User reviews

Having performed in "New Moon" in summer stock, I watched the 1940 version of this Sigmund Romberg operetta with great interest. I confess I don't remember any of the story since I was in it 35 years ago in the midst of many other summer stock productions. But what I do remember is that "New Moon" needs great voices and opulent production values. Our production values consisted of a bunch of men standing outside the entrance to the barn, which was covered by a curtain, and yelling to indicate the fight on board ship.

The "New Moon" contains some of the most beautiful music ever written, including "Lover Come Back," "Wanting You," "One Kiss," the rousing "Stout-Hearted Men," and my favorite, "Softly, As in the Morning Sunrise." So who better to perform it than those songbirds of the silver screen, Nelson Eddy and Jeannette MacDonald.

The story has to do with dissidents from France, in the days of the revolution, who are sold as bond servants in Louisiana. They are led by Philippe, Duc de Villiers (Eddy), who has planned their escape back to France via a ship, the New Moon. Meanwhile, he's fallen for Marianne (Jeanette MacDonald), and she for him. When the bond servants make their escape, Marianne and her aunt (Mary Boland) accompany them back to France with women who are traveling to become brides. When the ship is attacked, the dissidents and the women find themselves in a new world.

In the film, the characters of Alexander and Julie are reduced to bit parts, though their song "Gorgeous Alexander" plays in the background. The roles of Robert and Philippe have been combined, giving Eddy both the lead baritone song and the tenor song "Softly." Several songs have been cut as well as dances.

However, the best-known songs are present; the songs cut, with the exception with "The Girl on the Prow," are ditties. Eddy is in magnificent voice. I'm not a huge fan of MacDonald's singing - it's a thin voice - but she's beautiful, a fine actress, and great with Eddy.

Someone mentioned that Eddy and MacDonald are more "mature" here - I actually didn't notice.

Yes, the dialogue is corny, but these operettas were about the music. If you want to hear some beautiful songs in a film starring one of the classic teams of film history, "New Moon" is for you.

If you love the collaborations of Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald you will like New Moon very much. All of them are immensely fun to watch, though their best is between this and Maytime. It is not without imperfections, the script can get very corny(though the "men are more lenient than goats" and "anger can make you very charming mademoiselle...exchange" are nice), and while with a certain innocence and charm the story is very creaky, though we can honestly say by now that in operetta the story has never been the strongest component. However the production values are a pleasure to look at, New Moon is crisply shot and boasts beautiful costumes and sets. The score is whimsical and lush, while the songs are just wonderful with marvellously witty lyrics. Standing out in particular are One Kiss, Lover Come Back to Me, Stout-Hearted Men and especially Wanting You. The songs are very nicely staged in the film, Stout-Hearted Men are full of lively gusto that is immense fun to watch while Wanting You is kept simply and is both adorable and touching. New Moon is solidly directed and doesn't feel like a bore at all, despite the script and the story not being the absolute best they could have been. The supporting cast are uniformly good, but it is Nelson and Jeanette MacDonald that make the film so worthwhile. They work beautifully together, and sing and act with great energy and appealing tones. MacDonald is always charming, and has always been the better actress, though Eddy is actually much more comfortable than he was in Naughty Marietta(the best I've seen him though is Chocolate Soldier with Rise Stevens). While both sound great, Eddy is in particularly wonderful voice, his rich, warm masculine tones have always been more preferable to MacDonald's still sweet if slightly thin and trebly voice. Both have moments to shine, they are great in their duets Wanting You and Lover Come Back to Me, but MacDonald is very touching in One Kiss and Eddy literally goes for it, attacking with such liveliness and gusto, in Stout-Hearted Men. Overall, a very nice film, maybe not for all tastes but for Eddy-MacDonald fans it's a treat. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This movie is lighthearted and a joy to be "lost in" for an evening. The music and singing perfectly complimented an intricate plot. The quality of Nelson Eddy's and Jeanette McDonald's is incredible, and they take you from the depths of sadness and loss to triumph and joyful reunion throughout the show. Nelson Eddy is as dashing and handsome as any leading man in the 21st century, and Jeanette McDonald's beauty is unrivaled. Both have central roles in a plot that twists and turns, and play them well, intelligently, believably. All the supporting cast is enthusiastic and funny, and add to the energy and drive of the story. The story is clean and innocent which was very refreshing. At the same time it is compelling, engaging and will remain in one's mind for days afterward. A wonderful surprise of a movie, one that I will keep in my movie library for years to come.

