ONE HOUR WITH YOU
A film review by Jeff Meyer
Copyright 1988 Jeff Meyer
ONE HOUR WITH YOU (USA, 1932)
Director: Ernst Lubitsch, assisted by George Cukor Screenwriter: Samson Raphaelson, based on a play by Lothar Schmidt Cast: Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette McDonald, Genevieve Tobin, Roland Young, Charles Ruggles
I must admit, I am not a fan of the musicals. Sure, the Gene Kelly films are watchable, especially AN AMERICAN IN PARIS and SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (what did they feed Donald O'Connor in those days? Rocket fuel?). And while most Astaire movies can't hold my interest all the way through, they contain moments of pure open-mouthed miracles.
But that's mostly due to the dancing. Any film where an actor suddenly looks to the upper left or right corner of the screen, opens his or her mouth and begins to warble causes me to roll my eyes heavenward. First, I'm not much of a lyric appreciator, and secondly, the performances are very unconvincing. Mainly, though, how many of your friends explain their feelings to you in song? In the middle of a crowded railway station? I think you see my point.
ONE HOUR WITH YOU, however, has several things that make it bearable through its length. Ernst Lubitsch directed, with an assist by George Cukor, Hollywood's all-around handyman director. The lead actor is Maurice Chevalier, and while he may be corny at times, he is corny with such enthusiasm (and "with this out-RAGEOUS French Accent, you stupid English types!"), that you can't help smiling. There are even a few tunes that I was enjoying ("Oh, that Mitzi!" is played to the hilt), and Lubitsch manages to get an extra-martial dalliance past the censors -- the man was unmatched in getting sophisticated humor to the audiences of his day. The supporting cast is fine, with Jeanette MacDonald showing none of the sappiness of her Nelson Eddy days, and two of the best supporting comic actors of the day, Charles Ruggles and Roland Young.
It's fluff, but it digests easily, and doesn't outstay its welcome. They certainly don't do it like that anymore....
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
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