Customer Reviews

Trouble in Paradise (The Criterion Collection)

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

At the time I am reviewing this, TROUBLE IN PARADISE has merely been announced on DVD. No date has been announced. Nevertheless, I am extremely excited about this, because this film is one of my favorite films of all time. Without any question, this is one of the most dreadfully neglected masterpieces in the history of cinema. Hopefully the DVD version will do this film complete justice.

TROUBLE IN PARADISE is one of Lubitsch's very greatest films. Of all the great directors in the history of film, Hitchcock and Lubitsch worked more successfully within the Hollywood system than any others. As a director, Lubitsch was flawless. His mastery of all film techniques was simply unmatched, and could string together a series of shots that can take a viewers breath away. The film is filled with such moments. I think of a scene in which the highly sophisticated Kay Francis character and Miriam Hopkins subservient character are sitting beside each other in Francis's bedroom, where Francis is eating her breakfast. Both have intensely furtive expressions on their faces, Hopkins because she is a thief and is tempted to steal the jewelry that is near the bed, and Francis because she wants crudely to dunk her doughnut into her coffee without Hopkins noticing. It is a stunning juxtaposition.

And even better moment occurs a bit later in the movie. Herbert Marshall has embraced and kissed Kay Francis. The camera instantly jumps from a straight on shot of the two, to a mirror which reflects both of them. As they begin talking, the camera then jumps to yet another mirror. Then, as Francis provocatively explains that they will have the rest of their lives to express their passion to one another, the camera jumps yet again, to a shot of their embracing shadows . . . falling across a bed. The whole sequence is breathtaking in its virtuosity, and no finer example exists of what would become known as "the Lubitsch touch." Unfortunately, two years later the Hays office would have forced the censoring of such a suggestive shot, which is tragic. Indeed, in 1935 when the movie came up for re-issue, the Hays office would not approve its release, claiming that the movie was too suggestive.

Nearly everything is perfect about this film. The script is sparkling. The art direction is amazing. And the cast is beyond reproach. Herbert Marshall is perfect as the thief Monescu. Despite having only one leg (which he lost in WW I--he managed to keep his loss secret for many years through use of a prosthesis), he graced a bevy of great films in the thirties and forties. Miriam Hopkins is superb as the female thief of the film. And Kay Francis is tremendous as the intended victim of the two thieves. The three leads alone could have carried the film, but the supporting cast is just stunning. The only two films that I enjoyed Charlie Ruggles in as much as this one are the Lubitsch musical ONE HOUR WITH YOU and Howard Hawks's masterpiece BRINGING UP BABY. He has so many marvelous moments, my favorite being, perhaps, when he is arranging the place cards for a dinner party he is throwing, trying to move his romantic rival as far as possible from the object of his affection. Edward Everett Horton manages his usual superb turn. (Ironically, both Ruggles and Horton would do voiceovers on THE ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE SHOW, Horton doing, of course, the narration "Fractured Fairy Tales" and Ruggles doing the voice for Aesop.) C. Aubrey Smith for once does not portray a British general or colonel, but still manages some marvelous scenes with Marshall. And Robert Grieg, who plays Francis's butler, was a great character actor who graced a vast number of great films in the thirties and forties, but who rarely attracted much direct attention. He is hysterical in this film as he mumblingly disapproves of the nonsense going on around him.

This is a "must-see" film. Movies simply do not come any better than this one, and there are very few comedies that can match it in wit, sophistication, and elegance.

"Trouble in Paradise"... I had read sooooo much about this classic Lubitsch comedy, that I was afraid I would be disappointed upon watching, at last, this long awaited film, as it has happened to me many times before,..... well, I wasn't , it lived up to my expectations, A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y.

We, ordinary people from this era, are not used to such delightful, delicate, sophisticated, witty and subtle screenplays & motion pictures. This film's pacing is perfect, the acting deft, the fun and enjoyment non-stop, Travis Banton's costumes are fabulous, the art-déco settings and the décors are top of the tops, and finally, the cast, an A++.

