"Service for Ladies" still retains a good deal of charm despite its age. Both a romantic comedy and a comedy of errors, its elegant, smooth touch, through the refined performances by Howard, Hume, Allan, Grossmith, and Selten, makes for enjoyable viewing even today.
A few points are worth noting for context and appreciation. The running theme of the film is the strictures of class distinction. (Spoiler) The storyline concentrates on Max's (Howard) status as a head waiter in contrast to that of wealthy débutante Sylvia (Allan) and overemphasizes this through the character of "Westlake", the unidentified "King" who books into the fictitious "sporthotel" in Austria "incognito". This subplot is played to comic effect by the portrayal of the King's "incognito" stay as an open secret amongst all of the hotel's staff and guests, wherein provincially-dressed serving girls render him deep bows in unison, while the affluent female guests bow at the neck with the hope of a chance introduction.
But the film's portrayal of the status of and regard for royalty (much less social station in general) is quite anachronistic, even for the time. By 1932, the year of the film's release, European royalty as it had been traditionally known was generally a thing of the past, particularly in the most important Continental countries. European monarchism met its death knell at the close of World War I in 1918, by which time the emperors of Austria, Germany, and Russia had abdicated, and others denuded of any real political power. The major powers of Europe were constitutional republics by 1932, with the exception of Italy, which was subject to the fascist regime of Mussolini, a portent of more disastrous politics to come in that decade. The idea that a foreign king would induce such fawning subservience at an alpine hotel in the republic of Austria was absurd in the extreme. Just as astute critics have viewed the 1930's stories of Jeeves and Wooster by Wodehouse as actually a throwback to Edwardian times, so is this movie more properly seen as a nostalgic look back at an earlier time rather than a contemporary view of social conditions.
Perhaps the class distinction theme and the royalist subplot is attributable to the background of the writers, who were fellow Hungarian expats along with director Alexander Korda. Their youth was spent under the more benign twilight period of the Austrio-Hungarian Empire, a period of social conditions and mores roundly extinguished by later World War, the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and their resulting upheavals. Indeed, by 1932, the notion that the daughters of the wealthy might be prone to elope with some charmer from the working classes was no longer unusual, due in part to its actual occurrence in instances usually exploited by the tabloids of the time. The nostalgic patina of the film is most likely attributable to the perspective of these Hungarian writers, who likely perceived more modern conditions as less conducive to a light romantic comedy than the Europe of their youth. Thus if the film is viewed as more fairy tale than social commentary, it becomes much more digestible, if not more enjoyable.
To segue from the film's anachronism to its clear instances of modernity, I quite enjoyed those time capsule moments that captured the early 1930's and that even portend themes that continue to titillate today. The restaurant fare, the period cars and trains, the candlestick telephones, and the fashions worn by Allan and Hume are all a delight. Max's love of jazz and dancing to jazz are a highlight that aptly displays European fascination with that American-rooted contemporary music. Finally, this English-produced and pre-Production Code film packed a good bit of sexuality, if understated. Countess Ricardi's bathtub scene, Max's reputation as a sexually active ladies' man, and the plunging décolletage are instances of the more European approach to the sexuality of the film. The Production Code would have probably prevented Sylvia lounging on Max's bed at midnight while she tries to seduce him. The sexual themes in the movie are most definitely subtle and inferred, but they are key to its romance and certainly enhance its enjoyment for the contemporary viewer.
A few points are worth noting for context and appreciation. The running theme of the film is the strictures of class distinction. (Spoiler) The storyline concentrates on Max's (Howard) status as a head waiter in contrast to that of wealthy débutante Sylvia (Allan) and overemphasizes this through the character of "Westlake", the unidentified "King" who books into the fictitious "sporthotel" in Austria "incognito". This subplot is played to comic effect by the portrayal of the King's "incognito" stay as an open secret amongst all of the hotel's staff and guests, wherein provincially-dressed serving girls render him deep bows in unison, while the affluent female guests bow at the neck with the hope of a chance introduction.
But the film's portrayal of the status of and regard for royalty (much less social station in general) is quite anachronistic, even for the time. By 1932, the year of the film's release, European royalty as it had been traditionally known was generally a thing of the past, particularly in the most important Continental countries. European monarchism met its death knell at the close of World War I in 1918, by which time the emperors of Austria, Germany, and Russia had abdicated, and others denuded of any real political power. The major powers of Europe were constitutional republics by 1932, with the exception of Italy, which was subject to the fascist regime of Mussolini, a portent of more disastrous politics to come in that decade. The idea that a foreign king would induce such fawning subservience at an alpine hotel in the republic of Austria was absurd in the extreme. Just as astute critics have viewed the 1930's stories of Jeeves and Wooster by Wodehouse as actually a throwback to Edwardian times, so is this movie more properly seen as a nostalgic look back at an earlier time rather than a contemporary view of social conditions.
Perhaps the class distinction theme and the royalist subplot is attributable to the background of the writers, who were fellow Hungarian expats along with director Alexander Korda. Their youth was spent under the more benign twilight period of the Austrio-Hungarian Empire, a period of social conditions and mores roundly extinguished by later World War, the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and their resulting upheavals. Indeed, by 1932, the notion that the daughters of the wealthy might be prone to elope with some charmer from the working classes was no longer unusual, due in part to its actual occurrence in instances usually exploited by the tabloids of the time. The nostalgic patina of the film is most likely attributable to the perspective of these Hungarian writers, who likely perceived more modern conditions as less conducive to a light romantic comedy than the Europe of their youth. Thus if the film is viewed as more fairy tale than social commentary, it becomes much more digestible, if not more enjoyable.
To segue from the film's anachronism to its clear instances of modernity, I quite enjoyed those time capsule moments that captured the early 1930's and that even portend themes that continue to titillate today. The restaurant fare, the period cars and trains, the candlestick telephones, and the fashions worn by Allan and Hume are all a delight. Max's love of jazz and dancing to jazz are a highlight that aptly displays European fascination with that American-rooted contemporary music. Finally, this English-produced and pre-Production Code film packed a good bit of sexuality, if understated. Countess Ricardi's bathtub scene, Max's reputation as a sexually active ladies' man, and the plunging décolletage are instances of the more European approach to the sexuality of the film. The Production Code would have probably prevented Sylvia lounging on Max's bed at midnight while she tries to seduce him. The sexual themes in the movie are most definitely subtle and inferred, but they are key to its romance and certainly enhance its enjoyment for the contemporary viewer.