The Smiling Lieutenant

"Maurice Chevalier laughing and loving again in Ernst Lubitsch's sparkling cocktail of romantic merriment"

1931 1h 29m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 72

ComedyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An amorous lieutenant is forced to marry a socially awkward princess, though he tries to keep his violin-playing girlfriend on the side.

“Maurice Chevalier laughing and loving again in Ernst Lubitsch's sparkling cocktail of romantic merriment”

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Cast

Maurice Chevalier
Lt. Nikolaus 'Niki' von Preyn
Claudette Colbert
Franzi
Miriam Hopkins
Princess Anna
Charles Ruggles
Max
George Barbier
King Adolf XV
Hugh O'Connell
Niki's Orderly
Maude Allen
Lady in Waiting (uncredited)
Granville Bates
Bill Collector (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Writers: Samson Raphaelson, Ernest Vajda, Ernst Lubitsch
Languages: French, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

95 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ernst Lubitsch, shot by George J. Folsey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Original score by Oscar Straus. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Merrill G. White shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Maurice Chevalier and Claudette Colbert and Miriam Hopkins carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Maurice Chevalier laughing and loving again in Ernst Lubitsch's sparkling cocktail of romantic merriment".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ernst Lubitsch directs. George J. Folsey behind the camera. Oscar Straus scores. Merrill G. White cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
295 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.
4Directed by Ernst Lubitsch, shot by George J. Folsey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Oscar Straus. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Merrill G. White shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Maurice Chevalier and Claudette Colbert and Miriam Hopkins carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Maurice Chevalier laughing and loving again in Ernst Lubitsch's sparkling cocktail of romantic merriment".
9IMDB entry: tt0022074 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 72 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: George J. Folsey
Original score: Oscar Straus
Editing: Merrill G. White
Runtime: 89 min · 1h 29m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Smiling Lieutenant (1931)

Also by

Ernst Lubitsch

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-05-04
★ 7/10
How many films are you ever going to watch that have songs rhyming "liver" with "quiver" - or that quote Emperor Napoleon's last words before entering exile on Elbe - "so long!"? "Niki" (Maurice Chevalier) is a happy-go-lucky military officer in love with "Franzi" (Claudette Colbert) and all is set fair with their lives until a state visit to the Emperor by the princess "Anna" (Miriam Hopkins) lands him in hot water. He smiled at her as the carriage carrying her and her father, the King (George Barbier) passed by. His Majesty is outraged at such a diabolical liberty and so “Niki" is duly summoned. Luckily, he can think on his feet and he can also spell, so is spared death and becomes the apple of the princess's eye! Next thing, wedding bells are being readied and he is swept back to their home land of Flausenthurm a married man. "Franzi" follows and they try to keep something illicit going, but "Anna" is no fool and soon we have a sort of reverse love triangle as the two woman and their hapless hero try to work things out in quite an unusual fashion. Oscar Straus and Clifford Grey provide the musical numbers and though they are pretty unremarkable by themselves, they give the charismatic Chevalier a chance to grin quite a lot, wink now and again and for Colbert and Hopkins to shine. The humour is gently paced, and the whole thing looks like it was shot on the sound stage of the "Prisoner of Zenda". Sure, the story is a bit old hat but it has plenty of charisma to keep it going and is worth a watch.

Production companies