Legendary director Ernst Lubitsch remains of the greatest filmmakers in film history. He always knew how to make sparkling romantic comedies that managed to squeak by the censors. There is a reason why there’s “the Lubitsch touch.” And one of his classics that I return to is 1932’s Trouble in Paradise.
Buy Trouble in Paradise (Criterion Collection)High-society thief Gaston Monescu (Herbert Marshall) and Lily Vautier (Miriam Hopkins) encounter each other in Venice, trading barbs while attempting to con each other. But when they meet their match in their latest “victim,” the super-rich and alluring Madame Colet (Kay Francis), who has games of her own, the pair find themselves in a hilarious and equally seductive triangle, one where everything is on the line.
I wouldn’t say the plot is original, but the way Lubitsch executes it makes it so. The way the characters interact, carry themselves, dress, talk, and try to one-up each other with brilliant wisecracks is nothing short of timeless and represents the essence of Lubitsch’s sly approach to depicting human nature. He also got amazing performances from all three leads that adds to the continuously witty production. Yes, you can say it’s about well-off people behaving naughty during a time of uncertainty (during the Great Depression, mind you), but it’s still so much fun to watch and pick up on things you didn’t the first time you saw it.
Making its 4K UHD debut this week, the good folk at Criterion upgrades this classic film in a new 2K restoration and includes the same commentary (from the original DVD) featuring Scott Eyman, Lubitsch’s biographer, as well as supplements including introduction by filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich and new video essay by critic David Cairns. There’s also a new essay by esteemed critic Farran Smith Nehme. It would have been nice if they included Lubitsch’s 1917 short film, the 1940 radio program (also from the original release) and the tributes by Billy Wilder, Leonard Maltin, Cameron Crowe, and Roger Ebert though, but we can’t complain. At least we finally have a new, long-awaited release.
If you’re a fan of classic romantic comedies, Lubitsch, and Criterion, then this release is obviously a must have. Your collection will be all the more charming for it.
Other releases:
Life of Brian (Criterion): The controversial but hilarious 1979 Monty Python satire as an average Jewish man (Graham Crowden) gets caught up in a series of bonkers misadventures as everyone around him believes him to be the Messiah.
A Traveler’s Needs (Cinema Guild): The great Isabelle Huppert collaborates once more with acclaimed filmmaker Hong San-soo as a French woman in Korea turns to drinking makgeolli after losing her income, then gets a job teaching French to two Korean women.
Runaway Train (Kino): Jon Voight and Eric Roberts star in this 1985 action gem as two escaped convicts who encounter an innocent woman (Rebecca De Mornay) on a runaway train that is heading towards disaster.
