my Movie

Movie Details

Title:   Monte Carlo
Director:   Ernst Lubitsch
Year:   1930
Genre:   Musical
Times Seen:   1
Last Seen:   11.13.25

Other Movies Seen By This Director (0)

Notes History
Date Viewed Venue Note
11.13.25DVDThis Screening is part of event: DVRfest 2025
roll: 3 / 9
Spine: Eclipse series 8: Lubitsch Musicals

I can't even remember when I bought this set. Back in my covering-the-classics phase of movie fandom, perhaps when I was most snobbish, I was led to believe I should love Lubitsch. To hear greats like Billy Wilder espouse stuff like "what would lubitsch do" and stuff like that, he had to be great. I watched Ninotchka and understood the significance of Garbo smiling but it didn't really work on me. I did like To Be or Not To Be and The Shop Around the Corner (waaaaaay better than You've Got Mail) and Heaven Can Wait, I might've seen a few others as well? Like one of The Merry Widows? So even though I didn't like the one I was supposed to like I did like plenty of others, so when I saw the name on the eclipse set I bought immediately. Now, who knows how many years later, I'm finally cracking it open to watch this pre-code musical about... a runaway bride who goes to Monte Carlo and meets a hairdresser who's secretly a prince or something?

I do for the most part like these pre-Sound of Music (or whatever the first movie was to make the songs not part of the physical world) musicals where they felt the need to explain why people are singing, so they most often involve a show that characters are putting on. But I have to say that it's been quite a few years since I heavily dosed on TCM movies and the 1930 pacing really bounced off me. I'd be lying if I said I paid full attention for the whole running time. Most of it just kind of passed me by, to the point where I already can't remember any of the songs or most of the story. I suppose I knew this would happen which is why this set is so dusty, but at least I can say I've seen one now.

Hopefully my next roll is something quite different.