The Guardsman (1931)

Director:

Sidney Franklin

Writers:

Ferenc Molnár (play)
Ernest Vajda (screenplay)

Release Date:

7 November 1931 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

An acclaimed actor and his equally acclaimed actress wife, who have been married for less than a year...

Plot Keywords:

Vienna Austria | Shakespeare's Othello | Shakespeare's Hamlet | Actor | Actress

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Alfred Lunt	...	The Actor
Lynn Fontanne	...	The Actress
Roland Young	...	Bernhardt the Critic
Zasu Pitts	...	Liesl, the Maid
Maude Eburne	...	Mama
Herman Bing	...	A Creditor

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #1972-R, 17 January 1936 for re-release) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The play from which a scene is shown at the beginning of the film is Maxwell Anderson's "Elizabeth the Queen", in which we see Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt recreating the roles of Queen Elizabeth I and Lord Essex, which they had played on Broadway in the actual original production of "Elizabeth the Queen" the year before.

Quotes:

[the Creditor has seen through the Actor's disguise]
A Creditor: Your own mother might not know you. Your own wife might not know you. And you might put on all the uniforms and all the whiskers and all the wigs in the world. But, as long as you owe me money, I would know you.

Movie Connections:

Remake of Gardeoffizier, Der (1925)

A very entertaining well made comedy

Real life husband and wife duo Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne play famous married theater performers (named in the credits only as The Actor and The Actress). The Actor is so convinced that his wife would be unfaithful to him if given the chance, he dresses up like a Russian officer to try and seduce her. The Guardsman remains the only sound film that either Lunt or Fontanne ever did, which is a damn shame. Both actors achieve a natural quality on screen rarely equaled in thirties films. Lunt especially gives a knockout comedic performance, not only as the whining, conceited, jealous husband, but also as the brash and passionate Guardsman. The rest of the cast play their parts perfectly as well, doing justice to the delightfully witty script. It looses some momentum in the second half, as the film slowly works its way to the conclusion you know is coming. They definitely could have played with the scenario a bit more. Nonetheless, it makes for a very enjoyable comedy.