ENTER MADAME ( 1935)

FERNANDO’S CORNER  ~  posted January 29th, 2018

“Enter Madame!” (1935) directed by Elliot Nugent released in Spanish speaking countries as “Mi Marido se Casa” (“My Husband Gets Married”) is one of Cary Grant’s least known films and not among his best, but I like to center in positive aspects when I talk about films that I have seen.

First of all, like most Paramounts from the 1930s it benefits from handsome sets, beautiful cinematography and gorgeous close-ups of its stars Cary Grant and Elissa Landi. Travis Banton designed the gowns for this film so Ms. Landi and Sharon Lynne are beautifully attired.

  

Grant is a millionaire who falls madly in love with Italian Opera Diva Lisa Della Robbia, but her hectic train of living ends up alienating Grant’s character. Landi sings to the voice of famous Russian soprano Nina Koshetz in excerpts from ‘La Tosca’ and ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’, which are very well done. Although the film lacks a good script and a good director and the chemistrybetween Grant and his two leading ladies is just so-so, he manages to give an agreeable performance and Elissa Landi demonstrates she had range, because she plays the spoiled and temperamental Diva with flair and joie-de-vivre, and looks very beautiful with her curled coiffure. This character is very different from the devoted and pure Mercia in “The Sign of the Cross” (1932) one of Landi’s best-known roles. Sharon Lynne is OK as her nemesis for Grant’s affections.

 

There are some excellent character actors, like Lynne Overman, Paul Porcasi and Gino Corrado; and Frank Albertson plays Landi’s bad humored half-brother. Cecilia Parker is his fiancée. Michelette Burani, an Italian actress, plays heartily la Diva’s maid. It is clear that Ms. Landi was fluent in Italian and French, because she gets to speak both languages in the film.

The movie was released in January of 1935, but it was submitted for U.S. copyright in 1934, hence the latter year in the credits.

Interesting to watch. Don’t be turned off by IMDB’s extremely lackluster reviews of it.

 

Go to Fernando’s Corner to see his other Paramount entries.

 

 

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