Le coeur en fête

When You're In Love will forever be known as the film where Grace Moore shed her opera image and did a low down version of Minnie the Moocher. For that and for the fact that she got Cary Grant as a leading man who in the end would way eclipse her in movie star power. Grace was on the decline in Hollywood and Grant was rising fast.

The film was produced, written, and directed by Robert Riskin, his only directorial credit. Riskin is primarily known as the screenwriter collaborator of Frank Capra in some of his most memorable films. He also had been romantically involved earlier in the decade with another soprano star Jeanette MacDonald.

In fact the Minnie the Moocher sequence was inspired I'm sure by Jeanette's turn at jazz in Rose Marie the year before where she sang Some of These Days.

Though it didn't appear so When You're In Love was also a milestone film for Cary Grant even though he was distinctly second billed to Miss Grace Moore. This was his first film after leaving his nurturing studio of Paramount. For the next fifteen year or so, Grant alternated primarily with RKO and Columbia as employers of his free lance services.

The plot borders on the silly. Grace Moore is an Australian opera star who overstayed her work visa in America and was deported to Mexico where she's languishing waiting for an immigration quota number. Her shrewd manager Aline McMahon hits on the idea of marrying an American to get back in the country immediately.

Well if you're going to get married you can't do better than Cary Grant for any purpose. He's a penniless artist and also would like to leave Mexico, but he does have some rather interesting ideas on the relationship himself.

Moore's character is no doubt borrowed from real life Australian opera singer Marjorie Lawrence whose life story would be told in the MGM film Interrupted Melody. Lawrence did marry an American, but not for her immigration status.

The subject matter of the film would be done in a far more serious vein by Paramount in 1941 in Hold Back The Dawn with Charles Boyer and Olivia DeHavilland. Those folks's immigration problems were far more real than what we see here.

Grace Moore has her usual mix of opera and concert material to sing in When You're In Love. In addition Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields also contribute two numbers as well.

But it's Minnie the Moocher, that red hot Hoochy Coocher for which this film will always be known. What must Cab Calloway have thought?

The premise for 'When You're in Love' had a lot of potential, Grace Moore was a likable singer/actress who achieved some success as a film star but that was short-lived, Cary Grant was one of the cinema all-time greats and Robert Riskin was a brilliant screen-writers.

Any film also, and there's plenty of them around, that tries to give opera (a medium that has been a lifelong passion, but sadly its appeal has become generally increasingly more limited over the years) more popularity and make it more accessible is worthy of some credit. Somehow however, despite some very good things, 'When You're in Love' falls short of its potential.

Moore herself is sexy and a very likable and charming screen presence. She also sings very well, especially in "Sibonay". Though "Vissi D'Arte" doesn't sound right for her voice (prefer a bigger and richer voice for Tosca) and doesn't feel right within the film either. 'When You're in Love' doesn't see anywhere near the best of Grant, but his customary urbane charm can be seen in bucket loads and he and Moore do share a sweet chemistry. Aline MacMahon comes very close to stealing the film, her good-nature and sass reminding one of Eve Arden.

'When You're in Love' is beautifully shot and sumptuously designed. The music is wonderful, whether pre-existing or written especially for the film, and along with Moore the star of the film, with "Sibonay", "Your Song" and "Minnie the Moocher" coming off best. Choreographically, "Minnie the Moocher" is energetic and enormous fun, by far the best musical number in staging and choreography, and Moore certainly does let her hair down. The scene in the cabin is a lovely scene too.

On the other hand, Riskin's talent as a screen-writer is not matched at all by his direction, showing that there was a reason as to why this was the first and only time in the director's chair. Stylistically it's fine, but too much of it dramatically and pulse-wise screams of inexperience and too many of the musical numbers are staged indifferently or bizarrely (so much so that the exuberant "Minnie the Moocher" feels overblown in comparison), Schubert's "Serenade" is an insulting mix of both especially. The story seemed like it would work on paper, but too much of it is bland and implausible with the final act and ending taking a turn for the worse in lack of momentum of ridiculousness.

There are scenes and decisions that begged for explanation as to why they happened, especially why "Serenade" was staged the way it was, the placement of "Vissi D'Arte" and much of the pivotal romance, but they never came. While the chemistry itself is sweet, 'When You're in Love' is written in such a flat way (no sparkling bubbles here in this script, just a lot of substance-less froth that becomes dull, strange and too sugary) that one is never fully invested in the romance itself.

