or incohesive. The script was cleverly written which made the ending unfold perfectly.
Also of note in the movie were Melvyn Douglas as Nella's secret admirer, Alison Skipworth as Marchesa Bianca San Giovanni, and Boris Karloff simply as a waiter. So, Gloria Swanson notwithstanding this was a good movie.
Viewable on Max.
In "Tonight or Never" she played Nella Vago, a famous Italian opera singer. The indication was that she was Italian although she didn't speak one Italian word. In her profession the biggest stage was the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Unless and until she was invited to sing there, she would never be considered one of the best singers in the world. So said her teacher Rudig (Ferdinand Gottschalk).
Nella was good, he proclaimed, but she could never be great until she sang with her heart and soul, and only singers in love could do that, which Nella was not. She had a fiance, Count Albert von Gronac (Warburton Gamble), but they were far from in love. They were more like associates than lovers.
Nella did have a schoolgirl crush on the anonymous man who frequently walked by her window. His mere presence made her giddy. It reminded me of "The Guardsman" (1931). Perhaps this strange man could be the lover she needed to bring out her full potential.
"Tonight or Never" was charming and funny and Nella's teacher Rudig was particularly funny. I liked the flow and pacing, it wasn't choppy or incohesive. The script was cleverly written which made the ending unfold perfectly.
Also of note in the movie were Melvyn Douglas as Nella's secret admirer, Alison Skipworth as Marchesa Bianca San Giovanni, and Boris Karloff simply as a waiter. So, Gloria Swanson notwithstanding this was a good movie.
Viewable on Max.