170 Trouble in Paradise

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Martha
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170 Trouble in Paradise

#1 Post by Martha » Sat Feb 12, 2005 10:12 pm

Trouble in Paradise

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When thief Gaston Monescu (Herbert Marshall) meets his true love in pickpocket Lily (Miriam Hopkins), they embark on a scam to rob lovely perfume company executive Mariette Colet (Kay Francis). But when Gaston becomes romantically entangled with Mme. Colet, their larcenous ruse is jeopardized and Gaston is forced to choose between two beautiful women. Legendary director Ernst Lubitsch's masterful touch is in full flower in Trouble in Paradise, a pinnacle of the sophisticated romantic comedy, loaded with sparkling dialogue, witty innuendo, and elegant comic invention.

Special Features

- New digital transfer, with restored image and sound
- Audio commentary by Lubitsch biographer Scott Eyman (Ernst Lubitsch: Laughter in Paradise)
- New video introduction by director Peter Bogdanovich
- Ernst Lubitsch's 1917 short film Das fidele Gefängnis (The Merry Jail)
- 1940 Screen Guild Theater radio program featuring Ernst Lubitsch, Jack Benny, Claudette Colbert, and Basil Rathbone
- Tributes to Lubitsch, written by Billy Wilder, Leonard Maltin, Cameron Crowe, Roger Ebert, and others
- English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
- Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition

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justeleblanc
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#2 Post by justeleblanc » Sun Feb 13, 2005 12:19 pm

10-4 on title song. When I finally bought the DVD after having not seen it in at least five years, I got goose bumps during that song.

But about this being his best, I think Ninotchka might still be my all around favorite.

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#3 Post by cdnchris » Sun Apr 03, 2005 12:00 am

I watched this again recently after the announcement of Heave Can Wait, and I love this one. I don't know how to describe it really except that it exudes class. It's just such a witty and fun little movie that has aged amazingly well. It's also one of the few movies from the era where I actually do laugh (with many others I usually just chuckle or smile) It's wit is still fresh.

I remember when I first viewed it I was enjoying it but when we get to the scene with this exchange between Gaston and Colet:

G: "Do you know my first name?"
C: "No, what is it?"
G: "Gaston. And you know what I would like you to do with that check?"
C: "What?"
G: "Make it out to Cash."

For whatever reason from that point on the movie then just compeltely had me. While that's not the best bit in the film, it's just amazing how the dialogue in this movie, a movie from over 70 years ago, is still incredibly fresh. I had unfortunately never even heard of Lubitsch before getting this DVD and am shocked I never had after not only seeing the film, but looking at the extras on the DVD as well. It's amazing how someone who could have been so big at the time, made such fun and intelligent movies (I'm basing this statement on just this movie and the silent film on the disc, as I can't find any other ones on video around here, but the supplements convince me all his movies were the same style as this) could just go to never being mentioned now.

Anyways, a fun little film and I can't wait for Heaven Can Wait.

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#4 Post by Jaime_Weinman » Sun Apr 03, 2005 12:33 am

I've been a Lubitsch fanatic for a long time. One of the fascinating things about his movies is that they sort of seesaw between elegant sophistication and sheer screwiness; Samson Raphaelson, his most frequent writer in the sound era, said that in brainstorming sessions, Lubitsch encouraged writers to come up with what he called "wild doodles," crazy jokes that would surprise the audience. As an example of this, Raphaelson pointed to the scene in Trouble where Herbert Marshall and Miriam Hopkins steal each other's belongings: it's physically impossible for them to have stolen so much from each other so quickly, and out of character for a master criminal like Marshall to get so much stolen from him without his knowing it, but Lubitsch loved the scene and especially the punchline Raphaelson came up with in one of the brainstorming sessions: Hopkins hands Marshall his watch and says "It was five minutes slow, but I regulated it for you."

Another thing I love about Trouble is the way it uses music. Most nonmusical films in this era didn't even have musical scores, because until King Kong producers tended to assume (shades of Ingmar Bergman) that if a film has sound it doesn't need music. But Trouble in Paradise has a musical score that operates like the score of a silent film: it follows the action, sets the rhythm and pace of scenes, etc. And that helps the film be more fluid than most early talkies (because Lubitsch shot many scenes without sound and then used music instead of sound effects or dialogue).

One quibble I have with the DVD is not with Trouble but with the silent film, The Merry Jail. The piano score is pretty good, but the film is based on Johann Strauss's Die Fledermaus, yet the score doesn't use a single Strauss tune. I would think that if a film is based on a musical work, the composer should use themes from that work if it's not under copyright (which Strauss's music is not).

Variety mentioned the other day that the screenwriters who wrote The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, are working on a remake of this movie for Cameron Crowe.

Remakes of Lubitsch movies have a mixed track record, but I'm so desperate for a good, non-intelligence-insulting romantic comedy that I will hope this remake gets made and turns out well.

