The Great Lover (1931 film)

• Adolphe Menjou: Jean purel
• Ernest Torrence: Potter
• Neil Hamilton: Carlo Jonino
• Olga Baclanova: Savarova
• Herman Bing: Losseck

Action

The world-famous baritone Jean Paurel has earned the nickname "The Great Lover", worked hard through numerous affairs, preferably with married women. On an ocean liner he meets the young Diana Page, who studied singing in Europe. Paurel is thrilled by her talent and arranged for Diana an audition at the Opera. His former lover, the famous opera diva Savarova, is still angry about the way they Paurel has jilted years ago, and refuses to perform with him. Paurel takes the opportunity to fill in their place Diana. Diana is now in evil conscience troubles, because she has loved for years secretly Carlo Jonino, the eternal understudy Jean Paurel. Diana celebrates on the side of Paurel a triumph and almost overnight a celebrated star. Savarova caught Carlo and Diana kissing each other secretly, and lose not a moment, to carry the news to Paurel. He is furious about the intrigue of Savarova and yells at so violently that he immediately loses his voice. Diana is deeply saddened when she learns of Paurels misfortune. She decides to sacrifice her own happiness and to devote himself entirely to the care of the man to whom she owes her career. When all seems lost, recognizes Paurel who really loves Diana. He generously gives up his own feelings, so the two lovers can finally get married.

Background

With the advent of sound film quickly developed also the new genre of music film. First, the market of productions such as The Broadway Melody, and Gold Diggers of 1929 was dominated, which were characterized by a mixture of elaborate revue scenes and dance routines. Gradually also the movie musical and the film operetta developed. Metro -Goldwyn -Mayer was the end of 1929 a step further and produced films, internals classical opera arias in the plot. Lawrence Tibbett and Grace Moore, two popular performer of the Metropolitan Opera in New York have been contracted and built to stardom. Already in mid- 1930, however, the market for voice Movies collapsing. The permanent oversupply of second-and third-rate films led to an increasing apathy of the audience for such productions.

The Great Lover was one of the last films that featured classical music and opera arias in the center of the action. The studio examined the risk at the box office to minimize, where it sat in the background story on a popular stage play from 1915 by George M. Cohan, whose name was familiar to the viewer. The main role was played by Adolphe Menjou an established and well-known name. Menjou had recently celebrated a comeback in Morocco on the side of Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper and consolidated his reputation with the appearance in The Front Page.

For Irene Dunne, the film was an opportunity to present himself as an interpreter of classical arias. The actress could look back on a solid vocal training and had already, albeit unsuccessfully, in 1920 advertised as a soprano at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Your screen debut in mid- 1930 in the musical Leathernecking, but their breakthrough came with a dramatic performance in Cimarron, which earned her the first of five Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. Already in Consolation Marriage she was officially granted the status as a star with her name above the title.

Olga Baclanova, which was announced in the introduction, in the style of Garbo, just as " Baclanova " was at the time under contract at MGM. She had come in the last days of silent film as an actress of vamps and frivolous women achieved considerable fame. With the advent of the talkies, her heavy accent but proved to be a handicap and it was used exclusively in supporting roles, to a large extent to say goodbye after 1932 from the canvas.

Reviews

Mordaunt Hall of the New York Times was quite impressed by the film and starred in his criticism of August 24, 1931

" Adolph Menjou speaks in The Great Lover, a superficial, but nonetheless entertaining film, with a French accent and gives a thoughtful and convincing presentation. [ ... ] The well-staged film offers numerous interesting details and if some of the events act hastily, so others are still really impressive. Neither Neil Hamilton [ ... ] nor Miss Dunne contribute much to the success of the film in, but it is fair to admit that their dialogues are often poorly written. Baclanova is good in some of their scenes. "

" Irene Dunne as the lead actress makes a charming figure and carries some of the most important songs in front of the action. Their role calls for a peaceful and compassionate dignity, about the young actress has plenty. "