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3.0 out of 5 stars
Annabella and Niven in nicely-paced murder/mystery, October 29, 2008
This review is from: Dinner at the Ritz [VHS] (VHS Tape)
DINNER AT THE RITZ is a minor classic of the British murder-mystery genre that concerns the daughter of a supposed suicide who seeks the true story of her banker father's demise. She allies herself with a government agent who's conducting his own investigation along similar lines. Filmed on a yacht and on location in Paris, Monte Carlo and London, this witty motion picture has great sets, elegant costumes and a capable cast. (David Niven's first starring role.)
Caveat: Of concern here is the tape's manufacturer, MADACY. This outfit produced low-grade SLP mode transfers that had tracking problems in some machines. No high quality VHS editions are available.
An option might be this budget-priced DVD. The movie is also on a DVD 2-fer pairing with NO, NO, NANETTE (1940), or with HAPPY GO LOVELY (1951).
Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 imdb viewer poll rating.
(6.0) Dinner at the Ritz (UK-1937) - Annabella/David Niven/Paul Lukas/Romney Brent/Francis L. Sullivan/Stewart Rome
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Within An Environment Of Class., August 27, 2005
This smoothly paced English made work has many advantages going: capable direction that includes thoroughgoing competence with editing processes, a talented internationally flavoured cast, striking settings, of which many are in Paris and along the French Riviera, a comedic yet accessible screenplay, and top-flight design of costumes and interiors for each scene. Beautiful Annabella has top billing as Ranie Racine whose financier father, despite his ostensible suicide, has to her mind been murdered, and in an attempt to determine the actual cause of her sire's death, Ranie links up with Paul de Brack, a British government agent seeking identical information (David Niven with his initial starring part in a major feature), the two formulating various undercover ploys during which they come upon a large banking scandal while, naturally, facing the pleasant bother of falling in love. Elegance is the keynote of the film, with the gowns and other costuming of René Hubert being specially effective in its fostering, while a Monte Carlo casino, a luxurious Mediterranean yacht belonging to a probable principal in the mentioned scandal, in addition to concordant venues, are harmoniously complemented by the breezy dialogue penned by Roland Pertwee with additions from Romney Brent who also plays as a journalist following along the same trail as are Ranie and Paul. From the cast come numerous fine performances, Annabella earning acting honours for her vivid turn as an amateur detective, and there are telling contributions from Francis L. Sullivan and Tyrell Davis, representatives of the Forces of Evil, Shakespearian player William Dewhurst as an enigmatic jeweller who aids Ranie with adornment for her disguises, radiant Nora Swinburne, who not surprisingly steals her two brief scenes and, ever at ease among the elite, Niven may not be overlooked in this pleasant cinematic soufflé.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
.......ANNABELLA..........AT HER VERY BEST....., April 27, 2007
I never saw this movie until now...in a nut/shell: a French woman exposes the culprits who made her father's death look like a suicide...a whodunit/melodrama mixed with a lil comedy; nonetheless, a very interesting film done up rather well, to say the least...Annabella never looked so gorgeous [showing no skin] and complemented by her professional poise and adroitness with the spotight all over her trim and shapely body is the show from start to finish...David Niven's penchant for sophisticated comedy at times, is her love interest as Anabella scores in a multifaceted role of a international beauty [English, Spanish and a Bombay Princess] traveling to Paris, the glitzy Monte Carlo casinos and a salacious millionaire commodore [Francis L. Sullivan] eyeing her at the tables, etc...all the time the lovely Annabella is bedecked in exquisite gowns...she and Niven dance like ONE and had chemistry on the dance floor...great close/ups of Annabella's face adds to her allure, enhanced with a natural, flirty French accent...much later on she teamed up with Tyrone Power in, "Suez" and they sizzled on film...end result they became hubby/wife for the WW2 years...never realized Anabella had.."IT"...'beautiful Anna' certainly fits her name...ANNABELLA....this film was made by a British organization and released in the USA by 20th-Century Fox....no doubt about it...this is a surprisingly singular show in the year of 1937....SSGT CHRIS SARNO-USMC FMF
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