MacDonald/Eddy fans will appreciate the similarity between this and NAUGHTY MARIETTA, but will probably notice that the story here is a lot weaker and even less plausible, with Nelson noticeably heavier than he was in the earlier film. Not that that is going to matter much, when the camera is clearly in love with Jeanette's luminous close-ups. She is, as usual, costumed in an array of lavish gowns and hair-styles and holds the attention in all their scenes together.

The Sigmund Romberg score is an excellent one as far as operettas go, and they are both in excellent voice whether singing solos or duets. Jeanette is particularly lovely singing "Lover Come Back to Me" and "One Kiss" while Eddy does his famous "Stout-Hearted Men" with manly gusto.

Time has not been kind to this sort of musical entertainment, so I can recommend it only for fans of MacDonald and Eddy. It's not their best effort, but the Romberg score is worthy of their singing talents.

The main thing in a Nelson/Jeanette film is the songs and beautiful harmony the stars accomplish. "Wanting You" is so lovely, I replay it before I go on with the rest of the show.

Operettas are a specialized taste, and not for everyone. But for those who like them, this is a special treat. Nelson is very romantic in this film and of course, no one sings harmony better. Jeanette always does the melody and it is Nelsons great pacing and harmony that make the songs so beautiful.

The story of the Louisiana bayou country and the French settlers at the time of the French Revolution is just a way to get the cast in lovely costumes and settings. Nelsons "Give Me Some Men" is thrilling and his holding his long note for over a minute, just great. All in all, a fine entry in the pairing of Americas Sweethearts. 9/10

This movie is filled with wonderful songs. The voices of Jeanette and Nelson blend wonderfully. It is a joy to watch and listen to. I find myself singing along with them. It also has gentle humor in it. And Jeanette MacDonald is beautiful and radiant as always.

New Moon (1940 MGM) starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy is by far the best movie these two super star operetta singers provided for the USA and world public in the years before World War II during the Golden Age Of Hollywood.

It is one of the last and best of the black and white movie costume musicals, and is dazzling in every way. Every film buff should obtain and screen this incredible movie often.

The two stars, Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, appeared in two widely and justifiably honored movies before this one......Naughty Marietta (1935 MGM) and also Rosemarie (1937 MGM), and were incredible in both.

They managed to turn the unusual trick of skillful acting combined with singing music in the range and with the obvious ability of true opera stars (Nelson Eddy later provided wonderful singing of famous opera arias in "The Whale Who Wanted To Sing At The Met" sequence part of the Make Mine Music [1946 Disney] animated cartoon show.)

In addition to wonderful singing, MacDonald and Eddy provide actor performances comfortable and delightful to watch, the kind of acting people from all backgrounds could feel comfortable with and enjoy. They were natural actors of high talents and also singers of unparalleled gifts. The entire history of world cinema never saw their equal before or since.

The chemistry between MacDonald and Eddy is breathtaking....at times understated and amazingly carefree considering the pomp and glamor always part of their costumed and sumptuously decorated surroundings, and at times intimate to a level of sexual believability almost "x" rated. but it never occurred to the censors to object to their movies or performances or for the public, even the most conservative part of it, to object to the acting and love duet singing these two super stars provided. They were in a class by themselves, never to be forgotten, always to be cherished, probably never to be duplicated at any time in the future.....they were to musical performing arts what Shakespeare was to dramatic play writing....the best of the best.

The camera work includes many night time scenes and moving scenes tracking marching men, galloping horses, and sumptuous dances and walks in formal gardens in New Orleans mansions part of it all. So, too, are wonderful special effects sequences showing a storm at sea which wrecks the large sailing ship which takes the main characters away from New Orleans, deposits them on a lonely island, and is wrecked by a storm which somehow does not drown or harm the endangered boat passengers.

Somehow, it is all believable, and one can never take one's eyes off of the screen, or stop being interested and believing in the story, rooting for the main characters as they face and overcome one travail after the other.

