Sight and Sound - 05/01/2008
"[THE LOVE PARADE] integrated the tunes into the drama with creativity and wit."

In his witty and urbane comedies, director Ernst Lubitsch brought a whole new level of sophistication to the silent era. With the advent of sound, Lubitsch performed a similar feat, producing innovative and stylish musicals that helped to create a distinctive American genre. Made before strict adherence to the Hays morality code, these risqué films may surprise audiences expecting something more chaste from the 1920s and '30s! This classic collection presents the musicals LOVE PARADE, a battle of wills between an American babe and a sex-hungry Parisian (Lubitsch's talkie debut, and the first film to wed story to song); MONTE CARLO, a romance on the Riviera between a self-assured countess and a crafty count; ONE HOUR WITH YOU, a bawdy and blissfully irreverent take on the modern marriage; and THE SMILING LIEUTENANT, a delightful love triangle between a military man, a beautiful musician, and a pent-up princess.

1930s | Love Triangles | Musical Sequences

Genre:

• Musicals & The Arts

Movie Categories:

• Musical & Performing Arts: Musicals

Product Series:

• Criterion Collection