This is my favorite musical as well, and it's surely among my favorite American sound comedies. It's probably the quintessential Chevalier vehicle, and it might be my pick for the most romantic movie I've ever seen. No other movie of which I'm aware better depicts the joys and pleasures of romance; in other words, no other movie makes falling in love seem like so much fun.
It's a further triumph that the film manages to treat both Madame Sonia and Count Danilo with respect throughout. A weaker film would have treated Danilo's womanizing as something he needed to overcome to be a better man--a man worthy of Madame Sonia's love. But here his womanizing is treated as a perfectly respectable choice, and it's even celebrated to some extent. His character is allowed a certain integrity as well, since he typically doesn't resort to deception in his pursuit of women. (Moreover, we gather that he understands that, when he is forced to resort to deception, the woman often knows she's being deceived and prefers it that way.) And when Danilo does decide to commit to Madame Sonia, he doesn't do so because he's learned a lesson or been shamed into changing his ways. No, he does so because he wants to be with her. He never denies the genuine pleasures of his previous womanizing; he simply comes to want something else for himself.
Yet, even though the film celebrates Danilo's philandering, it still respects Madame Sonia's desire for something more permanent from him. Her desires are treated as at least as legitimate as his. The two of them simply desire different things, and they need to bring their desires into harmony. Neither of their desires is treated as immoral or immature, which speaks to a generosity of outlook that makes the movie as gentle and sweet as it is. It lets its characters want what they want, and it doesn't judge them. We may judge them if we wish, but the film won't stack the deck for us.
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