New Moon (1940 MGM) starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy is the sort of movie one knows will end happily from the start, and no matter what the characters face, the audience knows it will all come out all right in the end, and a splendid and enjoyable story is always ahead, well presented and scripted, witty and charming, wonderfully costumed, supplied with one beautifully furnished and designed setting after another....the sort of movie which could and was only provided for American and world audiences during the fabled Golden Age Of Big Studio Hollywood in the years immediately before World War II, perhaps the high water mark in movie history.

See this movie and these two actors (and the other two movies of fame they did before this....Naughty Marietta [1935 MGM] and Rosemarie [1937 MGM]}. Everything about it is good in all ways

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Written by Tex Allen, SAG-AFTRA movie actor. Visit WWW.IMDb.Me/TexAllen for more information about Tex Allen.

Tex Allen's email address is TexAllen@Rocketmail.Com.

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Sure, Nelson and Jeanette are excellent singers. But are they great singers such as Lawrence Tibbett and Grace Moore, the Tennessee Nightingale, who starred in the 1930 version of this show? The answer is no, they are not. Their voices pale in comparison to the operatically-trained voices of Tibbett and Moore. To further sink the later ship we lack the presence of Roland Young and Adolphe Menjou among the passengers. Yes, the wonderful songs are there, they just don't have the same impact. By all means watch this but whatever you do seek out the 1930 film and watch that too. You will be so glad you did!

I first saw "New Moon" last month on Turner Classic Movies. It is a charming, beautiful movie. The contemporaneous New York Times movie critic said that the chemistry between Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy is astonishing and I agree. The story is convoluted and predictable. The music is sensational. You will remember many of the songs forever. I love old movies, I think the movies from the 30's and 40's are the finest. "New Moon" pushed "Bringing up Baby" out of my favorite movie slot. It's just a wonderful movie. She is ravishing, he is an alpha male and their singing is beautiful. The story is sweet and emotionally satisfying. I love this movie.

Saw this on Friday,13 December 1940 in Birmingham,a wonderful escape from the intense bombing. Eddy comes again in very fine voice,but not quite up to the standard of "Naughty Marietta," the first of the duo's film operettas. He has obviously gained significant weight: for example, he navigates with difficulty the gunwale of a ship which his comrades and he are attacking with strangely no casualties. The hit song in this operetta,which would not,I think,benefit from color because most of its takes are either at night or interiors, is "Wanting You",which the duo pulls off quite nicely.However,his emotional reactions during this piece,although adequate at the embrace,appear rather automatic,and do not compare with Allan Jones' tenderness in "Tomorrow is another day" (Day at Races,1937) or even the Red Shadow's pouring out his heart in the dated 1929 "Desert Song".His acting skills leave something to be desired:he turns his back on Jeanette during her vocal response,and shows deficiencies in emotional reaction. There is a marked antiquatedness in the dialog as in Jeanettes"I'll try my powers" when asked to sing "Paris" at the film's beginning, or her "Spare your minions!" when offered help in the captured ship. At times they are distinctly looking their ages.He is no longer the angular, gangling young Captain Warrington (lean and muscular) of "Naughty Marietta",but considerably "filled out." All the same,this is delightful escapist musical romance,with pirates, secret police,the French Revolution,sailing gunboats,Caribbean Islands,moonlight and beaches etc. I would strongly recommend this as a video played through an equalizer and amplifier perhaps with a sub-woofer,since the MGM musical recording is extremely good for the time.Romberg's operetta is not as classic as Herbert's "Naughty Marietta" and something is lost from the stage version with all its colorful choruses,reprises,but this is made up for in action and motion not practicable on the stage.

The 6th out of a total number of 8 pictures headlining songbirds Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, they are cranked out either by Robert Z. Leonard or W.S. Van Dyke, and NEW MOON is credited to the former, who replaced the latter in the eleventh hour.

Amid the hubbub of the upcoming French revolution near the end of 18th century, nobleman Charles Henri (Eddy), wanted in France, assumes the identity of a bondsman on a packet boat en route to New Orleans, where he charms the aristocratic Mademoiselle Marianne de Beaumanoir (MacDonald), who is chaperoned by snooty auntie (a shrill Mary Boland), but when on terra firma, Marianne is piqued to find out Charles is merely a bond servant bought to under her employment, an incipient romantic tingle quietly transmutes into a proto-Pride-and-Prejudice sparring that occupies the first act with fair levity and a turgid overtone where opposite attraction incubates.

