Trouble in Paradise (1932)

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

1931 -- pre-code -- men in evening dress, women in gauzy gowns, kissing of hands, coy glances, dialog to match the milieu. Herbert Marshall and Miriam Hopkins meet in Venice to discover that each is a petty thief trying to steal from each other. Marshall and his posh accent, posing as a doctor, has bopped Edward Everette Horton on the head and stolen his money. Better that the now partnered-couple of Hopkins and Marshall leave town, and they do -- for France.There, Marshall steals the jewel-encrusted handbag of the extraordinarily rich socialite Kay Francis and returns it for the reward, insinuates his way into her graces, and becomes her, um, secretary. He handles all of her finances and sees to it that her business is cleaned up and she has a substantial amount of francs stashed in her wall safe, to which he has memorized the combination.The plan is for Marshall and Hopkins to steal the cash and make off quickly before their identities are exploded, because already some remote acquaintances from Venice have been showing up and, coulant en regarde, are wondering where they've met Marshall before. They COULD make it but the fly in the ointment is that Marshall and Francis hunger for one another. Should Marshall dump the savvy but small-minded Hopkins for the sophisticated and monumentally wealthy Francis? In another kind of movie, he would, but this was directed from a nothing Hungarian play by Ernst Lubitsch. His values are a little different from those of most other directors in Hollywood, matched only perhaps by those of Billy Wilder and Preston Sturges.The first time I saw a few minutes of it, years ago, it seemed old, discursive and boring. Saw it more recently and now I can understand the esteem in which so many others hold it. It's pretty funny.

Produced and directed by Ernst Lubitsch, with an adaptation by Grover Jones and a screenplay by Samson Raphaelson that were based on a play by Aladar Laszlo, this essential romantic comedy was added to the National Film Registry in 1991.It stars Miriam Hopkins and Herbert Marshall as thieves who are 'two peas in a pod' and romantic soul mates who meet while trying to con others, and each other; they are Lily and La Valle, respectively. The notorious La Valle then finds employment as Gaston Monescu, becoming a live-in assistant to Madame Mariette Colet, played by Kay Francis. He courts Mme. Colet as he cons her, and later involves Lily in his scheme, though his partner in crime is unsure of his real attraction to the wealthy woman, who's also being romantically pursued by others from within her same class, like the Major (Charles Ruggles) and François Filiba (Edward Everett Horton), who are also very protective of her. C. Aubrey Smith plays Adolph J. Giron and Robert Greig plays Colet's butler Jacques.A marvelous comedy and film which demonstrates (as well as any) the 'Lubitsch' touch, the director's unique style that includes its Art Direction, Cinematography, and overall feel. Luis Alberni and Leonid Kinskey are among those who appear uncredited.

I recently watched and fell in love with Ernst Lubitsch's To Be Or Not To Be. It was my first film of his and I knew instantly that he would become a favourite of mine once I saw more. Trouble In Paradise definitely has the razor sharp wit and sardonic approach that the aforementioned classic has, but it's also perhaps held back by the limitations and simpicity of 1930s cinema. While it does have creative editing and whip pans at times, it's much dryer, living in quite an unexciting place despite a rather exciting premise. The character work isn't as deep but it's certainly entertaining. That's all Trouble In Paradise is, just an episode. And for that, it's worth it. You may not feel deeply for the characters, but their situations and dilemmas are tense and funny. I can already see the trademark of a Lubtisch film. Characters get so close to being found out that they practically admit to it before they outsmart the villain. Despite the ruggedness of its time and its tendency to skip around its characters, Trouble In Paradise painted a welcome grin on my face. Lubitsch's European touch gives Hollywood an edgy shine.8/10

This entry had a lot to live up to; I'd been reading and hearing about it for years and though it proved elusive I had seen and enjoyed sufficient Lubitsch movies to know he was the MAN and so, almost inevitably, there was the slight worry that when it finally surfaced it would prove a tad disappointing; after all Herbert Marshall and Miriam Hopkins whilst fine actors don't really have the cachet of, for example, Cary Grant and Irene Dunne, Cary Grant and Kate Hepburn, Cary Grant and Roz Russell, Bill Powell and Myrna Loy, Claudette Colbert and anyone. Fear not. They pull it off. In spades. In fact it is a terrific menage a trois with Kay Francis forming the third angle in the eternal pyramid. The film begins and ends with Style, ably supported by Charm and Class, a winning parlay.