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GringoTex
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#5 Post by GringoTex » Sat Jun 18, 2005 8:19 pm

I can't think of another movie that so illustrates the mysterious theory of mise-en-scene. The script has nothing to do with the movie's greatness. The actors have nothing to do with the movie's greatness. The cinematography has nothing to do with the movie's greatness. It's all about Lubitch's camera and editing. I don't have a freaking clue what Crowe thinks he's doing. Maybe he's bored and wanted to conduct an experiment in masochism.

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#6 Post by Jaime_Weinman » Sat Jun 18, 2005 10:00 pm

The script has nothing to do with the movie's greatness.
I really can't agree with that. Raphaelson's script (written in close collaboration with Lubitsch, as always) is in my opinion one of the best, tightest comedy scripts ever written. I suspect that if the remake gets made it'll be much longer and have a lot of extra scenes intended to add "motivation" and make the characters more "sympathetic" and all the usual stuff that drags down romantic comedies.

And for Lubitsch, the preparation of the script was always the most important part of the movie; he very rarely added anything after the shooting script was finished, had all the visual touches worked out before shooting started, and didn't cotton much to improvisation. (Don Ameche said in an interview that the day shooting started on Heaven Can Wait, Lubitsch told the cast "Sam Raphaelson and I spent a year writing this script. We spent another nine months polishing it. Please, don't change a word.") He's one of the few real control freaks among the great comedy directors.

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Andre Jurieu
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#7 Post by Andre Jurieu » Mon Jun 20, 2005 4:20 pm

Jaime_Weinman wrote:Variety mentioned the other day that the screenwriters who wrote The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, are working on a remake of this movie for Cameron Crowe.
Langlois68 wrote:I don't have a freaking clue what Crowe thinks he's doing.
davidhare wrote:THe only director - now not living- who could come anywhere near Lubitsch in any conceivable way was Wilder (who wrote Ninotchka anyway.)
That's pretty much your answer as to what Crowe is thinking. Crowe often mentions Wilder as his filmmaking mentor. He's generally very respectful of directors such as Lubitsch, Wilder, Hawks, and Sturges (not to mention Renoir). Ninotchka is also one of Crowe's favorite films.

I know Crowe isn't exactly well-respected, but I doubt he would completely ignore the spirit of the original film. It's not like I expect the project to be particularly successful (and I only hope it's not going to turn out like Vanilla Sky - #-o ), but I'd be interested in seeing what Crowe can do with the material. Still, it's a risky project to attempt.

That's the trouble with Classic Hollywood directors. First you get to like them, and then they die.

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justeleblanc
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#8 Post by justeleblanc » Mon Jun 20, 2005 5:33 pm

Andre Jurieu wrote:That's the trouble with Classic Hollywood directors. First you get to like them, and then they die.
Or they make Buddy Buddy -- either way it ends on a bad note.

As far as Crowe is concerned, I think this will be a pretty good film. My guess is the premise will stay constant minus the modern day updating, but I don't think Crowe will destroy it. Honestly, I think what hurt Vanilla Sky was that the original film was pretty fair, in my opinion. I actually think Crowe made it better -- made it a chick-flick -- but it's still better. He'll probably turn the Lubitsch into a chick-flick as well, it wont be as good as Lubitsch, but it will be a solid Crowe film. You can probably already hear the Peter Gabriel in the trailer as we speak. The question is, who will he cast?

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Penny Dreadful
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#9 Post by Penny Dreadful » Thu Jun 23, 2005 12:30 pm

I saw Trouble in Paradise last night after loving Heaven Can Wait, my first exposure to Lubitsch. While I deeply enjoyed Trouble, I think the remark someone made on the Heaven thread rang true: the first Lubitsch you see is always your favorite. Trouble, while an excellent romantic comedy, lacked the wild color and bizarre set-up that attracted me to Heaven. Still, the movie was far from a disappointment. It actually made me feel a little wistful, since I'm not sure if we have any modern equivalent to Lubitsch.

One other thought: Trouble's depiction of class seems highly ambiguous. On one hand, the heroes are common criminals, and the idea of them insinuating themselves into a rich woman's household to rip her off leads to much hilarity. On the other hand, when a ragged man bursts into Madame Colet's room to scold her for her wealth, Gaston shoos him out unceremoniously. Working-class revolutionaries are portrayed as ridiculous, but at the same time Madame is foolish for trusting Gaston due to his debonair demeanor. Gaston and Lily inhabit an in-between state. They exude all the trappings of wealth (cultural capital, fine clothes, grace), but they have a pleasingly dangerous streak that sets them at odds with the rich, and the movie is basically a celebration of that difference.

