Midnight is usually considered one of the high points of sophisticated 1930's comedy. The technical credits of this film are impeccable. Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett in the screenwriter phase of their careers were considered one of Paramount's top writing teams. The director Mitchell Leisen was at home with comedies. The cinematographer was Charles Lang Jr., one of Hollywood's best who worked about 50 years amassing an impressive lest of credits.
The cast as is typical with these comedies set in Europe, is a bunch of American actors who don't bother with any of those pesky European accents. Claudette Colbert who was sort of French played a gold digger who shows up in Paris with no money but is wearing a stunning evening dress. Don Ameche is the penniless cab drive who falls in love with her. However Colbert doesn't want to get involved with him since he is poor. After many plot manipulations she ends up at the mansion of a barely sober John Barrymore playing a rich aristocrat. After even more plot manipulations Colbert has a shot at marrying a rich French guy named what else, "Jacques." Ameche shows up to stop her. Will true love win out in the end? Well this is a comedy.
Midnight has a lot of clever stuff and some funny scenes. How could it not considering all the talent involved. However the film is kind of dated. After about 80 years of every type of Hollywood comedy made, the film doesn't really age all that well. This is an example of an original film being done in by all the subsequent films that followed it which essentially used many of the same plot points.
The film is worth a look I guess. But considering it's high reputation Midnight was a rather disappointing viewing experience.
The running time is 94 minutes.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment