One Hour With You – 1931 / 1932
Here we are once again with Maurice Chevalier, but this time there is finally a significant difference in his character. In most other films in which I have seen him, he plays a playboy / womanizer. But here, it was refreshing to see him as a man who is incredibly devoted to his wife.
Chevalier plays Dr. Andre Bertier. He is very much in love with his wife, Colette, played by Jeanette MacDonald. The two are caught kissing in the park, which was apparently frowned upon. But they surprise the police officer by telling him they are married, and therefore are not doing anything inappropriate. But the officer runs them off anyway. Being a musical, there are even a few songs about how convenient it is to be married to someone you are so in love with.
The main conflict of the plot comes in the form of Colette’s best friend Mitzi, played by Genevieve Tobin. She is a woman who is unhappy in her own marriage and decides to steal Colette’s husband for herself. What follows is her attempts to temp him, and his refusals.
The director, Ernst Lubitsch, made some interesting choices when it came to telling the story. For example, at several places in the movie, the character of Andre breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the audience, giving them a cute and cleverly written explanation of how he feels about the events. He assures the viewers that he is in love with his wife and does not want to cheat on her, especially with her best friend. Of course, he does it all with that charming attitude and disarming smile. The cute French accent didn’t hurt either.
Also, in a scene where Colette and Mitzi, who have not seen each other in some time, first meet, they are both so excited that they start gabbing on like two clucking hens. Lubitsch had them speaking fast and talking over each other so that the conversation was nothing more than just an incoherent babble. It was a simple little thing, but it was not over-done or cheesy.
Now all that being said, there were a few things that I would have changed about the film which I need to mention. First, the movie opens with a little song sung by the local police at the station house about how spring in Paris is the time for lovers, and therefore, many people will be behaving inappropriately all over the city. This entire scene was unnecessary. Maybe the movie should have opened by simply showing the different couples necking in the park before focusing on Andre and Colette.
Another thing that I actually found slightly annoying was the spoken rhyme songs. There were several songs in this musical in which the actors didn’t sing at all. They would speak to each other with some light music playing in the background. At first you think that they are just delivering their dialogue. But then you start to realize that some of what they are saying is coming out in rhymes. Oh, this is a song! Except that there is no melody. Well, maybe they are just speaking… in rhythm.
Macdonald did a good enough job. She was, at times, amusing to watch, but at other times, like when she had to cry, her acting seemed a little fake. And I thought that the point of acting was to be believable.
Still, the movie was enjoyable enough to watch. As musicals go, the songs, such as they were, were pretty unmemorable. But the plot had a few left turns that kept pace flowing nicely, and Chevalier is always good on the screen.
Interesting quote: Police Officer: “You can’t make love here.” Colette: “Oh no, officer. My husband can make love anywhere.” Apparently kissing was known as making love in the early 30s. Not today!