Wednesday, March 3, 2010

review: Trouble in Paradise (1932)

This movie is great!
The story is about two lovers/crooks: Gaston (Marshall) and Lily (Hopkins) They live for each other and thrill to steal things for and from each other. They begin a scam on a wealthy widow in Paris, Madame Colet (Francis). But things get complicated.
This movie is a wonder of the pre-Censor code in America. This movie is all about sex and stealing. Although, you never see any sex or stealing. This movie has some of the best dialouge and imagery to support the innuendos in the storyline. Not to mention, it is comically brilliant. I love Hopkins in her role - and she is a perfect match in crookery and wits for Marshall's character. Providing some wonderful comedy in the piece is Horton and Ruggles, who play feuding rivals for Madame's affections.
This story just oozes sex appeal - which makes for the best lines in the play: Gaston tries to reassure Lily that all of Colet's sex appeal to him is in the safe ($$). When she again pleads for him to duck out now he says "But darling, there's more sex appeal coming on the first of the month!" That just struck me and I had to pause the movie I was laughing so hard.
So scandalous was this movie that once the Production Code was enforces in 1935, the movie was restricted from view until 1968!

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