The presence of Henri Garat is perhaps the one low element of this otherwise charming piece of musical strudel, very close to what Jeanette MacDonald and Maurice Chevalier (or other male singers) were doing over at Paramount from 1929 to 1933. Janet Gaynor is a princess of a European country, back from being educated in Paris, and quite a handful for King Douglas Scott and prime minister C. Aubrey Smith.
Gaynor hides her identity from commoner Garat whom she has fallen in love with, romantic music and he is promoted to an officer's rank and hired by Smith to distract Gaynor from her unknown lover. He's stunned to find out her real identity, and tries to keep it formal, but a lovelorn princess like Gaynor is not about to be cast aside.
The only thing this is missing is that American ambassador played by Ethel Merman because it truly goes down "Call Me Madam" territory but with operetta tropes. It's also very similar to "Love Me Tonight" in that sense and in the way that it utilizes props and rhythms in its songs for visual treats. Each prop seems to be a character all its own, and Fox definitely utilized new technical achievements to advance the story that got the camera really moving.
We also have Sterling Holloway as Garat's valet, Blanche Fredrici as a countess and Herbert Mundin as a private investigator. Esther Muir is once again a femme fatale. Unfortunately, Gaynor and Garat seem very uncomfortable in their singing assignments even though Gaynor had sung before on screen.
Still, this is a surprisingly fresh musical, saved by the effects and Gaynor's charm, as well as that great cast of supporting characters especially Smith who steals every moment as a lovable old letch who seems to be enjoying watching the romance even though he knows it can't proceed under normal conditions.
Gaynor hides her identity from commoner Garat whom she has fallen in love with, romantic music and he is promoted to an officer's rank and hired by Smith to distract Gaynor from her unknown lover. He's stunned to find out her real identity, and tries to keep it formal, but a lovelorn princess like Gaynor is not about to be cast aside.
The only thing this is missing is that American ambassador played by Ethel Merman because it truly goes down "Call Me Madam" territory but with operetta tropes. It's also very similar to "Love Me Tonight" in that sense and in the way that it utilizes props and rhythms in its songs for visual treats. Each prop seems to be a character all its own, and Fox definitely utilized new technical achievements to advance the story that got the camera really moving.
We also have Sterling Holloway as Garat's valet, Blanche Fredrici as a countess and Herbert Mundin as a private investigator. Esther Muir is once again a femme fatale. Unfortunately, Gaynor and Garat seem very uncomfortable in their singing assignments even though Gaynor had sung before on screen.
Still, this is a surprisingly fresh musical, saved by the effects and Gaynor's charm, as well as that great cast of supporting characters especially Smith who steals every moment as a lovable old letch who seems to be enjoying watching the romance even though he knows it can't proceed under normal conditions.