Claudette Colbert Reigns Supreme in Mitchell Leisen’s Sparkling Midnight

 

Among the 1930’s treasure trove of light, sophisticated comedies, few shine as bright as one entry not always mentioned among the likes of My Man Godfrey, The Awful Truth or Bringing Up Baby. However, in what is largely considered Hollywood’s “Golden Year” for films, Paramount Pictures had a truly sterling offering among the multitude of 1939 classics with the classy, whimsical Midnight. Mitchell Leisen, helming Arthur Hornblow Jr.’s first-rate production with great finesse, beautifully transfers the wealth of comic highlights and ingenious plot twists found in the imaginative script by Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder (adapted from a story by Edwin Justus Mayer and Franz Schultz) to the screen with precise pacing that maintains a consistently beguiling tone. Leisen also showcases his roster of top talent in front of the screen perfectly, allowing each player to shine in skillfully modulated performances rife with deft comic timing, in the process creating some of the breeziest, most stylish 94 minutes found in the screwball comedy genre, or anywhere else.

Claudette Colbert, at the height of her career after scoring a multitude of hits, including a mammoth 1934 that featured her in the title role of Cleopatra as well as Imitation of Life and her Oscar-winning role in the landmark It Happened One Night, is ideally suited to the role of Eve Peabody, a young woman finding herself stranded in Paris on a rainy night after losing her assets gambling in Monte Carlo but, gowned in the first of a series of gorgeous gowns by Irene, clearly not without other assets, setting her up for the Cinderella run alluded to by the movie’s title. Although the character might be irresponsible and troublesome on paper, with charm and warmth the chic, bemused Colbert gets the audience on Eve’s aside from the get-go, coming across as so good-natured and worldly-wise it’s impossible not to root for Eve, even at her most coquettish. Colbert slyly captures the duplicity of the character as Eve concocts some of the aforementioned plot twists, and she’s so crafty and funny bringing off the ruses one eagerly looks forward to each of her vastly entertaining deceptions. Colbert would continue to thrive in films throughout the 1940s, gaining an Oscar nomination for a matronly role in Since You Went Way and landing one of her biggest hits via 1947’s The Egg and I, before lessening her film output in the 1950s as she focused on other endeavors, including a return to Broadway, wherein she had attained early-career notice. 1961’s Parrish represented Colbert’s last feature film, followed years later by a nice career adieu with a Golden Globe winning, Emmy nominated turn on television in 1987’s The Two Mrs. Grenvilles.

Don Ameche rates one of his best roles and performances as Tibor Czerny, the taxicab driver who meets Eve at the film’s outset and quickly becomes enamored of her charms as he takes her around Paris. Obtaining success as a contract player at 20^th Century Fox in the mid-1930s opposite the likes of Alice Faye and Tyrone Power in popular output such as in In Old Chicago, 1939 would prove a prime year for the handsome star, with his amiable work in Midnight immediately followed by a signature role in a more dramatic vein, portraying the title figure in The Story of Alexander Graham Bell. For Midnight, Ameche graces Tibor with an attractive matter-of-fact air and playfulness in key early scenes with Colbert whom he shares an easy chemistry with, and he cuts a fine romantic figure as an everyman who is loyal, generous and humorous. Later, as the action moves to a country estate and Tibor finds himself at odds with Eve’s coy tactics, Ameche’s high-pitched tonal shift in delivery as Tibor becomes agitated with and embroiled in a stream of confusing contrivances is adorable and very funny. Ameche would continue to proper at Fox during the 1940s, with first-class work in Ernst Lubitsch’s Heaven Can Wait particularly noteworthy, before witnessing a professional ebb onscreen that ended with a resounding surge in the 1980s, brought about by the huge success of Trading Places and Cocoon, which brought Ameche a late-career Oscar.

                John Barrymore also finds a top career assignment as Georges Flammarion, the alert and mischievous member of the upper-class who takes a great interest in Eve’s affairs (literally). Barrymore may have been near the end of his career and life at the Midnight stage, but based on his lively, scene-stealing work in the film, hard-living had done little to dim his theatrical gifts and screen magnetism, as Barrymore appears to be relishing the chance to tackle the high-comedy aspects of the part with a thespian flourish that’s a delight to behold. As Georges’ philandering, cosmopolitan wife, Helene, Mary Astor appears every inch the part of a high society matron and trades barbs with Colbert with delightfully bitchy brio, while also demonstrating a deeper, more serious tone when apt. It’s also interesting to see Astor paired up with Barrymore, her former flame who helped bring the beautiful young Astor to screen stardom in the mid 1920’s via Beau Brumell and Don Juan. Georges and Helene represent one of the more forward-thinking married couples in classic film, suggesting a seemingly open relationship, which Brackett and Wilder artfully scripted to get past the rigid production code, and Barrymore and Astor do a terrific job making the Flammarions’ unorthodox bond believable. Post-Midnight, Astor would find her peak in 1941 with imperishable work as the conniving Brigid O’Shaughnessy in The Maltese Falcon and a Supporting Actress Oscar for once again being at odds onscreen with a major femme star (this time Bette Davis) in The Great Lie.

Handsome, genital Francis Lederer is also an ideal fit as rich playboy Jacques, who sets his cap for Eva in love-at-first-sight fashion, much to Helene’s chagrin. Lederer does a fine job of making Jacques serenely appealing in his pursuit of Eve at Helene’s expense, instead of coming across as the rakish cad he would be in real life. Rex O’Malley gets his share of zingers as the jet-setting, highly urbane (code for gay in the 1930s) Marcel Renaud, who first discovers the party-crashing Eve at a soirée and introduces her to the Flammarions and Jacques, thereby setting the film’s mistaken identity scenario in motion. As Stephanie, the socialite who hosts the party that enlivens the plot considerably, Hedda Hopper looks elegant and has a pleasant, friendly demeanor not seen as frequently in her more famous off-screen role as one of Hollywood’s most powerful columnists. Finally, Elaine Barrie, aka Mrs. John Barrymore at the time, does very well in the small role of Simone, the knowing milliner who offers a few observations on the tantalizing activities surrounding her.

Released in March of 1939, Midnight found favor with audiences and critics but, in a highly competitive year, failed to be cited much during the awards season. Through the passing decades, as the screwball genre rose in merit and elevated many of the decade’s top comedies included therein to classic status, Midnight was somehow often not listed among the chief films considered the most noteworthy. However, more recent showings on television and through releases on physical media have given movie lovers a chance to rediscover one of the true gems of 1930’s cinema. Filled with witty repertoire, glamourous settings, and a director and cast in beautiful synch with the spirited-yet-elegant flavor of the piece, this escapist tale of love and machinations found among the elite and would-be elite remains a fresh and enchanting viewing experience for those looking to be amused at Midnight, or any other time.