Herbert Marshall has never been so "bewildered" on the screen (so different from those dull characters he played, for example, in such films as those two landamark Bette Davis' melodramas of the early forties, "The Letter" and "The Little Foxes") as suave and elegant thief Gaston Monescu. Kay Francis (Mariette Colet) has never been so attractive, elegant, as a woman daringly, shamelessly, passionately and madly in love with debonair Marshall, and last but not least, Miriam Hopkins (Lily) was never so charming and beguilingly captivating, as Marshall's partner in crime and love. I will say no more -no spoilers here-, that's all you need to know before watching it.

Edward Everett Horton, Charlie Ruggles (as Francis' two feuding suitors) and C. Aubrey Smith (as the chairman to the board of directors of Francis' company), add expert supporting playing.

Beautifully photographed in black & white, one can easily understand why this motion picture is included in the top ten list of the best american films of all time, as the grandest example of the famed Lubitsch touch. By the way, I must say that the ending really caught me by surprise, a treat!

There is very little I can add to the other reviewer's' praise of this film. Suffice it to say that in it's lighter than air way, Trouble in Paradise manages to achieve something close to perfection. Each image, each line, each line reading seems perfectly timed and delivered creating one of the most exquisite films ever made. A slippery, surprising and astonishingly beautiful piece of film making. It's reputation is not undeserved.

Any quibbles I have with this disk has nothing to do with the film itself but with the presentation. The film is very old (1932) and some aging and artifacts are to be expected. However, the justly famous opening sequence is so dark and the details so muted as to be barely discernible. Every time the camera floats outside and into the dark during the first part of the film--detail is lost. The good news is that all of the indoor scenes are bright and sharp and possess good contrast. Criterion has obviously done some extensive cleaning and work on the film because other than the night scenes (too bad about Miriam Hopkin's entrance in a gondola) the film looks great Also the sound while maintaining a slight hiss throughout is free of any pops or crackles and is very clear. I have seen cleaner sharper prints of this film than the one that Criterion apparently got from Universal (Universal was responsible for the slightly soft and faded print of The Scarlet Empress that Crtierion released as well). Other than this complaint the print is generally fine with only minor scratches present primarily at some of the dissolves and edits.

The disc includes several great extras that are worth perusing for even casual fans of Lubitsch. Scott Eyman a Lubitsch biographer provides a nice commentary featuring lots of behind the scenes information, biographical info, the place of Trouble in Paradise in comparison with Lutbitsch's other films and its influence on other film comedies of the period as well as some interpretation of some of the film and its famous sequences. In addition to this, Criterion has managed to include a forty minute silent film by Lubitsch--"The Merry Jail" that shows a different style but includes some of the elements that would make Trouble in Paradise such a gem. There is also an introduction by film historian/director Peter Bogdanovich that provides his insight into the significance of the film. A very nice feature that runs about ten minutes. There is also a radio program featuring Lubitsch with a group of Hollywood luminaries, fascinating but one longs for visuals of this event, and the standard Criterion essay included with the chapter menu insert. Finally there are some written tributes to Lubitsch from some of his contemporaries, as well as current film makers and critics. This is a text only feature but sometimes features the comments in the writer's own handwriting.

Overall, I'd have to recommend this disk wholeheartedly. Criterion deserves huge praise just for making this masterpiece available for the home viewer and they also manage to include wonderful extras that support the film beautifully. The presentation is a little flawed but it is more than adequate to appreciate the treasure on display.

It is hard to say what exactly went wrong in the movie industry. Perhaps it was when adults decided to rent videos instead of actually going to the movies, and the studios looked around to discover the vast majority of their paying customers were under the age of twenty. Movie making is a business, after all. What could a money-strapped studio do but remake Fast Times at Ridgemont High about a million times, sliding a bit lower with each version? The ashes that remain today with regard to screen comedy are fart jokes, self proclaimed "booty meisters" mugging like demented monkeys at the site of a woman's ass, and situational concepts that make it painfully clear that the moguls are fully aware that they are selling this crap to the brain dead.

Then again, perhaps Ernst Lubitsh's Trouble in Paradise was a phantasm all along; some beautiful coincidence - like seeing a falling star out of the corner of your eye at midnight on your birthday. Whatever. To say that they don't make them like that anymore doesn't quite capture it. They must have passed legislation at some point outlawing this kind of sophistication and intelligence. I won't bore you quoting passages or praising individual performances. Suffice to say that this movie won't make you belly laugh once, but I guarantee that you will have a knowing smile on your face from beginning to end.

