The Merry Widow (1934)
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The Merry Widow Movie Review
The Merry Widow is a 1934 musical comedy film directed by Ernst Lubitsch and starring Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald. It’s a standard Lubitsch picture for better and for worse.
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“May our hearts remain as cold as this champagne“
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Playboy Count Danilo is ordered by King Achmet of Marshovia to court and marry Madame Sonia, a rich American widow who owns a large portion of the kingdom. I’ve watched a dozen of Ernst Lubitsch movies by now, so it is harder for me to be impressed by one now. This is because most of his films are very similar to each other in tone, plot and music. This one failed to differentiate itself from his previous and later entries, being inferior to his best efforts.
With that being said, The Merry Widow is still a lovely, charming time to be had with a classic film. There is nothing to hate here, though there is very little to truly love. The screenplay is not only paper-thin, but way too familiar to his previous flicks. There is always a court, an imaginary country and an entangled comedic situation in these movies. It’s a tiresome premise for sure.
But I did like the musical numbers quite a bit. This is another operetta that he directed, but it worked because it’s sweet, energetic and full of spark in dancing, singing and visuals. The soundtrack worked for me and a couple of these numbers were suitably grandiose. The budget was obviously quite high for this picture, which is best evidenced in that production design that is so splendid that it led to a deserved Oscar win. Some of the sets here are gorgeously lavish.
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Jeanette MacDonald and Maurice Chevalier did not get along during this period, which led to their romantic dynamic in this movie feeling muted. Thankfully, the bickering was present throughout the story and those scenes were expectedly well performed by both actors. I liked them both, but Chevalier’s shtick has become rather stale to me by now. The other characters are sidelined, but a solid cast elevated their roles at least to a degree. The directing, cinematography and costumes are all strong, but the comedic elements could and should have been better.
The Merry Widow is your standard Ernst Lubitsch picture for better and for worse. The plot is not only paper-thin, but very familiar for him. The movie is also never particularly funny and it failed to fully ignite in dialogue and performances in the way that his best movies did. Still, the music is pretty good, the cinematography is excellent and the production design is dazzling. The movie is also energetic, charming and endearing enough, so it’s worth seeing for all those strong elements.
My Rating – 3.5
This is the third film in my 4our series where I will cover one film per decade that is having an anniversary this year, from 1914 to 2014. Next up is the year 1944 where I chose The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek. Keep an eye on that one as well.
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