Paris in Spring

Paris in Spring
Directed by Lewis Milestone
Produced by Benjamin Glazer
Screenplay by Samuel Hoffenstein
Franz Schulz
adaptation by
Keene Thompson
Based on Paris in Spring (play) by
Dwight Taylor
Starring Mary Ellis
Tullio Carminati
Ida Lupino
Lynne Overman
Jessie Ralph
Dorothea Wolbert
Music by Harry Revel
Mack Gordon
Cinematography Ted Tetzlaff
Editing by Eda Warren
Studio Paramount Pictures
Release date(s) May 28, 1935 (1935-05-28) (USA Theatrical)
Running time 82 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Paris in Spring (aka Paris Love Song) is a 1935 black and white musical comedy film directed by Lewis Milestone for Paramount Pictures.[1][2][3][4]It is based on a play by Dwight Taylor, with a screen play by Samuel Hoffenstein and Franz Schulz.[5]

Contents

Plot

Afraid of marriage, Simone (Mary Ellis) breaks off her long term engagement with her fiancé Paul de Lille (Tullio Carminati). Paul heads to the top of The Eiffel Tower with thoughts of suicide. In another part of Paris and also afraid of marriage, Mignon (Ida Lupino) breaks it off from her young lover (James Blakely). Despairing, Mignon also climbs to the top of the intending to leap to her death. There she meets Paul and the two compare stories. After discussion, Paul dissuades her from leaping and the two conspire to make their respective partners jealous by pretending to have an affair with each other.

Partial cast

Soundtrack

Reception

The New York Times noted that while Mary Ellis offered a degree of entertainment with her singing, Tullio Carminati did not help the film by own treating the film in a burlesque style. The further offered that while Ida Lupino and James Blakeley were moderately good in their roles, any merited praise for acting is to the credit of Lynne Overman, Jessie Ralph and to the actor in the lesor role of the Chez Simone manager.[1]

Reviewer Graham Greene praised Milestone's emmulation of Ernst Lubitsch in his being able to create a film that was a "silly, charming tale", and make something "light, enchanting, and genuinely fantastic" out of a nonsense plot device.[2]Lupino's role in Paris in Spring has been described as "dull", something which she agreed with.[6]

Release

The film was first released in US theaters on 28 May, 1935, and was released in Denmark in October that year and in Finland in November. The film was sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution.

References

  1. ^ a b F.S. N. (13 July, 1935). "Paris in Spring (1935)". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9904E2DA173CE33ABC4B52DFB166838E629EDE. Retrieved 23 April 2011. 
  2. ^ a b Graham Greene, David Parkinson (1994). The Graham Greene film reader: reviews, essays, interviews & film stories. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 7, 8, 9. ISBN 1557831882. http://books.google.com/books?id=cC3w5Cwr7X0C&pg=PA9&dq=%22Paris+in+Spring%22,+%22Lewis+Milestone%22&hl=en&ei=3ymzTdf7G5G2sAO4t5XnCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAg#v=snippet&q=%22Paris%20Love%20Song%22&f=false. 
  3. ^ Leslie Halliwell (1987). Halliwell's Film Guide. Scribner. pp. 751. ISBN 0684188260. http://books.google.com/books?id=D_0pAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Paris+Love+Song%22,+%22Dwight+Taylor%22&dq=%22Paris+Love+Song%22,+%22Dwight+Taylor%22&hl=en&ei=tTSzTfiEIZGesQO8u-zyCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAQ. 
  4. ^ "Paris In Spring". TV Guide. http://movies.tvguide.com/paris-spring/cast/108840. Retrieved 23 April 2011. 
  5. ^ Library of Congress. Copyright Office (1936). Catalog of Copyright Entries. Part 1. [C Group 3. Dramatic Composition and Motion Pictures. New Series]. p. 232. http://books.google.com/books?id=xVNhAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA232. Retrieved 26 April 2011. 
  6. ^ Bubbeo, Daniel (2002). The women of Warner Brothers: the lives and careers of 15 leading ladies : with filmographies for each. McFarland. p. 158. ISBN 9780786411375. http://books.google.com/books?id=nmjetV92THsC&pg=PA158. Retrieved 26 April 2011. 

External links