Movie #3103 "Midnight" (Netflix DVD) I came across this title when reading about Claudette Colbert and realized I had never seen it, nor ever heard about it, so I put it in my netflix rental queue, and it is one of the last I will get from them. I'm glad I did that because I'm not sure how else to get it besides buying it. What really drew me to see it is that John Barrymore (grandfather of Drew, brother of Lionel (Mr. Potter from "It's a Wonderful Life,)" and sister of the beloved Ethel) was in it --- in a screwball comedy? That seemed funny to me because I always thought of him as this great drama actor (who, in my opinion, was overdramatic in most of what I had seen him in, up to this time). Anyway, the story starts hot -- train comes into a Paris station and a worker on the train, going through the various cars, scoots what appears to be a vagabond (Colbert) dressed in fancy clothes, but with no baggage, off the train --- she obviously has no where to "flop" -- a cabdriver (Don Ameche) notices that and at first won't take her anywhere because he knows she doesn't have the money --- she knows he knows so she offers him double if he takes her around to get a job --- that's not working so she runs away when he is getting gas for the cab. She stumbles into some very fancy gathering of rich people, and ends up in a high stakes poker game, where she meets the baron that John Barrymore is playing --- his wife has recently fallen in love with some rich gigolo, so he hires Colbert to pose as a baroness (he gets her a great motel room and wardrobe) to charm and whisk this gigolo from Barrymore's wife --- interesting premise --- but it takes a while to set up, so I was wondering what was so screwball about it? Until halfway through, when the cabbie appears again and causes problems to the whole Barrymore "plan" --- that's when it gets very very funny. I liked it a lot and would give it a 4 --- boy, it's fun to watch Colbert do so much with her comic and dramatic ability. She definitely was one of the best in romantic comedies! I give this a 4 out of 5. PS -- the title does not seem obvious until Colbert mentions in one line to Barrymore that she's wondering about when her "midnight" will happen? because Cinderella always has a midnight happen to her! ----a smart title!
"MIDNIGHT" 1 hr, 34 mins. 1939
A chorus girl stranded in Paris is set up by a millionaire to break up his wife's affair with another man, while being romantically pursued by a cab driver.
Director: Mitchell Leisen
Writers: Charles Brackets, Billy Wilder, Edwin Justin Mayer
Actors: Claudette Colbert, Don Ameche, John Barrymore
No comments:
Post a Comment