The second act takes shape when Charles' true identity is divulged, and Marianne has to let him go for his own safety's sake, although she has become smitten by him, step by step, still, the percolating canard of Charles' discreditable repute bedevils her. The resultant revolt is a slapdash mess even by the 40s Hollywood yardstick, actions are wishy-washy while marching song is quaintly (if appositely) antediluvian, and by the quirk of fate (or indeed, artistic license), they end up on the same ship, the titular "New Moon", whereas Marianne is the passenger, Charles leads a bunch of fellow rebels hijacking the ship, ludicrously pulls off one of the most cursory maritime make-believe mutinies ever being conceived.

After a shipwreck near an anonymous island miraculously leaves no casualty whatsoever, the third act veers into a utopian microcosm of a society build ex nihilo by the precept of parity and goodwill (of course, ample nubile maidens are conveniently deployed on board beforehand), and this time it is Charles' turn to call the shots, although Marianne has no grudges of contributing her labor like a plebeian, her doubt about Charles' character takes a little bit more time to be dissipated as we are all well prepared to what kind of an ending the cockamamie story leads to.

A lofty, fluffy stodge mostly hindered by a dated aesthetic guidance and a workmanlike execution, on a lesser level, a less telegenic performer in the form of Nelson Eddy, whereas Jeanette MacDonald at least leaves an animated affectation (not to mention her well-poised curls), he is sheer ponderous to regard with his wooden line delivery, there goes the nonexistent chemistry we are supposedly to root for. Thankfully, we have the two star's baritone/soprano voice to appreciate, but if you are looking for a good time with some substance, please give NEW MOON (1940) a wide berth.

These people are marvelous. The woman star is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and the man is beyond handsome, and these gorgeous people can sing, and sing beautifully. I've been unable to get the music out of my head. It is romantic and gorgeous and unforgettable. The story is old fashioned and as different from today's movies as daylight is from night. This movie is not edgy or raw, it is just the opposite. Just a wonderful emotional experience. (At the crack of dawn, my mother in law (we are staying with them for the weekend) dragged me out of bed and said that I had to see this movie and although we have little in common when it comes to taste in clothes and many other things, she was entirely right about this movie. Thank you Gina.)

New Moon is filled with great music and lyrics. Nelson Eddy's fine looks and body language will turn on the ladies in my opinion. Only in hindsight of the full collection of their movies I found this movie looking like a training ground for both actors. However their embraces and smiles at times told me they enjoyed each others company. For a while many thought of them as lovers outside the films. I have often commented to my wife in saying "How could you not fall in love with a leading lady like Jeanette MacDonald singing those wonderful songs." I would highly recommend "New Moon" and all other of their movies. My favorite is The Girl of the Golden West.

Particle physicists, cosmologists, and philosophers are not of one mind respecting whether our universe be eternal or not. The poet who noted that a thing of beauty is a joy forever seems to have made an eternally valid observation. New Moon features a duet by Jeannette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy of "LOVER COME BACK..."

Music is the thing in this 1940 version of "New Moon" with Sigmund Romberg's beautiful music score and words by Oscar Hammerstein II. As sung by Jeanette McDonald and Nelson Eddy it just doesn't get any better, especially if you are a fan of operettas. They have gone out of fashion but the gorgeous songs remain.

The story starts with a hint of intrigue, with Eddy as a nobleman wanted for sedition stows away on a French packet as a prisoner. On the same ship is McDonald as a traveler to the new world. Contrivance and coincidence abound as an unlikely plot is woven around the many songs, but no matter. All ends well and the music is a rare treat, especially nowadays. If you appreciate operettas do yourself a favor.

One of the more risible romantic musicals, this effort teamed Nelson Eddy and Jeanette Macdonald for the fifth time and gave them the creaky score by Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein II to sing. The good news is that this included songs such as ‘Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise', and ‘Lover, Come Back To Me', and the overblown 'Stout Hearted Men'. The bad news is that the story is absolute rubbish – Jeanette is a singer captured by mutineers (yes, Nelson as the ringleader and not exactly convincing), forced to settle with the other passengers and crew on a distant island.

Departing somewhat from the original stage production in its story, ‘New Moon' is not quite camp enough to compare with the best of the Singing Sweethearts classics. Both of them too are looking their age and beginning to tire in their ever-innocent personas. However, they are in good voice, and this film is bearable if you are looking for undemanding musical fare.