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Trouble in Paradise

  • 1932
  • Approved
  • 1h 23m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
17K
YOUR RATING
Herbert Marshall, Kay Francis, and Miriam Hopkins in Trouble in Paradise (1932)
Trouble in Paradise: Resign
Play clip0:34
Watch Trouble in Paradise: Resign
1 Video
46 Photos
Romantic ComedyScrewball ComedyComedyCrimeRomance

A gentleman thief and a lady pickpocket join forces to con a beautiful perfume company owner. Romantic entanglements and jealousies confuse the scheme.A gentleman thief and a lady pickpocket join forces to con a beautiful perfume company owner. Romantic entanglements and jealousies confuse the scheme.A gentleman thief and a lady pickpocket join forces to con a beautiful perfume company owner. Romantic entanglements and jealousies confuse the scheme.

  • Director
    • Ernst Lubitsch
  • Writers
    • Samson Raphaelson
    • Grover Jones
    • Aladár László
  • Stars
    • Miriam Hopkins
    • Kay Francis
    • Herbert Marshall
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.9/10
    17K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ernst Lubitsch
    • Writers
      • Samson Raphaelson
      • Grover Jones
      • Aladár László
    • Stars
      • Miriam Hopkins
      • Kay Francis
      • Herbert Marshall
    • 96User reviews
    • 66Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 6 wins total

    Videos1

    Trouble in Paradise: Resign
    Clip 0:34
    Trouble in Paradise: Resign

    Photos46

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    Top cast28

    Edit
    Miriam Hopkins
    Miriam Hopkins
    • Lily
    Kay Francis
    Kay Francis
    • Mariette Colet
    Herbert Marshall
    Herbert Marshall
    • Gaston Monescu
    Charles Ruggles
    Charles Ruggles
    • The Major
    • (as Charlie Ruggles)
    Edward Everett Horton
    Edward Everett Horton
    • François Filiba
    C. Aubrey Smith
    C. Aubrey Smith
    • Adolph J. Giron
    Robert Greig
    Robert Greig
    • Jacques (the Butler)
    Luis Alberni
    Luis Alberni
    • Annoyed Opera Fan
    • (uncredited)
    Hooper Atchley
    Hooper Atchley
    • Insurance Agent
    • (uncredited)
    Tyler Brooke
    Tyler Brooke
    • Commercial Singer
    • (uncredited)
    Marion Byron
    Marion Byron
    • Maid
    • (uncredited)
    Louise Carter
    Louise Carter
    • Woman with Wrong Handbag
    • (uncredited)
    Gino Corrado
    Gino Corrado
    • Venetian
    • (uncredited)
    George Humbert
    • Waiter in Venice
    • (uncredited)
    Perry Ivins
    • Radio Commentator
    • (uncredited)
    Leonid Kinskey
    Leonid Kinskey
    • Russian Visitor
    • (uncredited)
    Gus Leonard
    • Elderly Servant
    • (uncredited)
    Carl M. Leviness
    Carl M. Leviness
    • Party Guest
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Ernst Lubitsch
    • Writers
      • Samson Raphaelson
      • Grover Jones
      • Aladár László
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews96

    7.917K
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    Featured reviews

    fowler1

    The Summit Of PreCode Cinema

    ...and Ernst Lubitsch at his zenith. First things first: thank you to TCM for showing this recently. Of course I taped it, and of course I've practically worn the tape out by now, a month later.

    Point #2: something is terribly wrong in Paradise if the peak era of his work, 29-33, remains in shadow today. Where are the VHS/DVD releases of these wonderful films? Nowhere that I can find them; hopefully the good folks at Turner will continue reviving the early sound Lubitsches. I waited 25 years to see this one again, and the wait was not in vain. Those 25 years put a bit of snow on my roof, but they also allowed me to drink in the ambrosia that is this film with a bit more appreciation than I had at 16. And what intoxicating ambrosia it is! Script, performances, directorial vision are all exquisite. The leads are inspired (oh, for a night with Kay Francis!); the supporting players, expertly calibrated farceurs. The utilization of music as ironic counterpoint to the visuals rivals Clair; the title song, sung over the opening credits, will make your heart race, and break, at the same time. And the look of the film (Art Deco, lovingly handrubbed to a burnished glow) will linger with you forever.

    Again and again, Lubitsch pulls rabbits out of hats: scenes like the deepening of Herbert Marshall and Kay Francis' relationship from business to pleasure 'seen' in a clock face are emblematic of what makes this such a special film. Its story is slight, frothy, very nearly silly; yet Lubitsch's knowing observation of small, telling details makes it magical. TROUBLE is not a timeless film, anchored as it is to a very specific time (Long Ago) and place (Far Away), which only deepens its charm and its seductive tugging on the audience's sleeve. I've watched it three times in a night, and three times more the following night - not behavior I usually exhibit. But the siren call of its lively, civilized wit is such that I'm hitting 'rewind' the moment it ends - I don't want to break the spell and return to reality just yet. As fertile as the preCode era is, as many classics as that golden period continues to yield up to those willing to discover them...TROUBLE IN PARADISE is the most glorious of them all.
    amaurer

    Masterpiece of the "Lubitsch Touch"

    Once, "The Lubitsch Touch," was as well known as Hitchcock's reputation as "The Master of Suspense."

    "Trouble in Paradise" is Lubitsch's unqualified masterpiece. This pre-code sophisticated comedy epitomizes the European attitude toward sex in its very first scene between Hebert Marshall and Miriam Hopkins. Marshall reveals he has stole Hopkin's garter without her knowing it and she leaps in his lap. She checks -- at the dinner table no less -- realizes it is gone and with the admiration of one thief for another leaps into his lap. "Darling!" she says. No one has to guess what she has in mind, although it is all done with the wit and brio that the "Lubitsch Touch," refers to.