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#10 Post by Narshty » Wed Mar 22, 2006 9:33 am

Has anyone listened to the radio program on this DVD? It's not an adaptation of the film, but an extremely funny extended skit in which Jack Benny tries to weasle in on a "dramatic scene" Lubitsch is scheduled to direct. It's a wonderful addition, very much in the comedic tone of Lubitsch's movie work, with a great script and killer delivery by all concerned, especially Benny.

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Max von Mayerling
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#11 Post by Max von Mayerling » Wed Mar 22, 2006 12:32 pm

Thanks for recommending this, Narshty - I have not listened to this, but now I'm really looking forward to it.

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hearthesilence
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#12 Post by hearthesilence » Mon May 08, 2006 5:19 pm

I just saw this for the first time - MARVELOUS stuff.

Crowe's a hundred times better than Ephron, but I still have grave concerns regarding a remake. "You Got Mail" was bad enough, but the fact that it domestically grossed $100+ million...shudder.

There wasn't much of a window for this picture: right after the first wave of sound films - when technical issues were being worked out and visual compositions were often rigid and lifeless to accommodate sound recording - and right before "the code" came into play. HILARIOUS stuff too, everything from the pacing, the timing, the dialogue...75 years later it holds up beautifully.

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Re: 170 Trouble in Paradise

#13 Post by Narshty » Sun Nov 23, 2008 2:31 pm

I find it very hard to warm to this film (though the final shot is one of the most wonderful things Lubitsch ever came up with). It's the only time that Lubitsch ever seemed to get suckered into the world of his characters; usually the comic joy comes out of the distanced perspective and the suffered indignities he pours onto them, however ingeniously (I seriously think there's a lot of Lubitsch in The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie). The kind of Wilde/Coward pastiche that Trouble in Paradise is filled with doesn't sit right with me (when did Lubitsch ever rely on epigrams?) and there's something slightly arch and aloof about the whole film, not least the humour, which is colder and more cerebral than in his other films.

One of the essential companions to this DVD is the "Three Screen Comedies by Samson Raphaelson" screenplay collection published in the early 1980s. Not only does it have Raphaelson's beautiful "Freundschaft" memoir about his relationship with Lubitsch, but it has the full shooting scripts of this, The Shop Around the Corner and Heaven Can Wait. All three have additional material that didn't make it into the finished film, but the complete screenplay for Trouble in Paradise is far livelier than the finished film with several removed gags that other filmmakers would kill for (one of the funniest involves a prostitute that lives across the hall from Edward Everett Horton in the opening Venice sequence) and is much more the Lubitsch of The Merry Widow and Monte Carlo than, say, Design for Living.

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Tommaso
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Re: 170 Trouble in Paradise

#14 Post by Tommaso » Sun Nov 23, 2008 3:28 pm

Dammit, I really have to watch "Paradise" again to say something substantial, but as you mention "Design for Living", I feel that "Paradise" as we know it in its finished version still clearly belongs much more to the period of "Monte Carlo" or "Love Parade" (probably my favourite Lubitsch). But both "Paradise" and "Design" share the Coward/Wilde-style, but I think that it works far far better in the earlier film. It is a 'cold' film, yes, but it takes the usual Lubitsch elegance and wit perhaps to its utmost borders (and thus completely transfixed me the one time that I have seen it) "Design", on the other hand, clearly has more warmth and humanity, but the wit for me was far less piquant, and even though I recognize its daring for the time in handling the sexual relationships, I never really understood the extremely high esteem in which it is held here by some. But that might just be me: I imagine I'm one of the few people who really like "Broken Lullaby"....

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Re: 170 Trouble in Paradise

#15 Post by domino harvey » Thu Dec 17, 2009 11:59 pm

I didn't know this was possible, but I witnessed a Lubitsch film bomb with a live audience tonite. I can't laugh for an auditorium full of jaded hipsters or anything but Christ, I tried. Me and this old guy at the revival seemed to be the only ones who realized the film was a comedy. It's unnerving to watch some of the cleverest moments of wit in film history met with such indifference-- and these people paid to get in and everything

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Re: 170 Trouble in Paradise

#16 Post by Michael Kerpan » Fri Dec 18, 2009 12:11 am

domino harvey wrote:I didn't know this was possible, but I witnessed a Lubitsch film bomb with a live audience tonite.
Where was this (not being able to imagine people who can't recognize the comedy in a film like this).

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Re: 170 Trouble in Paradise

#17 Post by solaris72 » Fri Dec 18, 2009 1:04 am

Michael Kerpan wrote:Where was this (not being able to imagine people who can't recognize the comedy in a film like this).
I think it may have been in Baltimore's Charles Theater (I was there for a different screening tonight and saw that Trouble in Paradise was playing).

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Murdoch
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Re: 170 Trouble in Paradise

#18 Post by Murdoch » Fri Dec 18, 2009 1:08 am

Where'er it was, it ain't worth goin' back to.

