Review of The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) by David S — 03 Apr 2010
Chevalier is the only actor I can think of that truly makes love to the camera. It's impossible not grin from ear to ear when he is at his best on screen. I was a Smiling Lt while watching more than one scene of this particular picture.
Pretty funny. He must be one of the most likable performers ever to grace the silver screen. This isn't his best work, but it's not bad. I've never been a big Colbert fan, but she does well enough here.
She looks reasonably believable on the violin too. Miriam Hopkins actually works quite well in her role as well. These early Lubitsch musicals are definitely a bit more risque than many later pictures.
They don't have the zing and tongue-in-cheek sexual humor prevalent in Sturges, Lubitsch, Hitchcock, Hawks, Wilder, etc pictures from later years though. One thing Lubitsch has never lacked, however, is a supreme sense of the ridiculous (i.
E. pronouncing the royal bedchamber a royal bedchamber). The picture definitely goes in a direction I did not anticipate. The incredibly radical transformation of the princess after only one night is pretty hilarious too.
I doubt this was lost on Lubitsch.
This review of The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) was written by David S on 03 Apr 2010.
The Smiling Lieutenant has generally received positive reviews.
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