Themes: Foibles of Marriage, Infidelity, Doctors and Patients
Main Cast: Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Genevieve Tobin, Charlie Ruggles, Roland Young
Release Year: 1932
Country: US
Run Time: 80 minutes
Plot
A musical remake of The Marriage Circle (1924), One Hour with You stars Maurice Chevalier as a Parisian doctor and Jeanette MacDonald as his loving wife. Chevalier is scrupulously faithful, much to the chagrin of his lovely female patients. But when MacDonald's best friend Genevieve Tobin insists upon being treated by Dr. Chevalier, it looks to many of those concerned that Tobin may succeed where the other willing ladies failed. The misunderstandings and reconciliations of the plotline are playfully staged with deliberate artificiality by director Ernst Lubitsch: Characters speak in rhymed couplets, Parisian gendarmes issue orders to their minions to the beat of a ticking clock, and Chevalier regularly talks directly to the audience. One Hour With You is a tuneful confection which is just as refreshing today as it was sixty years ago. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
One Hour with You is a prime example of the seemingly effortless "Lubitsch touch" (although it was technically co-directed by a very young George Cukor). It's a remarkably bubbly affair, a vintage musical champagne. This charming romp is one of the greatest successes of the early film musical, a masterful blend of dialogue, rhymed speech, and song. As is expected in a Lubitsch film, the dialogue sparkles with wit and with comedy both low and high, and there's an air of sophisticated naughtiness to the entire proceedings. Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald once again prove that they were one of the screen's most unique teams. Chevalier is totally relaxed and at ease on film, comfortably breaking the fourth wall at the drop of a hat, most memorably in the charming "What Would You Do?" MacDonald looks and sounds great, and she once again displays a comedic sense that was unfortunately buried in her later work. The supporting cast is exemplary, with Charlie Ruggles and Genevieve Tobin especially good. The score is tuneful and the lyrics witty, and the entire enterprise is a sheer delight. One Hour represents a high point in a sophisticated musical style that was a product of its time; viewers unfamiliar with it are in for a treat. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Hans Dreier - Art Director, Travis Banton - Costume Designer, George Cukor - Director, Ernst Lubitsch - Director, William Shea - Editor, Oscar Straus - Composer (Music Score), Richard A. Whiting - Composer (Music Score), Nathaniel W. Finston - Musical Direction/Supervision, Victor Milner - Cinematographer, Ernst Lubitsch - Producer, A.E. Freudeman - Set Designer, Samson Raphaelson - Screenwriter, Samson Raphaelson - Play Author, Lothar Schmidt - Play Author
Fräulein Seifenschaum ·Aufs Eis Geführt ·Blindekuh ·Zucker Und Zimmt ·Der Erste Patient ·Der Letzte Anzug ·Der Kraftmeier ·Wo Ist Mein Schatz? ·Schuhpalast Pinkus ·Der Gemischte Frauenchor ·Das Schönste Geschenk ·Der G.m.b.H. Tenor ·Leutnant auf Befehl ·Seine Neue Nase ·Ossis Tagebuch ·Der Blusenkönig ·Wenn Vier Dasselbe Tun ·Das Fidele Gefängnis ·Prinz Sami ·Der Rodelkavalier ·Der Fall Rosentopf ·Ich Möchte Kein Mann Sein ·Das Mädel Vom Ballet ·Meyer Aus Berlin ·Das Schwabenmädel ·Kohlhiesels Töchter ·Romeo Und Julia Im Schnee ·If I Had A Million(segment "The Clerk")