In conclusion, works well as a Grace Moore vehicle and anybody wanting good music will not be disappointed. There are far better examples of Grant and Riskin's talents elsewhere other than here however. 5/10 Bethany Cox

The sole directorial effort from Robert Riskin (the talented screenwriter behind many of Frank Carpa's best films), WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE is one of many films that attempted to re-create the success of 1934's surprise hit ONE NIGHT OF LOVE. This film boasts the advantage of featuring opera singer Grace Moore, the star of the previous film, in the lead role, yet it never really seems to amount to much and was not well-received by audiences upon it's original release. The film's basic premise (famous Australian opera singer "hires" an American man to pose as her husband in order to enter the country) is a workable enough set-up, but the picture fails to generate much momentum or interest. Riskin does a respectable job for a first time director, but displays a poor sense of pace and allows the picture to become plodding.

Moore is acceptable as the film's Diva (she never really commands the screen, but she has a odd sort of like-ability) and Cary Grant is in fine form as her "rented" mate, but they are playing stock characters who only seem to behave in the manner that is necessitated by the script. Their relationship suffers numerous ups and downs throughout the course of the film, but I never really cared whether they ended up together and that is a serious determent for this type of picture. The film is also marred by far too many piecing musical numbers that seem to exist only to pad out the film's runtime and serve as a defacto showcase for Moore's shrill voice (even "Minnie the Moocher," which is often referred to as the film's highpoint, is virtually unlistenable). The film's true saving grace is Aline MacMahon in a fresh and intelligent performance as Moore's assistant - MacMahon's good-natured portrayal is a minor comic gem surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.

Robert Riskin, who wrote the script for this movie, also wrote the scripts for Platinum Blonde (1931), It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), Lost Horizon (1937), You Can't Take It with You (1938), Meet John Doe (1941), and many other of the great movie classics of the 1930s. If I start by listing those masterpieces, it is to wonder how he could have written something as poor as this script. Because it is the script, and Riskin's sole turn at being a movie director, that sink this movie. The first part is very poor, the middle not as bad, but then the end, with the god-awful music festival done in neo-Grecian art deco, destroys any chance of actually respecting this movie. HOW could anyone have thought that the last number, a piece that talks about a "simple song" but is staged with a cast of hundreds in elaborate 18th century ball gowns and what not, would not look ridiculous? It's a shame that the script and direction are so often so poor, because there are good things in this movie.

Moore's singing of Sibonay early in the movie is magical. It's a great number, brought off wonderfully by Moore at her very best. The staging isn't great, but it doesn't sink what is really a great five minutes.

There is also a very effective 5 minutes dramatically when Cary Grant and Moore sit before a fire in his cabin. The scene comes off as very natural, and very convincing - one of the few such natural moments in the movie, unfortunately.

Several of the other musical numbers, done very simply, are very moving. The song Moore sings to the children about the wooden doll, her song out in nature (which then gets travestied as the finale at the music festival), her singing of a folk-song while lying on her back in the cabin. And while she was no Cab Calloway, she does a nice job with Minnie the Moocher.

But Riskin's direction kills a good performance of Shubert's Serenade, done, for no apparent reason, in neo-Grecian art-deco. And Moore's performance of Vissi d'arte from Tosca under the opening credits is never explained and leads nowhere.

The dramatic crux of the movie happens only because Moore's character fails to explain to Cary Grant's why she has to sing at the music festival. It makes no sense that she would not have explained this.

So, in summary: there are some golden nuggets in this movie, mostly the musical numbers - but not all of them. Most of the rest of it is poor.

Very definitely inferior to Moore's other movie from 1937, I'll Take Romance, which suggests that Moore could have made some good movies if she had had better directors and material.

So-so musical romance starring Grace Moore as an Australian opera singer who marries American artist Cary Grant to get back into the United States for an important concert. He tries to win her over with predictable results. Not great stuff but pleasant enough I suppose. Notable for being the only movie directed by screenwriter Robert Riskin (he also wrote this). Also worth mentioning for Moore fans that, in addition to a few opera numbers, she sings "Minnie the Moocher" here. Let's just say it's not likely to be the best rendition of that song you've ever heard. Really, this is one for Grace Moore fans more than Cary Grant ones. He does perfectly fine with his role, don't get me wrong. He's charming and likable as usual. But it's just kind of a dull part for Cary. The supporting cast is nice but greats like Aline MacMahon and Thomas Mitchell are wasted in cardboard cut-out roles. See it for Grace or if you're a Cary completist. Or, heck, see it if you're really into opera (I'm not).