If you really want to be reminded of the kind of smarts you're capable of, buy this movie.

Ah, the "Lubitsh touch!" --Mykal Banta

This wonderful confection from Ernst Lubitsch is a marvelous pre-Code example of what can be done to imply sex. It simply drips with it, and nothing but the slightest hint of cleavage is shown. The script (from Samson Raphaelson and Grover Jones) is literate and flows with banter.

Herbert Marshall is Gaston Monescu, "the man who walked into the bank of Constantinople, and walked out *with* the bank of Constantinople." We first meet him in Venice, where he has completed a robbery of Francois Filiba (the inimitable Edward Everett Horton), just before having a romantic dinner with love Lily Vautier (Miriam Hopkins). They are both career crooks (and she has a secret unknown to him) and their light-hearted pocket picking of each other is an what I imagine would be the ideal romantic byplay.

Their relationship begins to suffer when Gaston begins to put the moves on Mariette Colet (Kay Francis), widow of a cosmetics king, for the 850,000 francs insurance money that is going to be coming in soon. Gaston sets himself up as her personal secretary by laying on the charm. Francis simply glows when around Marshall, and Hopkins (inserting herself as Marshall's secretary) is a perfect delight, fuming at their relationship.

Trouble in Paradise is "ideal" in many ways. It barely treads near reality, but it doesn't matter. This is cinema at its very best. It is funny, sexy, and seems fresh even today, outdistancing the modern idea of "romantic comedy." Fortunately, it is finally available on DVD from Criterion (my original copy was recorded from American Movie Classics). One of the best motion pictures of all time can finally find a modern audience.

Ernst Lubitsch's *Trouble in Paradise* may very well be the most perfect comedy of manners ever made for the screen. It's certainly hard to imagine how it could possibly be improved. It was completed in 1932, before the Hays Office went ballistic with the censoring of movies. Even if you can't get beyond the performers' old-timey acting style, the candidness about sexual matters makes the film startlingly up-to-date. Of course, the sheer intelligence evident in the dialogue, the dead-on-target comic throwaways, the fairy-tale setting of a Europe that's only slightly troubled with a Great Depression, and the overall sauciness, will make *Trouble in Paradise* impervious to changes in conventions and taste. It's about two social-climbing thieves who latch onto a perfume-heiress (a ravishing, mature Kay Francis -- just wait till you see her in the little black dress in the last scenes) as easy prey. Marshall, in the proto-Cary Grant role, finagles his way into the heiress' confidence by returning a purse that he'd stolen from her at the opera the night before (of course, Francis doesn't realize HE stole it). Winding up as the heiress' new secretary, he enlists his lusty girlfriend (Hopkins) to assist with the Big Con on Francis. However, one gets the feeling that Francis wouldn't really mind if Marshall (AND Hopkins) stole her money, as long as they could all live together in a splendid paradise of innuendo, gratification, shopping sprees, and elegant conversation. (Marshall's coarser girlfriend, Hopkins, turns out to be not quite as "sophisticated".) The thing is, WE'D like to hang around this trio too, while they steal, joke, drink, shop, make love, and -- especially -- TALK. This is perhaps Lubitsch's greatest film, and that's saying a hell of a lot. It's essential. Highest rating. [Criterion's DVD, to make up for the brevity of the movie's running time (80-odd minutes), is loaded with all kinds of goodies, including a useful commentary track that actually dares to ANALYZE the film, instead of resorting to the Ebert-style nattering that typically sounds like this: "And here Welles once again frames the character from the lower-right of the screen; and there's a magnificent shot of a building" -- and so on. All in all? Pricey, yes; but worth the investment, especially if you care about the greatest movies ever made.]

Ernst Lubitsch's TROUBLE IN PARADISE is probably not the first film you think of when you hear the director's name. To Be Or Not To Be and Little Shop Around the Corner may have greater fame, but no film better displays the fabled "Lubitsch touch" than Trouble in Paradise.

Here's the inspired premise: Charming scoundrels Herbert Marshall and Miriam Hopkins become personal assistants to Kay Francis, a rich and beautiful Parisian widow. Their plan is to loot her fortune, but she's so dazzlingly urbane, elegant and sophisticated that he becomes smitten, and visa versa.

