Princesse par intérim

A thoroughly winning little depression-era romantic comedy, THIRTY DAY PRINCESS manages to turn it's fairly routine storyline into a fresh and engaging picture that entertains throughout it's entire runtime. The plot has the Princess of the imaginary country Taronia (Sylvia Sidney) touring the US as an ambassador for her financially struggling country, with the hope of securing a major loan from the US. Upon arrival, our unfortunate Princess is stricken with the mumps, and is replaced by a look-alike actress (also played by Sidney), who doubles the ill Princess until she filly recovers. Complicating matters, however, is an ambitious news executive (Cary Grant), who is skeptical of the US approving such a large loan and wants to get to know out titular princess first hand.

As evidenced by the summary above, the film's plot was flimsy and formulaic even by the standards of the mid-thirties, but the picture manages to surprise viewers by using such an overly-familiar plot device as a springboard for sharp dialogue and delightful, fully-realized performances. Any film of this nature is almost entirely dependent upon its lead performer, and Sylvia Sidney handles her dual role with utter conviction, truly convincing viewers that she is two completely different characters. There is also an irresistible chemistry between Sidney and the young Cary Grant, who offers flashes of the brilliant actor he would soon become. In the end, the film manages to escape its well-worn premise and emerge as a genuine delight as one of the more underrated comedies of the thirties.

This film has two things that the people of 1934 sorely needed: a feel good love story, and cary grant! With sylvia sidney (got above the title billing), eddie arnold and henry stephenson. When king anatol wants to improve the living conditions for his people, he works out a deal with gresham, the banker. But when the princess is too sick to travel, gresham finds a look-a-like to take her place. And of course, the actress falls for madison. Complications, misunderstsandings, as the old friends of the actress think they have figured things out. Can they keep the secret until the princess goes back to her own country? And can they ever explain things to madison? It's a fun adventure, as an ordinary girl gets to be princess for thirty days. Directed by marion gering. Sidney, grant, and gering had made "madam butterfly" together, just prior to this. It's always interesting to see a screenplay by preston sturges, story by clarence kelland. It's fun to watch, as plain jane gets to be princess for a short time.

Thirty Day Princess (1934)

*** (out of 4)

A banker (Edward Arnold) talks Princess Catterina (Sylvia Sidney) into visiting America so that she can get a loan for the poor people of her country. Once there she falls ill so the banker comes up with a scheme to find a look-a-like to take her place. He finds actress Nancy Lane (Sidney) who is told of the job and one thing she must do is pull the job over on a newspaper owner (Cary Grant).

THIRTY DAY PRINCESS isn't a masterpiece but it's certainly a very fun and very entertaining little gem that should probably be better known among film buffs than it actually is. You'd think with Sidney and Grant as well as the screenplay being co-written by Preston Sturges that it would be better remembered today but for some reason it has pretty much slipped away.

That's really too bad because there are some pretty good moments throughout the film including a wonderful performance by Sidney. She basically plays two different roles here and I thought she did a great job with both of them. I really loved the charm she brought to her characters and especially that innocence laugh she has as the Princess. I really thought she did a fabulous job at making the Grant character fall in love with her because the viewer too falls in love! The supporting cast is good too with Arnold playing a the bad guy with ease and Grant is also fun in a somewhat fast-talking role. Henry Stephenson doesn't appear in too much of the film but when he's on the screen he's great too.

There are some logical issues with the film but that there is to be expected in this type of spoof. Director Marion Gering does a nice job at keeping the film running at a nice pace and he manages to get some nice laughs throughout. With that said, there's no question that it's the cast and especially Sidney that make this film so memorable and fans of her will really want to check it out.

I liked this movie far more than expected - it's a quite funny mistaken identity kind of film - with the requisite newspapermen, wealthy men, princesses, romance that any Depression era comedy relish. I had some concern about the always serious Sylvia Sidney in a comedy - but her intelligence is just wonderful in the line readings - she's quite an actress.

Cary Grant is very young - and not quite as deft and light as in later years - but fine, not clunky at all.

Edward Arnold is thoroughly enjoyable in the kind of role he was born to play - the plutocrat. I particularly enjoyed the amusing discussion (hard to imagine in a film now) with the king of the necessary size for the bond issue for Taronia's electrification.

There is further interest in the comedy's deadly serious background of extreme poverty/destitution/fear of hunger that haunts the film - it's very much there in the asides, in the protagonist's motivation.

I hadn't realized that Sylvia Sidney (known as a real symbol of the Great Depression) and Cary Grant had worked together twice before. They work very well - and she's far prettier than I remembered.

You'll enjoy this one - the writing (by Sturges and others) is truly sparkling, the comedy is fast, intelligent and the show charming.

The film opens with banker Richard Gresham (Edward Arnold) meeting King Anatol XII (Henry Stephenson) in a mud bath in the king's European country of Taronia. The king mentions that he'd love to be able to give his people some modern conveniences that Americans take for granted, but that the country is too poor. The banker says he could float fifty million dollars in bonds, but that it would require a good will tour by the royalty of Taronia. The king mentions that when kings leave their country they are often not allowed to return, and suggests that his daughter Catterina (Sylvia Sidney) do the good will tour in his place.

When the princess reaches America she comes down with the mumps and must be quarantined for a month. So Gresham scours New York City for a look alike for the princess and finds her in impoverished struggling actress Nancy Lane (also Sylvia Sidney of course), who will be paid ten thousand dollars for pulling off the impersonation. Complications ensue, not the least of which is that high minded newspaper publisher Porter Madison III (Cary Grant) has a running beef with Gresham and thinks that this bond business must be shady dealings AND Gresham thus instructs stand in Nancy Lane to "vamp" him.

Cary Grant is finding his lane in comedy at this point, and it is refreshing to see Sylvia Sidney do comedy after watching her play the tragic figure in so many films. There's lots here that is pure Great Depression or at least pure pre WWII Europe- Gresham as unscrupulous capitalist, an automat turkey dinner turning ordinary people into thieves because they are starving, fast talking reporters willing to believe and do anything to get a leg up on a story, and tiny European countries that nobody has ever heard of that sound like they exist in a snow globe. And then there is Vince Barnett who steals the show as a Taronian count who is a completely unappealing man in just about every way possible.

And then there is Grant's character Porter Madison III. Madison may sound high minded, but in the end he changes his mind about the bond issue because he falls for the big sad eyes of "the princess", not because he is convinced that the investment is fundamentally sound. So Gresham does have his number in that regard.

This one doesn't have any individual great one liners like a Lubitsch, but the situations are charming, and it is an enjoyable watch with no real villains, or at least effective ones, in sight.