The Guardsman

• Alfred Lunt: actor
• Lynn Fontanne: actress
• Roland Young: Bernhardt
• ZaSu Pitts: Liesl
• Herman Bing: creditor

The Guardsman is an American comedy film from the year 1931. The screenplay is based on the play by Ferenc Molnár A testör.

Action

For six months, the protagonist of the play Elizabeth the Queen, which is listed at the Vienna Burgtheater, married to each other. Between the two there is strife. She married for the seventh time, her husband is tired. The accuses her of infidelity, because he has noticed that they already on the lookout for a new husband. His friend, the critic Bernhardt, he says, that your piano playing of Chopin is a sure sign of their infidelity.

The actor wants his wife, the men find irresistible in uniform testing, and disguises himself as a Russian guardsman. He sends her flowers and waiting for their response in order to then be able to accuse of infidelity. In fact, the panel has made ​​the actress astray. You can send a message to the alleged Guards, in which it agrees to a meeting. Her husband dizzy to them by claiming to have to go away for a performance of Hamlet the next day. As the actor says goodbye to the evening, his wife dresses for the meeting. The actor returns, disguised as a guard, back and embroiled them in a conversation about her husband. She tells him that her husband was intelligent and attractive. Moreover, it was outside the home. She asks her beau to stay overnight. My husband disguised attempts to seduce her with ruthless means so that she calls her maid Liesl to help. It is from their opposition and their assurance that she loved her husband, enthusiastic. But before they sent away, they agreed a new meeting on the same evening at the opera.

In the opera, the still disguised husband looking for his wife up in her box. You look at the performance, He then takes her home. She kisses him and tells him that she no longer wanted to see him again. He is pleased with his wife's fidelity, but then he noticed how she drops the house keys. He takes the key and follows her into the house. There, his wife asks him to go on, because she is afraid that her jealous husband returns home. The guardsman leaves the house, moves around and comes as a husband back home. He took the disguise and put on her while he told his wife of the performance. Again dressed as a guardsman, he threatened his wife with a knife, but laughs at him and tells him that she had already recognized him from the first moment as her husband. She looks smiling at Bernhardt.

Criticism

Was Mordaunt Hall of the New York Times, by the occasional close-ups and excellent control could enjoy the adaptation of Molnar's work in all its glory.

Awards

1932, nominated in the category Best Actress Oscar Alfred Lunt for Best Actor and Lynn Fontanne.

Background

The premiere took place on 7 November 1931. For the production of MGM were responsible Cedric Gibbons for the equipment, Gilbert Adrian for the costumes and Douglas Shearer for the sound. The two main characters who made ​​their debut in a sound film, were married to each other in real life. It is also the only sound film, she turned. Only in the 1950s both had some appearances in TV movies and series.

Ferenc Molnar's play premiered in 1911 in Budapest. 1913 was played under the title Where Ignorance Is Bliss in New York. The most famous adaptation was by Philip Moeller in 1924 premiered with the title The Guardsman. Here again played Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne the lead roles. The play Elizabeth the Queen shown in the film came from Maxwell Anderson. This piece was a year ago on Broadway. Again, playing with the two main characters of the film. Roy Del Ruth turned in 1941 with Nelson Eddy and Risë Stevens in the lead roles a partial remake under the title The Chocolate Soldier.