Themes: Opposites Attract, Servants and Employers, Fathers and Daughters
Main Cast: William Powell, Annabella, Helen Westley, Henry Stephenson, Joseph Schildkraut
Release Year: 1938
Country: US
Run Time: 75 minutes
Plot
The Baroness, daughter of the Hungarian prime minister, is played by Annabella. The Butler, last of a long line of family retainers, is played by William Powell. The butler works for the baroness' father, and the relationship between baroness and butler is outwardly chilly but subliminally affectionate. The butler, something of a political activist, becomes leader of the party opposing the prime minister. The baroness despises her "hired man" for defying her father, but gradually realizes that she is in love with the butler. Steadfastly avoiding any hint of the German expansionism that would ultimately engulf the real-life Hungary, The Baroness and the Butler is fast if forgettable entertainment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