Set first in romantic Venice and then in an art deco dream of Paris, the complications in this tantalizing triangle offer timeless insights into the machinations of the heart.

Trouble in Paradise is one of the best comedies ever made, screwball or otherwise. Every word, glance and gesture is perfect. Highest recommendation.

Lots of extras.

....and walked out with the Bank of Constantinople? Main character, Gaston Monascu (Herbert Marshall) cheekily asks Lily Vautier(Miriam Hopkins) - his seconds-to-be-beloved in crime & love making.

I AM SO HAPPY THIS MAGNIFICENT FILM IS FINALLY AVAILABLE ON DVD!!!! If you don't love this movie - you must be dead already.

Lubitsch films should be shown to those who are feeling suicidal for they imbue such an intense heady love of life they are a cure-all to any malaise. After viewing a selection or if only one Lubitsch movie again & again (my prescription would be hands down for this one) not only will you joyfully choose life but you will see the world with a healthy beating heart refreshed, renewed & invigorated cheerful soul.

The wondrous deep-love-of-life affect after effect (and during in my experience) of viewing a Lubitsch film cannot be adequately expressed nor explained in mere words no matter what the chosen language may be. Although in this marvelous film (imho one of the top 10 - perhaps even 5 - very best films ever made on American soil) the many "languages" spoken - several or perhaps all of which are nonsensical jibberish (except the English & if I consider the hysterically funny dialogue between Charles Ruggles & Edward Everett Horton I may have to reconsider) executed so comedically well it boggles the mind if the foreign language lines were improvised or actually read as written.

The reason for this absolutely hilarious recurring jibberish language devise in Lubitsch's movies are unknown to me & I prefer it that way. Sometimes learning the behind the scenes of a film simply ruins the exquisite art of it all for me.

The dialogue (the true British, jibberish & Continental American affected accents) are so superbly written & delivered it makes one wonder what in the world is wrong with current day scriptwriters who have a much easier access to not only travel but foreign languages & the nuance of accents so much more than back then. But I believe this film is a fierce testament to the true power of pure unbridled imagination & fine craftsmanship.

The dialogue by (I'm not certain which writer or if it was all due to Lubitsch) Aladar Laszlo (playright)Grover Jones (screen adaption) or Samson Raphaelson is nonpareil. Take for instance Gaston & Lily's first date together:

Lily Vautier: I have a confession to make to you: Baron, you are a crook. You robbed the gentleman in 253, 5, 7 and 9. May I have the salt?
Gaston Monescu: Please!
Lily Vautier: Thank you.
Gaston Monescu: The pepper too?
Lily Vautier: Oh, no, thank you.
Gaston Monescu: You're very welcome. Countess, believe me, before you left this room, I would have told you everything. And let me say this, with love in my heart: Countess, you are a thief. The wallet of the gentleman in 253, 5, 7 and 9 is in your possession. I knew it very well when you took it out of my pocket. In fact, you tickled me. But your embrace was so sweet.

Herbert Marshall has never been so suave, so seductive & so perfectly matched to a film role (although I feel he was absolutely wonderful & is very sadly underrated these days in several like Wyler's, The Little Foxes & Hichcock's, Foreign Correspondent). If the academy ever wishes to create a posthumous award for best performance(s) ever overlooked by the Oscars the very first statuettes should be awarded to Marshall & his comrades in this very very special comedy.

Blonde Venus, Miriam Hopkins is beautiful & excellent as Gaston's anima-equal. Brunette Venus, Kay Francis is gorgeous & just as equally perfect as the wealthy widowed, generous-hearted, Madame Colet (another aspect of Gaston's anima I suppose). Sometimes I delight in imagining what if Lubitsch would have had his male protagonist live happily ever after with both his blonde & brunette goddesses? The mind & heart joyously reel watching this movie. (Lubitsch actually explored such a menage-a-trois in another pre-code film a year later in Noel Coward's, Design for Living!)

With all due respect to a former reviewer who complains that the DVD cover belies the "look" of the film - I feel this opinion is completley misguided. After all, how many films were done in color in 1932? The color jacket of the DVD is not a misleading marketing ploy of Criterion. I mean come on?! Movie posters & magazine film stills were frequently done in color back then even though the film was shot in black & white.

