One Hour with You (1932)
…………………………………………………
One Hour with You Movie Review
One Hour with You is a 1932 Pre-Code musical romantic comedy film directed by Ernst Lubitsch and starring Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald. It’s such a good movie.
………………………………………………….
“Madame! You may think I’m a coward. I am!“
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
It follows a married couple who suddenly find themselves attracted to other people and problems/hilarity ensue. Now, this is by far one of the most sexually open, not suggestive, but simply open movies from the thirties. Not only is it obviously Pre-Code in its execution, but it’s incredibly honest in some of the dialogue and unambiguous throughout.
That led to a very interesting, different 30s flick. I personally really liked its playful nature and superb, hilarious and consistently amusing dialogue. The film is very short so it’s mostly very entertaining, but the exception is that second act which suddenly becomes a bit monotonous and not as fun. But the first and third acts are both truly excellent.
Maurice Chevalier’s shtick can certainly get tiresome after a certain point. The same was true for ‘The Love Parade’ and it’s certainly the same here, but still he’s so irresistibly charming that he got away with his corny persona once again. Jeanette MacDonald is also terrific and she gave such a good performance. Genevieve Tobin is also good, but this is the show of those two stars and they truly made once again for a phenomenal duo.
One Hour with You can become too much of a love triangle at times, but I respected so much its frank attitude toward marriage and sex as it portrays the attraction toward other people as normal and it’s all okay if you do not act on it. It is a very honest, still highly relatable movie.
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
It’s a musical once again, but this time around it’s much more memorable in the romantic comedy department. Three Times a Day is a lot of fun, What Would You Do? is also solid and the titular number is probably the most memorable one. All numbers are actually very good or solid at least, but just too short to make a bigger impact. The overall movie is too short, but hugely entertaining and so well directed by Ernst Lubitsch, presenting his usual touch. It’s a peculiar, but still somewhat worthy Best Picture nominee.
One Hour with You is less interesting in its shaky second act and the musical numbers are too short, but it’s a very frank, sexually provocative for its time romantic comedy with another strong showcase of Maurice Chevalier/Jeanette MacDonald charming duo. Its honesty and particularly playful dialogue and humor are the standouts.
