At first glance, I thought this was a stuffy constume drama. But, no... it turned out to be a lively history-adventure with numerous bits of comedy. The petite Lillian Harvey (playing a ballerina) is not just a passive love object. In fact, she takes centre stage as our charmingly goofball heroine. There's even a few oddly surreal moments (15 minutes in, she sabotages her dance by putting on blackface, huh?? 47 minutes in, she arrives at her flat, and it's filled with dogs! 64 minutes in, she asks a guard a question and he responds by simply barking like a dog. Huh??). There's also the main caper, as she gets involved in the political machinations of 19th century France, even getting mixed up with Napoleon! Oh yes, and it's also a romance, as she avoids becoming the.duke's mistress and escape with her real love, a handsome lieutenant (with the help of her male best friend, who also loves her but is unrequited). We also have a very interesting historical note that the "waltz" (as a musical genre) was once rejected by older generations (the same way rock music, or rap music, or big band, etc., were all forms of music that were rejected by the elders of their time). Finally, the final line of the film was genuinely funny. Overall, I would say that you should give this film a chance because it's better than it looks at first glance.
Add a Review
-
Director Paul Merzbach brings enough scale and spectacle on a budget to justify a slightly above average rating for this film on a purely objective level, even if subjectively it's something of a chore.
I caught this film after buying a boxset for a copy of 1934's "Happy" (see separate review). Titled "British Musicals of the 1930s", Invitation to the Waltz is something of a stretch in that company as it only features one song, right at the end. It does, however, contain music throughout, and some eye-catching double tier sets, even if the story really fails to engage.
It's pointless commenting that a film over 80 years old contains material that seems out of place today, though some of the sexual references are unusually racy for the time, and Lilian Harvey's scenes in blackface are a curiousity because it's not clear (to me at least) how or why she ended up in that condition.
Harvey is allowed to be irritating/funny (delete as applicable) with a "kooky" persona that's unusual for female romantic leads of the period. She's there to charm and allure the viewers, but also show them that an attractive woman can be funny, too.
Occasionally one or two of the guest actors can seem to be behind their lines (Alexander Field as Harvey's onscreen father leaves a few awkward pauses around him, and the Duke's assistant has to work extra hard to remember the financial information he's discussing) but generally all work hard to make this so-so star vehicle work. -
malcolmgsw16 February 2013Lillian Harvey was born only a few miles form where i live in London.She became a star on the continent and England,and for a short time the USA.She had a very engaging voice and could dance.She starred in light operetta films.often,as in this film,set in Central Europe,often,as in this film in the 19th Century.I have never been much of a fan of this genre and this film does little to change my attitude.The plot concerns the Napoleonic war and is set in 1805.the plot is to complex to bother about.I was disappointed that Harvey sang too little and danced too much.I found that generally this was a rather boring film,essentially of its time .