Alicia I love this movie so much

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Humbersi The first must-see film of the year.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Rob Hendrikx Before I saw this film I read all the reviews on this site. And then I saw the movie...and I was wondering what all those other reviewers had been taking... The film lasts about 85 minutes, and that's too long by half. I always hated Chevalier's awful accent (half the time you're straining to try and make sense of what he's saying), but as a rule his lighthearted acting makes it bearable. Not here. Hopkins as the princess and Barbier as the king are worse than caricatures and there are some very xenophobic remarks here and there. But the worst is...Claudette's performance. I love, no I adore Claudette Colbert. She's by far my favourite actress of the first half of the 20th century (Michelle Pfeiffer took her crown in the latter part). But what she's showing us here, is shameful. She's overacting as if she's in a (talking) movie for the first time. For example when she's leaving Chevalier's apartment, and she's leaving the key. Her facial expressions are way too pathetic and remind me of the silent movies, when everything had to be over the top to convey the meaning. This is a movie to see once, then quickly forget about. 2 stars out of 10.

MartinHafer This is the fourth and final film directed by Ernst Lubitsch that starred Maurice Chevalier. While Chavalier's screen image was of the consummate French lover, here he is a bit different. In this Pre-Code film, Chevalier is much more the Lothario--who beds women with abandon. Such goings on would never have been allowed in American films after the strengthened Production Code would be adopted in 1934 and so is a very sharp contrast to films made later in the decade. The film and the songs are, at times, quite overtly sexual and seems to revel in it! The film is set in Vienna at what appears to be about 1890-1900. Claudette Colbert is a pretty young band leader who Charlie Ruggles is smitten with as the film begins. Although Ruggles' character is married, Chevalier is willing to help him seduce her--until he sees her for himself. Since he is such a great lover, she instantly falls for him and they "do it" in a scene that is surprisingly frank for the times.A bit later, Chevalier is at a parade for visiting King Adolf (no relation with the nasty tempered nut-case of WWII fame) and his daughter (Miriam Hopkins). When he sees pretty Claudette in the crowd, Chavalier smiles at her--and this is taken, incorrectly, as a pass at the Princess. At first, she is insulted...but later she LIKES the idea of this cheeky lieutenant making a pass at her! Now, Chevalier needs to woo BOTH the Princess and Claudette on the side, lest he be punished for playing with the Princess' affections.Eventually, Chevalier is forced into a marriage with Hopkins. However, at this point, the movie lost me. While the Princess seemed like a nice lady and had done him no wrong, Chevalier behaves horribly towards his new wife--refusing to consummate the marriage and doing, I mean "seeing" Colbert on the side. This just seemed cruel and selfish--making me (and I'm sure many other viewers) dislike him intensely. And, once again, this is part of the plot is DEFINITELY Pre-Code in its sensibilities.In a dumb twist that came completely out of the blue (and made no sense), eventually Claudette meets with the Princess. Colbert then teaches the Princess to "slut herself up" like Olivia Newton-John did in GREASE...and they all lived happily ever after. My daughter suggested they all should have just had a threesome instead--especially since Hopkins and Colbert REAAALLY seemed to like each other! This "Girls Gone Wild" approach would have been preferable to the path the film actually took--as the resolution was just unsatisfying and dumb.Overall, a major disappointment since this is a film of the famed Franz Lubitsch...and not just because of its unlikable and selfish main characters (aside from Hopkins). Additionally, simply put, Colbert and Hopkins (particularly Colbert) could not carry a tune--a serious deficit for a musical! The only really positives in the film was the nice direction and look of the film. Otherwise, it's just not all it's cracked up to be.By the way, you may notice that Claudette looks quite a bit different in this film than in films made just a year or two later. This film was made rather early in her career and it's obvious that she got a bit of a makeover after the film--lightening and thinning/shortening her hair significantly. Here, she seems a bit less glamorous than she did in the subsequent films.

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.

Terrell-4 "Shall I see you again?" asks Lieutenant Niki von Preyn (Maurice Chevalier). "Oh, I hope so," says Franzi (Claudette Colbert), the luscious and liberated young violinist and leader of an all-girl orchestra in Vienna. Niki met her an hour or so ago at an outdoor biergarten. "When?" "Well, perhaps tomorrow night. We could have dinner together," she says "Ohhh…don't make me wait 24 hours. I'm so hungry!" "Well then…perhaps we could have tea…tomorrow afternoon." "Why not breakfast…tomorrow morning?" Niki suggests with a smile. "No, no. First tea…then dinner…then…maybe…breakfast." The scene fades out with a kiss…and the next scene opens with a shot the next morning of two eggs being fried.It is apparent that Franzi and Niki are delighted with each other. But then Niki, called to duty as the captain of the guard while the King and Princess Anna (Miriam Hopkins) of Flausenthurm are welcomed into Vienna with a grand procession, smiles and winks at Franzi from across the cobblestone street…just as the king and princess pass by in their open coach. Wouldn't you know it, Princess Anna thinks Niki had the temerity to flirt with her. She's outraged. The king says Niki must be punished. But when they meet, Niki's charm does the trick. Except now Princess Anna, who only knows of life and love from an encyclopedia where all the good parts were removed, is determined to marry him…and believes Niki loves her. When she threatens to marry an American if she doesn't get her way, her father, the king, decides he must agree. His little Anna is in love. Duty, honor and the Emperor dictate that Niki must marry the princess. But with the marriage, where does that leave Franzi? And after the marriage, for that matter, where does that leave Niki?Well, if anyone could make a light-as-air, amusing and naughty operetta about joyous sex and then performance resistance, which includes viewing a variety of inviting-looking beds, Ernst Lubitsch is just the director. There's a slightly bittersweet but essentially happy ending, of course, even if Niki stays married. "Girls who start with breakfast usually don't stay for supper. Take care of our Niki," says Franzi to Anna…but only after advising the princess in song about the secrets of keeping a man happy and active...namely, to jazz up your lingerie. Chevalier and Colbert do expert jobs to keep this plot moving so quickly and charmingly that we don't have time to think too much about it. For me, however, Miriam Hopkins just about steals the movie. She's innocent and sly, spoiled and naive and somehow is able to be all these at the same time. We know what we're getting with Chevalier and Colbert. We delight in it. Hopkins, however, surprises us and makes us laugh every time she appears. Her line delivery is a work of art. Hopkins had an unsatisfactory career in Hollywood, and it's our loss. Enjoy her skill and style in Trouble in Paradise and Design for Living, both directed by Lubitsch. They were at the top of their game, both of them, and that's saying a lot.