Monte Carlo (1930)

German born film director Ernst Lubitsch would establish himself as one of the best early musical directors with his follow up to his hit The Love Parade with the musical comedy love story Monte Carlo. Returning to play the complicated romantic female lead is Paramount musical beauty Jeanette MacDonald. Similar to Lubitsch's previous film Monte Carlo takes place among wealthy classes of Europe as they struggle with love between classes, which can be seen as very shallow, only to end up with the happy ending.

The film follows the Countess Helene Mara (MacDonald), engaged to Price Otto Von Seibenheim played by British character actor Claude Allister, who would make a living being and strange sounding and looking Englishman on film. We watch Helene leave her fiancee at the alter, not her first time she had done that, when she runs away to Monte Carlo to start a new life. Monte Carlo is treated as sort of the Las Vegas of Europe as Helene gets caught up in gambling as her source of income. It is here where she catches the eye of Count Rudolph (Jack Buchanan), a noble playboy-type who would pose as her hairdresser just for the chance to get to be near her. Well his plan works as he gains her trust and love with all the time they spend close together. It isn't until the final twenty minutes or so that we really get into the thick of the plot as Helene refuses to be with Rudolph romantically as he is a simple hairdresser and she is a Countess and she must marry Count Otto who has come to find her in Monte Carlo. Rudolph would teach her a lesson as he makes her go see with Otto the play Monsieur Beaucaire (which this movie is an adaptation of). The play helps lead the film to a close as it is revealed that Rudolph is in fact a Count and the two can in fact marry. All ends happy for the couple.

The story is a bit backwards. After all what happens to the poor English twit Otto? He isn't the most likable character, but he never hurt anyone. He just loved Helene, but she continually leaves him. And for the backhanded creepiness of Rudolph doing anything to get close to an attractive woman, I am sure that is illegal many places and one could and should get a restraining order for that. Then the random loud singing... don't get me started. But alas, I must have my suspension of disbelief when I watch a movie.

The film was seen as a success of a picture in the early musical genre. The film is filled with musical numbers including the most highly noted "Beyond the Blue Horizon" which was performed by MacDonald. For the remaining years of her life the song would become sort of her theme song. The number included a montage of traveling on the train on the way to Monte Carlo and was staged with marvelous traveling shots of European countryside and dozens of dozens of extras. It is quite a beautiful set up for such an early sound picture. MacDonald would perform the song numerous times and in the 40s would alter a line that said the phrase "raising sun" to "shining sun" during World War II to separate any thoughts of the Japanese Empire while the US was in direct conflict with them.

The film was hailed as an early musical masterpiece. but has faded in its glory through time. The cinematography is not particularly eye catching with a few exceptions (see previous paragraph). The editing has a couple of glitches and contains awkward pauses. The actors are a bit forced and can be seen as annoying at times. But with all that said it entertained audiences of 1930 filling theaters with music. The film pays tribute to the novel it was based on as the story takes it to a performance of the play based on that novel. It feels like the writers did not know how to come to the conclusion of the film and used a third party (the play) to enter and just pull it to the end. The one major difference in the novel/play to that of the movie is that the couple in the novel/play do not marry when the male lead reveals the truth, but that is changed for audiences of the depression with the simple line "I like happy endings" and our couple kiss. America needed happy ending at that time for there was enough sorrow i the world.

The film is not great, but rather dated. For a musical lover it is worth seeing, but not a must on anyone's list. Lubitsch would go on to make many more musicals and MacDonald would continue to use her talented voice for decades. Monte Carlo would be one of many musical to hit the screens at this period of American film history.