The Marriage Circle

Rating:
Summary: A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF COMEDY FILM MAKING
Review: The classic that made Ernst Lubitsch one of the most imortant director in Hollywood history is finaly back for to the general public. THE MARRIAGE CIRCLE actually created the genre of sophisticated romantic comedy. Lubitsch's inteligence in his mise-en-scene as well as in his editing makes this a hiralious film, so funny it actually becomes a true work of great art.

Two couples, one facing divorce and the other still loving each other. The wife of the first couple is attracted to the husband of the second couple (who also happens to be her best friend's husband). Though the husband of the second couple is rather annoyed by her interest in him, the other husband doesn't miss the chance to get the divorce in his terms. On the other hand, the wife of the second couple gets suspicous about her husband. So... the basic idea is rather simple, even conventional. It is how Lubitsch twists the plot around these themes and create situations that are unconfortable for the characters but hilarious for us, and how he develops these situations as cinema which is so great about this film. The result is, simply one of the funniest movie you've ever seen. As a silent film, it doesn't have dialogues. But when you see it, you'd understand that the film does not need dialogues (incidentally, Lubitsch himself remade this film as a musical: ONE HOUR WITH YOU which is also quite enjoyable, but not as good as the original).

The story is set in Vienna, and the sophisticated costumes and sets are also a joy to watch. The women are beautiful; Florence Vidor is so innocently charming while Marie Prevost is gorgeously provocative. And You will also enjoy the delicious performance from the actor Adolph Menjou.

The new transfer is created and restored from an original print. I had the chance to see it on a VHS test copy and it looks quite stunning. Certain scenes are tintted with gorgeous color, as originally intended by the filmmakers. So, it's actuallu not correct to list this film as Black and White.

Rating:
Summary: A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF COMEDY FILM MAKING
Review: The classic that made Ernst Lubitsch one of the most imortant director in Hollywood history is finaly back for to the general public. THE MARRIAGE CIRCLE actually created the genre of sophisticated romantic comedy. Lubitsch's inteligence in his mise-en-scene as well as in his editing makes this a hiralious film, so funny it actually becomes a true work of great art.

Two couples, one facing divorce and the other still loving each other. The wife of the first couple is attracted to the husband of the second couple (who also happens to be her best friend's husband). Though the husband of the second couple is rather annoyed by her interest in him, the other husband doesn't miss the chance to get the divorce in his terms. On the other hand, the wife of the second couple gets suspicous about her husband. So... the basic idea is rather simple, even conventional. It is how Lubitsch twists the plot around these themes and create situations that are unconfortable for the characters but hilarious for us, and how he develops these situations as cinema which is so great about this film. The result is, simply one of the funniest movie you've ever seen. As a silent film, it doesn't have dialogues. But when you see it, you'd understand that the film does not need dialogues (incidentally, Lubitsch himself remade this film as a musical: ONE HOUR WITH YOU which is also quite enjoyable, but not as good as the original).

The story is set in Vienna, and the sophisticated costumes and sets are also a joy to watch. The women are beautiful; Florence Vidor is so innocently charming while Marie Prevost is gorgeously provocative. And You will also enjoy the delicious performance from the actor Adolph Menjou.

The new transfer is created and restored from an original print. I had the chance to see it on a VHS test copy and it looks quite stunning. Certain scenes are tintted with gorgeous color, as originally intended by the filmmakers. So, it's actuallu not correct to list this film as Black and White.

Rating:
Summary: Another Kind of Silent Comedy
Review: The most famous examples of silent comedy are the brilliant films of Chaplin and Keaton, but this type of comedy was not the only type of comedy there was. The Marriage Circle shows another way of being funny, the sophisticated, witty, comedy of manners. It may not be as dazzling and inventive as the work of Chaplin or full of the daredevil stunts of Keaton, but Lubitsch's style, in its own way, is equally amusing. Moreover it is this style of comedy which was developed into the sound era. The Marriage Circle can be seen as a sort of prototype for films like The Philadelphia Story.

The story concerns two couples, Adolphe Menjou and Marie Prevost who loathe each other and Monte Blue and Florence Vidor who are living a life of married bliss. Prevost sets out to find love with Blue, who tries desperately to resist her, while Menjou sets out to obtain evidence of infidelity which he can use to obtain a divorce. This all leads to numerous complications and misunderstandings. The plot is relatively conventional, but it does not descend into farce. These are characters grounded in real life, albeit the life of high-society Vienna. The many laugh-out-loud moments are derived from the situations the characters find themselves in. The humour comes from the skill of the actors in portraying their characters. There is some really wonderful acting in this film. These actors can convey their thoughts with a subtle change of expression or posture.

The quality of the print used for this Image DVD is superb. It is sepia tinted throughout and shows hardly any signs of damage. There are some occasional scratches and a few frames are missing here and there, but thankfully The Marriage Circle has survived in an almost pristine condition. The film is accompanied by a fine score which follows the action very closely and adds greatly to the enjoyment of the film.