    It's great to have this film readily available and the DVD version includes an informative and enlightening commentary (Marshall only had one leg and his lurching walk made a certain speedy cutting necessary that helps give the film it's light, speedy quality).

    Lubitsch also made "Shop Around the Corner," remade by Nora Ephron as "You've Got Mail," and "Ninotcha," with Greta Garbo. His musicals with Maurice Chevalier and Jenette MacDonald, such as "The Merry Widow," are also worth seeking out.
    postmanwhoalwaysringstwice

    No Trouble Here!!!

    Ernst Lubitsch had a tendency towards pushing the boundaries, whether it was the boundaries of the Production Code or the boundaries of one's stomach, as it's splitting from laughing at his films. "Trouble in Paradise" is one hundred percent, absolutely, no exception to this rule. This film has got to be the greatest film comedy of the 1930's (toss up between this and "Bringing Up Baby" ... perhaps??). The situations, the dialogue, the characterizations, the rich sexual undercoating ... FANTASTIC!!!
    Bucs1960

    That Lubitsch Touch!!

    A grand, grand film from the master of early, somewhat daring comedies! Delightful is the word to describe this gem which sparkles with great dialogue and pure elegance. The master of the suave sophisticate, Herbert Marshall, is wonderful as the gentleman thief. This type of part was his forte in his early career and he was ill-used later on by Hollywood. Nobody looked better in evening dress or could deliver a double entendre with such perfection. Kay Francis is her soigne best as the target of the jewel thieves.....although she could not pronounce her "r"s, she was the personification of chic and designers had a field day dressing her for her films. Miriam Hopkins may not have been the best choice for the part of Marshall's partner in crime; she never seems quite in sync with the rest of the cast. She had a reputation for being difficult and it shows just a bit here.....but that does not take anything away from the overall excellence of this movie. The censors had not cracked down in 1932 like they would in the coming years and this allows for some risque situations (for the time) which are pure delight. "Trouble in Paradise" is a true gem which, although somewhat dated, further enhances the Lubitsch reputation for quality film making.
    Aw-komon

    Thoroughly unsentimental, hard-edged, strongly sexual, 1932 comedy classic from Billy Wilder's idol Ernst Lubistch

    Why isn't this film out on Video or DVD? It is a masterpiece of subtlety and wit that has to be out there for people to study and learn from instead of being 'out of circulation.' Can you imagine Chaplin's 'Gold Rush' or 'Modern Times' being out of circulation? No. Well, this is a better overall film than anything Chaplin ever put out and mawkishly undermined with sentimentality, but only film buffs who go to rare screenings get to see it. It is not so much a laugh riot like Chaplin's best bits as it is extremely clever, to the point of being transcendent. Its tone reminds me very much of Jean Renoir's 1939 'Rules of the Game,' and Bunuel's comedies, although it doesn't have Bunuel's 'cruelty' (as master critic Andre Bazin would put it). It is just a work of art which most 'non-artsy' people will dismiss as 'just another clever comedy' because works of art annoy them (and they don't see why they should be bothered with applying the energy needed to understand them), while 'artsy' people will overrate it, and rightly so. Overrated or not, Lubitch's film is a joy to behold; you are glad it exists. As you're watching, you know you're being hit with valuable not-necessarily verbal information left and right. You know it's worth reseeing many times because you will get a different blend of perspectives from it everytime (much like a great piece of music). The essence of what makes it 'great,' as opposed to 'just another comedy' is this: 'Trouble in Paradise' completely destroys harmful romantic myths while affirming true romanticism (think Stendhal, Proust, Lessing, Nabokov) in the very way it is made, its style. This is what it does and it is an extremely important and purifying process for those who go through it and implicitly embrace its implicit principles. But, as it is, nobody'll get to see it anyway because it's not out on video, so what the hell am I writing for? To get all 3 of the people who will read this page in the next year to demand that it be put out for public consumption. Long live democracy!

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    Related interests

    Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
    Romantic Comedy
    Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal in What's Up, Doc? (1972)
    Screwball Comedy
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
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    Romance

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The scenes in which Herbert Marshall is running up and down the stairs at Madame Colet's were done with a double who is only seen from the rear. Mr. Marshall lost a leg in WWI and although it was almost impossible to notice that he used a prosthesis, he could not perform any action that called for physical agility.
    • Goofs
      (at around 10 mins) A very clear shadow of a boom mic moves against the wall/screen behind Lily, anticipating her next action (rising and moving toward Gaston).
    • Quotes

      Gaston Monescu: Madame Colet, if I were your father, which fortunately I am not, and you made any attempt to handle your own business affairs, I would give you a good spanking - in a business way, of course.

      Mariette Colet: What would you do if you were my secretary?

      Gaston Monescu: The same thing.

      Mariette Colet: You're hired.

    • Crazy credits
      In the opening credits, the words 'Trouble in' appear and then a bed before the word 'paradise', subliminally indicating that sex is at least part of the film's plot. It was done so subtly for the time that censors didn't notice it until the film's attempted re-release in 1935.
    • Connections
      Featured in Paramount Presents (1974)
    • Soundtracks
      Trouble in Paradise
      Music by W. Franke Harling

      Lyrics by Leo Robin

      Sung by Donald Novis (uncredited)

      [Played during opening title card and credits]

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    FAQ17

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 30, 1932 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Italian
      • French
      • Russian
      • Spanish
      • German
    • Also known as
      • The Golden Widow
    • Filming locations
      • Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $519,706 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $928
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 23m(83 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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