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The Smiling Lieutenant


Date: 1931
Type: Romance / Musical / Comedy
Rating: 3 Stars 3/5
Colour: Black and White
Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Producer: Ernst Lubitsch

Comment/Synopsis

A Lieutenant (Maurice Chevalier) in Vienna has a violin playing girlfriend (Claudette Colbert) but ends up having to marry a naive princess (Miriam Hopkins) from a neighbouring country after he smiles at the princess instead of his girlfriend. This is a light entertaining romance and only in a pre-code film could you have a song entitled Jazz Up Your Lingerie. There are good performances from both Claudette Colbert as the worldly wise lover who helps out Miriam Hopkins as the innocent wife. It is well produced by Ernst Lubitsch and for an early sound film has a good musical score as an accompaniment.

Oscars

Nomination - Best Picture
Production
Paramount Pictures
Smiling Lieutenant