That Lady in Ermine

This is the first Lubitsch film I have found subpar, although I don’t know how much of it he was able to complete before Preminger took over. It aspires to the magic of the luscious Chevalier/MacDonald musical comedies, in a fanciful 19th century romance echoing a 16th century painting and legend of the lady in ermine. It’s missing all of the earlier films’ joy and lightness and sauciness — indeed, it is missing the famous Lubitsch touch. By comparison it feels quite heavy, the song & dance is uninspired, and there is no spark between the actors. No, Fairbanks Jr and Grable are decidedly not Chevalier and MacDonald.

In fact, Betty Grable, oh god, she’s really awful! She has no personality, and for all her wide eyes and raised eyebrows there is absolutely no expressiveness in her. Believe it or not, I had never seen Grable in anything before. I guess I am not really a fan of the classics writ large (though this may change when I have TCM in the house & will watch any random thing they broadcast) but of certain personalities and the idea of that whole world outside the actual movies; so what I have seen is only the result of consuming individual filmographies and a few essentials. That’s a long way of explaining why I’ve never seen any Grable. I do not intend intentionally to watch more Grable now. She’s not even beautiful, a rather ordinary All-American blonde. Was she just a pair of legs? ‘Cause I definitely get the WW2 pin-up girl thing for an All-American blonde with nice legs if that’s all it is. I saw nothing else here.

That’s all. Wanted to express how this underwhelmed me and rag on Grable a bit. So onward, Ernie… well, backward, really: I have nothing left to see but those wonderful musicals and still-baffling silents.