While vacationing without her busy British diplomat husband, a married woman falls for another man.
Marlene Dietrich
Lady Maria Barker, aka Angel
Herbert Marshall
Sir Frederick Barker
Melvyn Douglas
Anthony 'Tony' Halton
Edward Everett Horton
Graham
Ernest Cossart
Christopher 'Chris' Wilton
Laura Hope Crews
Grand Duchess Anna Dmitrievna
Herbert Mundin
Mr. Greenwood
Dennie Moore
Emma MacGillicuddy Wilton
Gino Corrado
Assistant Hotel Manager (uncredited)
Ivan Lebedeff
Leonard Carey
Louise Carter
Phyllis Coghlan
George Davis
Duci De Kerekjarto
Herbert Evans
Lord Davington's Butler (uncredited)
James Finlayson
Barker's 2nd Butler (uncredited)
Bobby Hale
News Vendor (uncredited)
Gerald Hamer
Sam Harris
Man at Club (uncredited)
Arthur Hurni
Olaf Hytten
Consolidated Press Photographer (uncredited)
Suzanne Kaaren
Carl M. Leviness
Gwendolyn Logan
Lionel Pape
Joseph Romantini
Michael Visaroff
Eric Wilton
Director
Ernst Lubitsch
Adaptation
Guy Bolton
Adaptation
Russell G. Medcraft
Screenplay
Samson Raphaelson
Theatre Play
Melchior Lengyel
January 9, 2023
7
Ernst Lubitsch has managed not only to assemble three strong character actors here, but he also manages to get them to play well with/against each other without the whole thing descending into predicable melodrama. The lynch pin of the plot is the glamorous "Lady Maria" (Marlene Dietrich) who is married to her loyal, if maybe not the most lively, diplomat husband "Sir Frederick" (Herbert Marshall). Whilst feeling a bit neglected when he is away on one of his trips, she heads to Paris to visit her friend, the Russian Grand Duchess "Anna" (Laura Hope-Crews). As was customary for ladies of great social station, her function was largely that of a facilitator for the great and the good (or not so good) to meet at glittering soirées and it is at one such function that "Maria" encounters the rather rakish "Halton" (Melvyn Douglas) and the seeds for our developing love triangle are gradually sown. Now she has been using an alias ("Angel") in France, and when it turns out that her husband and her new beau have some wartime experiences in common - and they are all on the guest list to the same gathering - her wicket starts to look distinctly sticky! The plot is not especially remarkable, but there are four strong and engaging performances for us to enjoy here. Dietrich and Douglas gel well on screen together, Marshall always did manage that slightly aloof statesmanlike role well, and Crews cleverly plays her game to ensure that she, too, always gets what she needs from the various predicaments she encounters. It's also helped by a small cast, some quickly paced and sharp dialogue and it looks good to watch, too.
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00