The Smiling Lieutenant (1931)

Musical Romance. - The Smiling Lieutenant review by Steve

Ernst Lubitsch revolutionised Hollywood in the early sound era. More than anyone he brought together the influences which defined '30s screwball. This musical comedy is based on a German operetta; but the songs are few and do not impede the lively reflection on the game of love.

In the garrison in Vienna, the soldiers spend most of their time on romantic manoeuvres. Maurice Chevalier plays the charming lieutenant who falls in love with Claudette Colbert, a violinist. He plays the piano. They make music together. The soldier winks at his lover during a parade, only for a minor royal to assume he was gesturing at her.

To avoid a scandal, he marries the prudish princess (Miriam Hopkins). This being a Lubitsch film, Colbert teaches the royal frump how to seduce her reluctant husband. Which leads to the startling musical number Jazz Up Your Lingerie! Colbert and Hopkins aren't yet the screwball legends they became, though Claudette sparkles.

It's Chevalier's film, and he is irrepressible, whether crooning his boulevardier songs or revelling in the precode innuendo. Or indeed, smiling and winking into the camera. He is a walking libido. The playful dalliance is made joyful by his ebullient persona. It's not quite peak Lubitsch but it's an exotic delight, and was a huge hit.