The Emperor's Candlesticks

The beginning of The Emperor's Candlesticks shows Prince Robert Young and his manservant Frank Morgan at a masked ball. Bob gets distracted by a pretty face, Maureen O'Sullivan, and they enjoy a whirlwind romance that evening. Just when you think it's a cute movie, Maureen turns into a villainess and kidnaps him! This is an espionage thriller that shows you from the beginning you don't know who to trust and you don't know what to expect.

With a ransom note written to Bob's father tucked into a secret compartment of a pair of candlesticks, William Powell is supposed to smuggle the sticks out of the country so that the royal family can rescue the young prince without any scandal. There's another spy in pursuit of the candlesticks, and for a different reason: Luise Rainer. She and Bill don't know each other are spies, so there's quite a bit of tension as they try to get around each other while fighting for their own countries.

The plot of this movie can become a bit confusing if you're not fully paying attention, but if you're awake and alert, it's quite exciting. I liked the all-star cast, including Henry Stephenson, and the twists and turns along the way. It's refreshing to see Bill Powell without a martini in his hand, and this is a nice change of pace for him. Check it out if you're a fan.

Powell, could play any part, so we know it will be good. Deep in the heart of the production code, but JUST prior to the big war... William Powell is Baron Wolensky, who is sent on a two-part mission. First, to deliver a note to the czar; secondly, to deliver fancy, expensive candlesticks to a lady, for Prince Johann. What Wolensky doesn't know, is that he is being set up to be intercepted at the destination as a spy and a thief. Fun co-stars Frank Morgan (The Wizard!), Maureen OSullivan, and Robert Young. Don't forget Henry Stephenson, the stately, prim and proper older gentleman, who was always the wise uncle, or the senator, or the ambassador. There are surprises along the way, for everyone involved. And everything revolves around the candlesticks, which are more valuable than anyone knows! It's a fun one. Made in the mid 1930s, before the ugliness of war. It's a serious drama, but has a sense of adventure about it, especially with Frank Morgan on board. Story by hungarian writer, Emmuska Orczy, who wrote numerous plays and novels. She died in 1947, but hollywood is still making films based on her works. Directed by George Fitzmaurice; started in the early days of the silents, but sadly, died quite young at 55.

William Powell is always worth watching carefully for his inimitable understatements capable of turning any serious business into priceless comedy. There is no Myrna Loy here but instead we have Luise Rainer playing a Russian countess and spy and being absolutely irresistible, almost like Greta Garbo in her suavity, but Garbo was too serious for comedy. Luise Rainer is all comedy and almost outrageously charming. The couple is a perfect combination, William Powell playing a Polish baron in precarious standing with the Car and aware of it. Nevertheless he accepts the classified mission of delivering a petition to the Car, and to keep it safe he applies the secret mechanism of an 18th century silver candlestick of elaborate artistry. The problem is there are two candlesticks like this, and the other one is in the care of the Russian countess Luise Rainer, who also has a mission of smuggling a secret message in her sample. Naturally they are confused in the delivery, there are many additional threads to this mess leading more and more astray, compelling the protagonists to travel all over Europe to Vienna, Budapest, Paris and London chasing the candlesticks, and they finally end up in St. Petersburg facing the Car. It's a labyrinth of a crooked sieve involving also Roland Young as the Czar's son Peter and Maureen O'Sullivan as the only serious woman in the play - the film begins in Vienna with a great New Year's Eve ball at the opera in a obligatory masquerade, where Romeo (Roland Young) meets Julia (Maureen O'Sullivan) and they keep crossing each other's paths. It's a delightful espionage play and comedy and a feast for the eyes with many humorous and risky turns on the way, while for once in a spy thriller there is not one single casualty.

The grand duke of Russia. Peter (Robert Young) is kidnapped by Polish nationalists using the oldest trick in the book. He believes that a beautiful woman (Maureen O'Sullivan) who is a complete stranger to him is in love with him at first sight. He is shocked! Shocked I say! To find out that rendezvousing with her is a trap and she does not find his physique and witty repartee irresistible. The Polish nationalists have Peter write his dad the Tsar a letter saying that he must release a member of the Polish resistance scheduled to be executed or Peter will be killed. They give Baron Stephan Wolensky (William Powell) the task of getting the letter to the tsar. Wolensky is a secret agent for the Poles and unknown to the Russians. That is until...

... the Russians uncover letters in Wolensky's handwriting that prove he is a spy. They give these papers to one of the agents of the Russian secret police, Countess Olga Mironova (Luise Ranier), and she is tasked with taking these papers to the authorities in Russia.

They both hide their papers in the secret compartment of one of two different candlesticks headed back to Russia from Vienna. Neither one knows about the other's mission although they are both aware of whom the other is secretly working for. And then on the way back to Russia the candlesticks are stolen by a common thief and they both are on the trail - all over Europe -to find those candlesticks. Rather Slavic complications and Eastern European sounding symphonic music ensues.

I was actually surprised I liked this one as much as I did, and that was mainly due to William Powell's great performance as the charming and sophisticated baron and the cleverness of the plot. As for what I did not like - I've never "gotten" the appeal of Luise Ranier. During her and Powell's cat and mouse game through most of the film, she simpers and whimpers annoyingly. But then I thought she did the same in "The Great Zeigfeld" and she won a Best Actress award for that role. Also, MGM's sappy happy ending department decided to make the Tsar of Russia have the disposition of Judge Hardy. Any history book will tell you that was not the case.

Perhaps because I was not very familiar with Luise Rainier performances (beyond "The Good Earth," which movie I didn't like), I was impressed by her in "The Emperor's Candlesticks." I use the conditional because of comments by others here.

Nevertheless, I found her charming, even entrancing.

William Powell gave his usual masterful best and all the other players were intriguing.

There were lots of "other players," too, and that each managed to be individualistic speaks of their own talents and of that of the director and script writer.

The movie was well directed, generally, and the script presented a view of a world long gone that we might otherwise never get to see.

It's a good yarn, with meshing stories of intrigue, and an adventure of an international race against the clock.

I recommend this as a must-see movie on many levels.