What an unexpected movie this was, just was watching all the Lubitsch stuff on DVD and didn't really know what to expect, except some fun and I got that plus more. Watch it for Hopkins alone, there wouldn't be too many female roles like this in Hollywood for some time after this was made and she plays it perfectly.
shareYep, she was a wonderful pre-Code actress. Sweet in the right places, and definitely naughty at the same time. I really have a high admiration for her work.
sharethis was a terrible adaptation of a great play. very little of Coward's dialouge remained, the male leads were made into americans, the plot was shifted. dreadful.
shareIt's a wonderful play. It's also a wonderful movie. Just look at it as a movie, a movie by itself. Because it's just for fun. The play's the play, the movie's the movie. Take it easy.
shareActually only one line of Coward's play appears in the film.
shareI heard on TCM that there was very little of the original play in the movie. As a result, Noel Coward hated the movie; too many changes. I happen to love the movie just as it is. I love the cast, the story, and the tone of it. I would love to know what all those changes were.
I will do some research on this myself but it will just be out of curiosity. I don't think any work adapted from something else needs to mirror the original exactly. Sometimes a movie is simply inspired by the original and that's fine. Anyway, I'm not a fan of plays so I definitely won't ever see the original if it is revived and presented on stage somewhere.
Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]
7 years after your post, but I just saw this motion picture. Is the standard for great movie how closely it matches the play? This happens over and over and sometimes great pictures are the result and sometimes schlock. The big error is whether Paramount misled Noel Coward or other authors. Why not buy the rights, get a new title, and add an acknowledgement? There are a zillion dreadful movies. This isn't one of them. Definitely seems to be a slap in the face to Noel Coward. I think less of Coward. He should have bitched about any unfair, double-crossing, but 'hate the movie? What was a great movie to him in 1933? Long, depressing German expressionist stuff playing this Saturday night at the Lowe's downtown!! hurrah. Let's get popcorn.
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