haddock

I feel terribly sorry! Where the Lubitsch-pic was enchanting, marvelous, full of spirit and elegance, this one here is only - colored! Lana looks like 51 (in fact she was 31 at that time, but obviously depressive) and tries to play a shy and dull girlie. Think of Jeanette McDonald, who gave the role of the widow a double-faced depth by "playing" with Count Danilo. That Lana had to play an operetta although unable to sing - crazy! She only sings one song - the title role of an Lehar-operetta, that is really funny! The only really good thing is the great waltz scene at the end: glamorous! And - after watching this scene - have a look at the introducing waltz scene in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"! Any similarities?

I am astonished about the low rating of this movie! There are of course many musicals which are boring and this one - I admit - does not feature very much. No great songs (despite "Baby it's cold outside - Oscar!), no great dancing and absolutely no great acting. But there is something to make the film special: The comedic timing is perfectly, the gags drop fluently. The supporting roles are fantastic: Red Skelton at his best and the absolutely wonderful Betty Garrett to team him (they should have made more movies!). Xavier Cugat and his orchestra play enthusiastic samba rhythms, the decoration of the picture is bright and joyful! There is no single boring moment, the whole film is like a short trip to the Caribbean sea with a fancy cocktail in your hand!

Nice comedy, nothing spectacular. Like with many other films of this time you wonder, if there was any war around. Beautiful people in elegant costumes, grand hotels and champagne, pearls and furs. The trip to Italy is - of course - not coincidentally. No-one would ever expect great acting in a film like this, interesting for fans to look at the father of Romy Schneider, Wolf Albach-Retty. The main attraction for myself was the fantastic convertible, with which the Italian-journey was made, I guess it was an Italian one, probably with a Pininfarina bodywork. The only highlight is Erika von Thellmann as "Aunt Emma". Unfortunately she has only a few short scenes, but you can see that she was a great comedienne!