The great lover

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Movie
Original title The great lover
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1931
length 71 minutes
Rod
Director Harry Beaumont
script Gene Markey ,
Edgar Allan Woolf
production Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
music William Franke Harling
camera Merritt B. Gerstad
occupation

The Great Lover is a 1931 American musical film starring Adolphe Menjou and Irene Dunne .

action

The world-famous baritone Jean Paurel has worked hard for himself the nickname "The Great Lover" through numerous affairs, preferably with married women. On an ocean liner he meets the young Diana Page, who studied singing in Europe. Paurel is enthusiastic about her talent and arranges an audition for Diana at the opera. His former lover, the well-known opera diva Savarova, is still upset with the way Paurel left her years ago and refuses to perform with him. Paurel takes the opportunity to cast Diana in her place. Diana is meanwhile in dire conscience, because she has secretly loved Carlo Jonino, the eternal understudy of Jean Paurel, for years. Diana celebrates a triumph alongside Paurel and becomes a celebrated star practically overnight. Savarova catches Carlo and Diana secretly kissing and does not waste a minute in carrying the news to Paurel. He is furious about Savarova's intrigue and yells at her so hard that he immediately loses his voice. Diana is deeply affected when she learns of Paurel's misfortune. She decides to sacrifice her own happiness and dedicate herself entirely to caring for the man to whom she owes her career. When all seems lost, Paurel realizes who Diana really loves. He generously renounces his own feelings so that the two lovers can finally get married.

background

With the advent of the sound film , the new genre of music film developed rapidly. Initially, the market was dominated by productions such as The Broadway Melody and Golddiggers of 1929 , which were characterized by a mixture of lavish revue scenes and dance interludes. Gradually, the film musical and the film operetta also developed. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer went one step further in late 1929 and produced films that incorporated classic opera arias into the plot. Lawrence Tibbett and Grace Moore , two popular performers at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, were signed and built to star. By mid-1930, however, the vocal film market was collapsing. The permanent oversupply of second- and third-rate films led to increasing apathy among viewers for such productions.

The Great Lover was one of the last films to put classical music and opera arias at the center of the plot. The studio sought to minimize box office risk by using a popular 1915 play by George M. Cohan , whose name was familiar to viewers, for the framework . An established and well-known name took on the main role in Adolphe Menjou . Menjou had recently celebrated a comeback in Morocco alongside Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper and consolidated his reputation with his appearance on The Front Page .

For Irene Dunne the film offered the opportunity to present herself as an interpreter of classical arias. The actress was able to look back on a sound vocal training and had already applied, albeit unsuccessfully, in 1920 as a soprano at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. She made her screen debut in mid-1930 in the musical Leathernecking , but her breakthrough came with a dramatic performance in Cimarron , which earned her the first of five Oscar nominations for Best Actress. Already in Consolation Marriage she was officially granted star status with her name above the title.

Olga Baclanova , who was only announced as "Baclanova" in the opening credits, in the style of Garbo , was under contract with MGM at the time. She had come to some prominence in the last days of silent film as a performer of vamps and easy-going women. With the advent of talkies, however, her heavy accent turned out to be a handicap and she was only used in supporting roles, largely saying goodbye to the big screen after 1932.

Reviews

In his August 24, 1931 review, Mordaunt Hall of the New York Times was quite taken with the film and its leading actors:

“In The Great Lover , a superficial yet entertaining film, Adolph Menjou speaks with a French accent and gives a well thought-out and convincing portrayal. […] The well-staged film offers countless interesting details and if some of the events seem hasty, others are really impressive. Neither Neil Hamilton […] nor Miss Dunne contribute much to the film's success, but in fairness it has to be admitted that their dialogues are often poorly written. Baclanova is good at some of her scenes. "

Variety gave Irene Dunne far more positive feedback.

“Irene Dunne makes a charming figure as the leading actress and sings some important songs for the plot. Her role demands calm and sensitive dignity, which the young actress has in abundance. "

Web links

Original quotes

  1. ↑ In a superficial but nevertheless entertaining picture, called The Great Lover , Adolphe Menjou, speaking with a French accent, gives a conscientious and effective performance […] There is an abundance of interesting detail in this nicely staged production, and, while some of the incidents are developed too hastily, others are really impressive. Neither Neil Hamilton […] nor Miss Dunne does much to help the success of the film, but in justice to them it should be stated that their lines are often poorly written. Baclanova is good in some of her scenes.
  2. ↑ Irene Dunne makes a charming figure as leading woman, and contributes several songs necessary to the action. Part calls for quiet and persuasive grace, which this young actress possesses abundantly.