... and largely succeeds in this Continental romance from director Mervyn LeRoy. Gloria Swanson stars as famous opera singer Nella Vago, the toast of the European music scene who is just finishing a smashing engagement in Vienna. However, some view her style as too technical and lacking real emotion, and so the elusive American market is closed to her. Although engaged to the foppish Count Albert (Warburton Gamble), Nella notices a mysterious male figure that seems to be following her. When Nella heads off to Budapest, she finds that the man, Jim Fletcher (Melvyn Douglas) is on the same train. When she decides to confront him, it may just lead to her finding the emotional footing that she needs. Also featuring Alison Skipworth, Ferdinand Gottschalk, Robert Greig, Greta Meyer, Boris Karloff, and J. Carrol Naish.
Lubitsch had been very successful with a string of European-set romances featuring nobility, artistes, and sophisticates. Sam Goldwyn copies that formula, and while it doesn't all work, enough does to make this worthwhile. Swanson seems an odd casting choice for an opera diva, and thankfully her performances are heard and not seen. Douglas, making his film debut, was carried over from the stage version, and he's perfect. I actually watched this for Karloff, though, who ably plays a small role as a waiter. He was in 14(!!!) movies in 1931, the year of his breakout role in Frankenstein.