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Re: 170 Trouble in Paradise

#19 Post by jojo » Fri Dec 18, 2009 1:22 pm

They were so in awe by the wit of its comedy that their reaction could only be described as stunned reverence.

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Andre Jurieu
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Does this count as a Truly-Barmy audience reaction?

#20 Post by Andre Jurieu » Fri Dec 18, 2009 7:11 pm

While I too occasionally enjoy engaging in that age-old forum pastime of dismissing the opinions and reactions of the masses that make up a modern audience due to their total ignorance of how to properly appreciate and respond to the genius on display in some of our most cherished films (I kid, I kid ... sorta), I have to say I'm not entirely certain that you can simply assume that the audience didn't enjoy the movie just because everyone in the theatre didn't seek immediate medical attention for the continuous spasms of laughter that should have resulted from watching Trouble in Paradise.

I must admit that while Trouble in Paradise is among my absolute favourite movies, whenever I watch it, I don't really laugh out loud so much as simply smile at all the wonderfully witty word play and clever moments. Sadly, I've never found myself rolling on the floor, holding the sides of my stomach, with tears streaming down my cheeks, and kicking at the air uncontrollably due to the spontaneous laughter caused by any moment in this movie. I'm kind of regretting that now, but I don't believe my personal enjoyment of this movie should be measured in how often I laugh over the course of the running time. I probably laugh out loud more often during an episode of Community and I'm fairly confident that Community isn't as high in artistic quality as Trouble in Paradise.

As with all the countless posts where we previously attempted (and generally failed) to confront Barmy with the concept that a silent audience didn't automatically indicate that everyone in the theatre shared his opinion of how awful the film that he/they just watched was, I don't think you can assume that all those annoyingly hipsters (and whoever else attended the screening) remained indifferent to Lubitsch's work simply because they didn't provide reassurance to the true Lubitsch fans through loud outbursts of laughter and involuntary physical reactions. It's quite possible that some audience members enjoyed the film or have watched it so often that they no longer laugh at every favourite moment, and instead just enjoy the familiar experience that is created by the film.

I know whenever I watch my favourite films at a public screening, I’m hoping everyone in the audience will respond with some form of obvious enthusiasm, but it generally doesn’t happen. However, I’m often surprised afterwards when I speak to whatever friend I went to the screening with – who I frequently make the mistake of assuming didn’t enjoy the film because they had no obvious reaction during the screening – and they gush over how much they loved the film. It’s not ordinary, but it does happen, and I can’t usually predict what their reaction will be based on their behaviour during the screening.

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Re: 170 Trouble in Paradise

#21 Post by karmajuice » Fri Dec 18, 2009 7:35 pm

Whenever I show a friend a film I love, I end up watching them more than the film, filled with anxiety when they aren't awed by every moment.

Then when they tell me they liked the film, I don't believe them.

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Re: 170 Trouble in Paradise

#22 Post by domino harvey » Fri Dec 18, 2009 9:04 pm

You can gauge the reaction from an audience full of people pretty well, actually. They were polite but not particularly amused. I think what really set me off was that there were more jackasses laughing at things that weren't funny during Leave Her to Heaven a few months ago (an equally if not more frustrating experience)

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Re: 170 Trouble in Paradise

#23 Post by jojo » Sat Dec 19, 2009 2:44 pm

karmajuice wrote:Whenever I show a friend a film I love, I end up watching them more than the film, filled with anxiety when they aren't awed by every moment.

Then when they tell me they liked the film, I don't believe them.
Hahaha...

I know what you mean, friend. There's an interesting psychological element at work here, like wanting something you like to be accepted, because you're not entirely SURE it will be accepted most of the time.

At some point, though, after several disappointments you do learn to live with it and gain a higher level of confidence in your tastes. Instead of looking for others to confirm what you already know, you simply shrug and say "Their loss," when they're snoozing away while watching your favourite film (or TV show).

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Mr Sausage
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Trouble in Paradise (Ernst Lubitsch 1932)

#24 Post by Mr Sausage » Mon Dec 24, 2018 9:32 pm

DISCUSSION ENDS MONDAY, January 7th.

Members have a two week period in which to discuss the film before it's moved to its dedicated thread in The Criterion Collection subforum. Please read the Rules and Procedures.

This thread is not spoiler free. This is a discussion thread; you should expect plot points of the individual films under discussion to be discussed openly. See: spoiler rules.

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I encourage members to submit questions, either those designed to elicit discussion and point out interesting things to keep an eye on, or just something you want answered. This will be extremely helpful in getting discussion started. Starting is always the hardest part, all the more so if it's unguided. Questions can be submitted to me via PM.

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Re: Trouble in Paradise (Ernst Lubitsch 1932)

#25 Post by Mr Sausage » Mon Dec 24, 2018 9:33 pm

Our discussion this week is the final winner of the Pre-code mini list project.

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