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1934 film by Ernst Lubitsch From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Merry Widow is a 1934 film adaptation of the 1905 operetta of the same name by Franz Lehár. The film was directed and produced by Ernst Lubitsch and stars Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald. A French-language version was produced at the same time and released in France the same year as La veuve joyeuse. Lorenz Hart and Gus Kahn wrote new English lyrics for some of Lehar's songs under the musical direction of Herbert Stothart.
The Merry Widow | |
---|---|
Directed by | Ernst Lubitsch |
Written by | Libretto: Victor Léon Leo Stein Screenplay: Ernest Vajda Samson Raphaelson Marcel Achard (French version) |
Based on | The Merry Widow 1905 operetta by Franz Lehár Victor Léon (libretto) Leo Stein (libretto) |
Produced by | Irving Thalberg Ernst Lubitsch |
Starring | Maurice Chevalier Jeanette MacDonald |
Cinematography | Oliver T. Marsh |
Edited by | Frances Marsh (English) Adrienne Fazan (French) |
Music by | Franz Lehár |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Loew's Inc. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 99 minutes |
Country | United States |
Languages | English French (separate versions) |
Budget | $1,605,000[1] |
Box office | $2.8 million (worldwide rentals)[1] |
Playboy Captain Danilo is ordered by King Achmet of Marshovia to court and marry Madame Sonia, a rich widow who owns a large portion of the kingdom.[2]
In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic Andre Sennwald wrote:
It is a good show in the excellent Lubitsch manner, heady as the foam on champagne, fragile as mist and as delicately gay as a good-natured censor will permit. ... Although some of the ensemble numbers, particularly the embassy ball, are breathtaking, Herr Lubitsch is not the man to crush you under a mountain of spectacle. His sense of humor is impeccable and his taste is faultless. So with his actors. There was an inconsiderate rumor not long ago that Mr. Chevalier was diminishing in luster. Let that be spiked at once. He has never been better in voice nor charm. Miss MacDonald is similarly fortunate in the twin possessions of a captivating personality and a lyric voice.[3]
The film earned $861,000 in the U.S. and $1,747,000 overseas for a total rental of $2,608,000. It earned a further $151,000 on rerelease in 1949–1950 to almost recoup its budget.
Cedric Gibbons and Fredric Hope won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction.[4]
The film was nominated for the American Film Institute's 2006 list AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals.[5]
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