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Rating: 4.5 out of 5
One Hour With You is a fun, entertaining, full of laughs movie that is great on so many levels. From the acting, story and music, this movie is beautifully done on all levels that will leave you impressed by a film that was made back in the early 1930s. I was greatly satisfied with the movie, and this is coming from someone that really doesn’t like musicals. This semi-musical was honestly a pleasure to watch.
So, the question that needs to be asked, as implied in the movie title, is what you would do with one hour with someone you really like? Not that creepy, stalkerish, staring at them without saying a word type of hour, but what would you really do? Would you try to sweet talk them? Would you try to spend a quick hour at the park while reading your favorite book? Would you watch an episode of your favorite TV show? If it was me, Maria Sharapova: Hey Love, would you spend an hour play one round of mini-golf with me? Get in touch with me 😊! For Olivia Munn: Hey Beautiful, would you be down for one game of air hockey? Each point winner gets to ask a question. Get in touch with me 😊 For Eva Green: You can recite any poetry to me, and I’ll listen. PLEASE GET IN TOUCH WITH ME. PRETTY PLEASE 😊
Directed by Ernst Lubitsch. “With the help of” George Cukor. Written by Samson Raphaelson, from the play Only a Dream by Lothar Schmidt. Lubitsch and Raphelson present a musical comedy that has one of the funniest love triangles that I had ever seen in the early years. The film takes place in the love-struck city of Paris. As the police chief states, “Spring is here and spring is a dangerous time of the year, especially in Paris.” The film focuses on Dr. Andre Bertier (Chevalier) and his wife Colette (MacDonald). They are a happy and very loving married couple who are first seen “making out” on a bench in the park. The loving couple’s life is turned upside down when Colette’s best friend, Mitzi (Genevieve Tobin), arrives and states that she is unhappily married to the husband. Mitzi takes a fancy to Andre. A love triangle ensues as Andre tries to keep away from the unwanted attention of Mitzi while still loving his wife.
A surprising little fact that I find outright laughable is that no one from this movie was nominated for an Academy Award. Special love must be given to Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Genevieve Tobin, and Charles Ruggles for their performances in this musical.
Maurice Chevalier, as Dr. Andre Bertier, is brilliant in his role. Chevalier is funny, charming, and a man conflicted with so many decisions. He plays Andre with such passion and being French adds to the overall appeal to the character. Even as a doctor, Andre has his faults but tries his overall best not to go with them. Even as he relentlessly pursued by Mitzi, he tries his best to avoid her at all costs. What makes Andre and unique character is that when a significant incident is about to happen, he breaks the fourth wall and asks the audience for help or at least a tip. For example, when he sings, “Oh That Mitzi,” he seemingly asks the audience what to do as he describes what he loves about his wife, but then there is Mitzi. Or the scene when he needs his tie fixed, both ways lead to trouble, so he picks a flower’s petals to figure out the route. Jeanette MacDonald, as Colette Bertier, is so cute and loveable. MacDonald is fantastic as the loving wife of Andre. She barely breaks the fourth wall, but she is very much in love with her husband. The only fault is that she is naïve when it comes to people close to her. She has so much trust in her trifling friend, Mitzi, that she can’t see that she has manipulated her way into seducing Andre. While not seeing that Andre is trying to warn her about her friend.
Genevieve Tobin, as Mitzi Olivier, is outstanding. Tobin plays Mitzi as the ultimate temptation to Andre while manipulating everything without having a care in the world. Tobin shows that Mitzi is carefree and bored with one man in her life as per her conversation with Colette. I must say that Mitzi knows how to play the game, from calling Andre about being sick to moving place cards around at dinner. A true seductress. Charles Ruggles, as Adolph is the perfect opposite of Andre. Ruggles plays Adolph with such innocence as he is madly in love with Colette. It is incredible to see him as the one who is very jittery as he wants to sit by Colette at her party but then continuously asks to dance with her. Then when he finally professes his love, he is laughed at, and it is brushed aside.
Here is an interesting fact about the film. Lubitsch was initially scheduled to direct One Hour with You, but when the film he was directing before it, The Man I Killed went over schedule, the studio decided to have Cukor direct the movie. In a little as two weeks of filming, all hell broke loose as conflicts between Chevalier and Cukor almost halted production. The studio decided to have Lubitsch direct the film while Cukor remained on the set. All hell broke loose again when both Lubitsch and Cukor wanted sole credit for directing. After not agreeing, the matter ended up in court and was settled that Cukor would receive credit for assisting.
Nowadays the story of this film is pretty standard. Spouse’s best friend tries to get with the spouse of the other in a manipulative way. Yet when watching this film, I couldn’t help but laugh. All the mix-up and planning and actions all the characters take is pretty funny. The interactions between the characters are pretty spot on, which helps the film along. Andre’s unwillingness to be tempted by Mitzi is pretty amusing until he finally gives up. The butler and Adolph discussion about tights is pretty hilarious. The overall love circle between Andre, Mitzi, Colette, and Adolph is quite entertaining in seeing how they try to maneuverer each other. Simply an amazing film and storyline.
The music is actually really great in this film, and that was one of the biggest surprises that I wasn’t expecting. Some songs are memorable, and some that slip the mind really quick. My two favorite songs in the whole movie are “Oh That Mitzi” and “What Would You Do?”
“Oh That Mitzi” is a great and hilarious song on so many levels. It is the perfect song to sing when you have someone that you genuinely care about, but your mind is on someone else who is very tempting. Maurice Chevalier’s face when he sings the lyric “Oh That Mitzi” is priceless. It gets me every single time because it is so true. The song “What Would You Do?” is also a great song. After getting caught, Andre tries to explain himself. He gives solid points on why he did it, but it still a funny song because you know it is wrong all the way around. He shouldn’t do anything, yet it still makes you think as he describes the girl and the situation he was put in.
One Hour With You is a delightful and entertaining movie to watch. It is an enjoyable film that has memorable songs but also an extraordinary cast that tells a fantastic story. Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, and Genevieve Tobin are charming and fun in every way as the story unfolds. As a classic from the 1930s, this movie is very great to watch. Anyone who watches this movie will be entertained. In the words of Andre, this movie might make you say, “Oh That Mitzi.”
