JohnHowardReid Producer: Ernst Lubitsch. Copyright 3 August 1931 by Paramount Publix Corporation. Filmed at Paramount's Astoria Studio in New York. New York opening at the Criterion: 22 May 1931. U.S. release: 22 March 1931. 102 minutes. SYNOPSIS: Lieutenant winks at passing princess. Lieutenant is forced to marry princess.NOTES: Nominated for Hollywood's most prestigious annual award for Best Picture, but lost out to "Grand Hotel". Mordaunt Hall of The New York Times selected The Smiling Lieutenant as one of the "Ten Best Films of 1931". The film is a remake of "A Waltz Dream" (1925) directed for Ufa by Ludwig Berger, starring Mady Christians and Willy Fritsch, released in the USA by M-G-M. (Interestingly, Lubitsch was originally assigned to direct this movie, but left for America before shooting commenced).COMMENT: A trifle disappointing. Many of the situations recall The Love Parade (1929) in which Maurice Chevalier starred for producer/director Lubitsch opposite Jeanette MacDonald. Admittedly, Miss Colbert fills Jeanette's shoes most charmingly, while Miriam Hopkins is an absolute standout as the nasty princess. But this itself creates what I felt was a downbeat conclusion.Another problem for me lies in the unheralded disappearance of Charlie Ruggles. After a splendid introduction, he simply drops out of the action after five or ten minutes and doesn't come back! True, George Barbier makes an able substitute in the amiable buffoon department and provides many of the movie's best laughs. As for Chevalier, he plays with his usual gusto, though his unabashed breeziness in the face of some rather weak (or repetitive) material does become a little trying. The songs, despite their lilting score, fail to catch the ear. Not a single one of them do I remember just a few hours later! Admittedly, I'm being a bit hard on "The Smiling Lieutenant" because it didn't quite live up to my expectations. But even so, I'd still give it at least eight out of ten. Production values, as usual, are magnificent, and the celebrated "Lubitsch touch" is evident right from the very start.

Antonius Block I'll be honest, Claudette Colbert is very cute and she made this movie for me. The plot has a somewhat dippy Maurice Chevalier marrying a Princess (Miriam Hopkins) to avoid an international incident, thus breaking his lover's (Colbert's) heart. When she arranges to meet up with him anyway, she's caught by Hopkins, and after a mutual, (hilariously overwrought) cry, she tells Hopkins (in song) that in order to keep Chevalier, "Jazz Up Your Lingerie". The movie is pre-Code which made scenes like that possible, as well as allude to unmarried sex between Colbert and Chevalier, and Hopkins's desire to consummate her marriage. This naughtiness is also part of the movie's charm. It's interesting that the movie wrong-foots us by having the 'wrong girl' get the man. A big hit in 1931 and nominated by the Academy for Best Picture, it's still very watchable 85 years later.

MissSimonetta Nowadays, could we even make a comedy this sexually-tinged without tipping into sheer raunchiness? What a lovely film! It took me several films before I finally appreciated Lubitsch and out of what I have seen, The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) has quickly surpassed the also excellent To Be or Not (1942) to Be as my favorite. It has a delightful cast, especially Claudette Colbert and Miriam Hopkins as the women who find themselves drawn to Maurice Chevalier's lusty lieutenant. The script is witty, sexy, and full of the joy of youth and sensual love. You feel giddy despite yourself while watching it. If the film has a flaw, then it's that some of the musical numbers are a touch forgettable, but Colbert's wonderful "Jazz Up Your Lingerie" more than makes up for that! And the appeal isn't limited to pre-code geeks like me. Even my dad, who generally sticks to post-1980s spy thrillers and avoids black and white movies like the plague, could not leave the living room until the movie was finished. He was laughing with, not at, this eighty plus year old film. That's how powerful the Lubitch magic is. Don't miss out!

bkoganbing It must have been that the movie-going public loved seeing Maurice Chevalier in those tight uniforms, he seemed to be in them in most of those early talkies he made for American studios. Only now and again would Chevalier play something as prosaic as a tailor.He's a guardsman again in The Smiling Lieutenant. But with the Austrian Empire at peace all the men have a lot of idle time on their hands. Maurice is busy planning his latest campaign when a friend played by Charlie Ruggles asks him with that Chevalier charm to intercede for him with a female violinist in Claudette Colbert.Maurice does, but the sly rogue gets her for himself. And then he's put on duty to greet the visiting royal house of Flausenthurm which includes King George Barbier and Princess Miriam Hopkins.In one of those priceless Ernst Lubitsch moments, Chevalier while at attention spots Colbert across the street and throws a few knowing smiles and winks. But when the coach carrying Barbier and Hopkins passes, Hopkins intercepts one of those winks and considers it an uncalled for act upon a royal personage.In fact she likes what she sees and persuades Daddy to get the Emperor who's her uncle to part with Chevalier. Of course Maurice the old campaigner likes the idea of being married to the dowdy Hopkins if he's got Claudette on the side.I won't go any farther, but as you can see just by what I tell you The Smiling Lieutenant is a film made before the Code was put in place. In fact the naughtiness of films like these is what got Hollywood the Code. But it's what also makes it hold up very well for today's audience.No big song hits come from The Smiling Lieutenant, but Chevalier delivers what's there with his Gallic charm. Even Hopkins and Colbert grab a chorus or two with Maurice. Music is by Oscar Straus with English lyrics by Clifford Grey.This is before the Code so you have some freedom as to how this film will end, the parameters the Code put in place are no longer there. I should say however that Miriam Hopkins gets a makeover that Paul Venoit and his team would envy.