The Merry Widow (1934 film)
The Merry Widow is a 1934 film adaptation of the operetta of the same name by Franz Lehár. It was directed and produced by Ernst Lubitsch and starred Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald. A French-language version was produced at the same time and released in France the same year as La Veuve joyeuse.
| The Merry Widow | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg.webp) theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ernst Lubitsch |
| Produced by | Irving Thalberg Ernst Lubitsch |
| Written by | Libretto: Victor Léon Leo Stein Screenplay: Ernest Vajda Samson Raphaelson Marcel Achard (French version) |
| Starring | Maurice Chevalier Jeanette MacDonald |
| Music by | Franz Lehár |
| Cinematography | Oliver T. Marsh |
| Edited by | Frances Marsh (English) Adrienne Fazan (French) |
Production company | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
|
Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English French (separate versions) |
| Budget | $1,605,000[1] |
| Box office | $2.8 million (worldwide rentals)[1] |
Plot
Playboy Captain Danilo (Maurice Chevalier) is ordered by King Achmet of Marshovia (George Barbier) to court and marry Madame Sonia (Jeanette MacDonald), a rich widow who owns a large portion of the kingdom.[2]
Cast
English
- Maurice Chevalier as Captain Danilo
- Jeanette MacDonald as Madame Sonia / Fifi
- Edward Everett Horton as Ambassador Popoff
- Una Merkel as Queen Dolores
- George Barbier as King Achmet
- Minna Gombell as Marcelle
- Ruth Channing as Lulu
- Sterling Holloway as Mischka
- Donald Meek as Valet
- Herman Bing as Zizipoff
- Jason Robards Sr. as Arresting Officer (uncredited)
- Akim Tamiroff as Maxim's Manager (uncredited)
French
- Maurice Chevalier as Prince Danilo
- Jeanette MacDonald as Missia
- Marcel Vallée as L'ambassadeur
- Danièle Parola as La reine
- André Berley as Le roi
- Fifi D'Orsay as Marcelle
- Pauline Garon as Lola
- George Davis as L'ordonnance
- Jean Perry as Le valet
- Akim Tamiroff as Turk
Awards and honors
Cedric Gibbons and Fredric Hope won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction.[3]
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
- 2006: AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals – Nominated[4]
Reception
The film earned $861,000 in the US and $1,747,000 overseas for a total rental of $2,608,000.[1] It earned a further $151,000 on re-release in 1949-1950 to almost break even.[1]
References
Notes
- The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
- Green, Stanley (1999) Hollywood Musicals Year by Year (2nd ed.), pub. Hal Leonard Corporation ISBN 0-634-00765-3 page 34
- "The Merry Widow". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
- "AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-13.
External links
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