Customer Reviews

Lottery Bride [VHS]

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4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

HILITE of this rather short early pre-code talkie [with a song or two] Friml, I recall? IS THE SPECTACULAR arrival/departure and fate of the Zeppelin Airship, dynamite sets, and effects in this elegant little sleeper starring JEANETTE MACDONALD in an early role, looking spectacular - of course, and she does sing one or twice, and dances superbly ......

It's basically about thwarted love and a mix-up regarding the 'picture brides' of that time .... desperate girls looking for some Prince Valiant to rescue her [similar to e-mail chatrooms today I guess].

However, besides the ensuing tangle - her boyfriend's brother accidentally 'gets' her as a bride .... but do not despair - there are one or two reels left to unspool and resolve the mishap.

A Young JOE E. BROWN [looking somewhat like a minature Jim Carrey] serves up the yuks along with befused Zazu Pitts.

All in all - great fun and quite satisfying .... Miss MacDonald would go on to bigger and better things ... here she's just warming her toes!

Nice.

Neat postscript - Tech credits receive billing, Set Designer [spectacular] and Costume Designer too .... Anna O'Neil.

Jeanette looks smashing in beautiful fur parkas when she heads north of the Arctic Circle in this 1930 musical/action/romance. Rudolf Friml is credited with the music and after loving "The Firefly", I looked forward to this musical set in Norway. However, the music lacks the Spanish flavor of "The Firefly". But we are treated to special effects when a large dirigible (think Hindenberg) crashes in the ice and the hero is on board. Both Jeanette in an ice breaker and the hero's brother with a dog team head out to rescue him, both simultaneously arrive just in time and we see Jeanette and her one and only embrace with a backdrop of Northern Lights in black & white. Well, it's different. And for fans of Jeanette, it's an early example of the sort of charm that kept her in the forefront of film musicals for many years to come. Collectors and fans of Jeanette will love it. It will seem dated to newcomers to her style of romantic musical film.

Being introduced to the lovely voice of Jeannette Macdonald in her many movies with
Nelson Eddy during the 60 and 70's as her movies were continuously on television, and when they were, my mother had them on. So as a child i heard a angel sing, and
that angel once i grew up i found out it was Jeanette Mcdonald.
When i saw this movie, i was amazed, this is the movie i always wanted to see again,
and voila here it is. Take this movie with a grain of salt and you should enjoy it.
I found it great, except for the jealous lover....overdone or what...and thats what
i said to myself as a kid 40 years ago.
Anyway, glad they still have a print going around, and even if its not a gem, its
a very likable movie.
A Keeper.

This is one of Jeanette MacDonald's first films. It was produced in the very late 1920s, so it cannot compare to the technical perfection of today (when kids can operate two Blackberries at the same time!) But given that, it is always interesting to see how folks back then viewed our world. Miss MacDonald was fresh, budding, and though the plot was -- in reflection today -- a smidgeon corny, so was life then, and you can view this about-to-become film Princess as she dawned on Hollywood. It is very interesting to her aficionados.

Historically this movie was most intereesting. It was not one of MacDonnald's best but condsidering when and how it waw made it was very good.

This is a mildly interesting release, most engaging when Joe E. Brown and Zasu Pitts are on the screen. Jeanette MacDonald shows why she went on to bigger and better things, while the other men in the cast, including leading man John Garrick, show why they didn't make a lasting impression in Hollywood.

The most disappointing aspects of the Kino Video release are the running time - only 67 minutes - and the black and white image throughout. The original print runs for 78 minutes, with the final scene in vivid (for the time) color. This uncut version with the color finale was recently shown on Turner Classic Movies. Dare we hope for a release of the complete original film?

We love Jeanette MacDonald movies!
This is a great one! We're still waiting for Maytime to be released.