I could even watch this very quotable film with the sound off if only for the pleasure of viewing the exquisite art deco sets by Hans Dreier, the sublime gowns & wardrobe by Travis Banton & excellent cinematography by Victor Milner.

There isn't one weakness or fault in this movie except that I cannot enter the screen & join in the story. That I am afraid may be something which the 21st century virtual world can remedy. If this science ever comes to pass - this is THE movie (withut a doubt) I would choose to live in.

My goodness! And this was what they produced in a so called "depression"!? My mind swaggers & sways for our blessed 21st century to find her grounding & return to the glory, beauty & love of life which the artistic masters, like Lubitsch gave so lovingly to us all.

A more beautiful, funny, magical & grand love of life film you can ever wish to see has never since been made.

(Amazon has listed incorrect names. For correct info on stars, director, producer etc....check out IMDB.)

Lubitsch's films are often described as "sophisticated," or the height of Continental elegance, but in many ways they're nothing of the sort. Remember that Lubitsch, though European, was no highbrow; he started as a slapstick comedian in German silents, and as a director, he kept a slapstick comic's ability to mock the pretentions of supposedly "sophisticated" people. Part of the appeal of a Lubitsch film is the way it combines well-mannered Continental characters with a comic sensibility that is not at all well-mannered. The actor deliver their lines with a stylized flair, but the lines themselves have the ring of the best of Broadway comedy (Lubitsch's writer, Samson Raphaelson, was imported from Broadway, and was most famous for writing play on which THE JAZZ SINGER was based). The characters try to act elegant and civilized, but Lubitsch undercuts their pretensions: The first shot of "exotic" Venice is of a singing garbageman; the "Baron" and "Countess" of the opening scenes turn out to be impostors; the world of the wealthy Mme. Colet is one of thieves and fools. The underlying sensibility is very American, and oddly close to that of a Marx Brothers movie -- the "lowbrow" crooks unmask the affectations of high society and prove to have more of a moral code than most of the "sophisticated" rich people they prey upon. The only sympathetic rich character is Mme. Colet (Kay Francis), who is sympathetic precisely because she has few pretentions. And like so many of Lubitsch's heroine, she secretly dunks donuts.

Samson Raphaelson's dialogue is some of the best ever written for the screen: He can get more laughs with the single word "tonsils" than most screenwriters can get in a whole comedy script. The film is also notable for Lubitsch's use of sound and music: Lubitsch was one of the first filmmakers to show how effectively sound could be used to suggest things that were happening offscreen, and the music score actually follows the actors' movements, like a silent film score (people doing scores for silent movies should study this film to get an understanding of what great silent filmmakers like Lubitsch expected music to do in otherwise silent scenes). This has always been one of my favorite movies, and it deserves its reputation as a masterpiece of comedy.

The print used for this DVD is not perfect -- a bit too dark in the opening scenes -- but it'll do, and it comes with the usual excellent Criterion bonuses, including a German silent film by Lubitsch (with a score that is serviceable but not really appropriate -- since the film is based on Johann Strauss's DIE FLEDERMAUS, shouldn't the score use music from Strauss's operetta?). Be sure to get the other Lubitsch/Raphaelson film available in the DVD format, THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER, and hope for a release of their last masterpiece, HEAVEN CAN WAIT.

Splendid to see such a wonderful DVD transfer of TROUBLE IN PARADISE, Lubitsch's first talkie masterpiece. The wavishing Kay Fwancis and Herbert Marshall make the most skillful of romantic leads, and even Miriam Hopkins (a strong contender for most irritating actress in pictures until Madonna hit the screen) is a delight. Wonderful supporting work from the stalwart Charles Ruggles and Edward Everett Horton, and a nice turn from that Gallic favorite, C. Aubrey Smith. Great extras (bright, informative commentary from the leading Lubitsch scholar, and the German silent included is a real treat). The only downside to a viewing of TROUBLE IN PARADISE is you'll be extremely unhappy when you open today's movie ads and realize popular entertainment has fallen from these heights to the likes of JACKASS, THE REAL CANCUN, and Jim Carrey running amok. Thanks, Criterion, for helping to preserve such a glorious film heritage! Can we hope for TO BE OR NOT TO BE in the future?