Valsa brilhante

A fabulous confection. A prima donna hires a man to pretend to be her lover so as to protect her from an unwelcome suitor. Unbeknownst to her (the key to most comedy), he is a tenor in disguise. The musical battle between real-life husband and wife Jan Kiepura and Marta Eggerth to Mozart's "Turkish March" is a singing and comic tour-de-force. And the title waltz will have you dancing out of the theatre -- or just in front of your VCR. Kiepura, who did not age quite as well as his effervescent wife, here looks youthful and is in excellent voice. Eggerth is perfection as always. This film was available on commercial SECAM video some years back which is where I got it. It is certainly a major oeuvre of both stars and their director.

There are many films who have become famous on their own right, while others who deserve it simply haven't; being this more common amongst European ones. Valse Brillante is a well crafted, well written and above all finely acted French musical, where songs and dialogue perfectly combine together. It is elegantly directed, with a smooth yet never boring narrative rhythm. This may be explained by the fact that director Jean Boyer was the son of a chansonnier, had been a performer himself, had previously worked with Charles Trénet or Georges Guétary, had ample experience in comedies and musicals and in adapting foreign films.

The lead couple, Márthä Eggerth and Jan Kiepura, both famed singers who were married in real life, made only one more film together after this one, which is a pity watching their common spark and sense for comedy. Their separate songs are as good as the numbers they perform together, and their virtuous and most funny singing of Mozart's Turkish March is brilliant, something to behold. She is so good at varying her register according to each number -cocquettish, charmante, folkloric, sexy-, while he, keeping on with his energetic attitude which gave both opera and movies such unique moments, seems to be having a good time as her bodyguard, playing detective to find out who is menacing her suitors. Lucien Baroux is also great as their manager, as Roger Tréville is as Martha's stressed admirer.

But there's much more in this delightful story : the script plays with the actor's names and nationalities from the start, giving them both the opportunity to speak in their native languages (Polish for Kiepura, Hungarian for Eggerth), and raising many topics to the actors advantage, like when Kowalski's surname is always misspelled or when he briefly retires to his Polish "dominion" where not even a goat is missing. He is in shirt sleeves while Mártha appears dressed in Jacques Heim. Before this she dances and sings an Hungarian number, and Kiepura will give an energetic rendition of a mazurka.

To sum it up, this is an intelligent, amusing and delightful musical comedy with the added interest of watching Eggerth and Kiepura perform together. Délicieuse!

The partnership of husband-wife team Marta Eggerth (the more this viewer sees of her, after being indifferent to her in a few of her better known films, the more she likes her) and Jan Kiepura was the main reason for seeing 'Valse Brillante' (translated into English from French as 'brilliant waltz').

Eggerth and Kiepura and their chemistry are also the best things about 'Valse Brillante'. Especially Eggerth, who has rarely been funnier (especially in the "Turkish March" scene) and has bags of charm and an appealing coquettishness. Her voice is pure, clear as a bell and beautiful in music perfectly suited to her and she looks glamorous. Kiepura also sings beautifully and with clever vocal expression, both of ardour and gusto, even with at times a lack of finesse. He is also handsome and has good comedic chops. The two are magical together.

'Valse Brillante' has much more going for it than the two leads. It also has strong turns from Lucien Baroux and Roger Tréville, even if the rest of the cast is not as memorable.

It is sumptuous visually and directed with drive and elegance. The music is superb, with a titular waltz that will make one want to get up and dance.

Script is like a delightful, witty bon-bon, complete with a rendition of the "Turkish March" that is sheer comic and musical genius and will have one in stitches.

The story is somewhat slight and pure fluff, but that doesn't matter here when it's so energetically and intelligently done.

Overall, delightful and "brillante". 9/10 Bethany Cox