The Love Parade (1929)

The Love Parade (1929)

starring Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald

directed by Ernst Lubitsch

107 minutes

Count Alfred Renard (Maurice Chevalier) is ordered to return from Paris to Sylvania to meet with Queen Louise I (Jeanette MacDonald). He complies with the orders and brings along Jacques, his valet. Queen Louise is single and needs to get married.

The two spend time together, her punishment for the womanizing activities which got him recalled to Sylvania. They fall in love and get married. He is made Prince Consort of Sylvania, but the post does not come with any duties or responsibilities or say so in matters of governing Sylvania.

Prince Alfred grows increasingly frustrated with his life as prince consort. He tries to make suggestions but she doesn't start to take his complaints seriously until it looks like he is going to leave her.

Thoughts

This is a musical comedy. There are several musical numbers. Queen Louise and Count Alfred sing a few songs together. There is a second couple, Jacques and Lulu, who also sing a few songs together.

I enjoyed the first two-thirds of this film. It seemed to slow down quite a bit after they get married. There wasn't as much humor in the last third of the movie.

Notes

The Love Parade was nominated for the Academy Award for Outstanding Production (the equivalent of Best Picture) but did not win. It was nominated for several others including Best Director and Best Actor but it did not win any Academy Awards. The other Academy Awards for which it was nominated were Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Sound Recording.

I was familiar with the names of both stars of this film but I think this is the first movie that I have seen which starred either Maurice Chevalier or Jeanette MacDonald. This film is the first of four that they made together.

Eugene Pallette had a small part in this movie as the War Minister. I've seen him in at least half a dozen other films, usually ones in which he had bigger parts. I believe the most recent film I've seen that he was in is Shanghai Express (1932).