La baronne et son valet

Hungarian Prime Minister "Count Albert" (Henry Stephenson) is having a family breakfast on the morning after the election when he hears news on the radio that his butler "Johann" (William Powell) has been elected to Parliament - and for the opposition party too! He's quite a savvy and decent old chap and offers his congratulations. In turn, "Johann" promises to continue to take care of his master whilst performing his new parliamentary duties. It turn out that he's quite an effective politician and that although they are not quite of the same social class, he and the "Baroness" (Annabella) - who is married to "Baron Georg" (Joseph Schildkraut) - start one of those love/hate relationships that can only end one way. With the odd, slightly confusing, appearance from Nigel Bruce and a Stephenson who looks like he's enjoying the mischief of it all, I found this to be an entertaining swipe at the principles of declining aristocratic rule and of the aspiring hope of the people in a new order with all of the same problems. Powell is on good form here but Annabella isn't very natural nor entirely at home with the English language. Still - as "Johann" says - "there are always difficulties"! I quite enjoyed this.

To introduce French film star Annabella to American audiences, 20th Century Fox got a European type product as a fitting vehicle for her. And to play the butler who goes to Parliament, Darryl Zanuck obtained the services of William Powell from MGM.

Like that other favorite butler role that Powell essayed in My Man Godfrey, Powell is a butler with a social conscience, a fact he keeps hidden from his employers Henry Stephenson, Helen Westley and their daughter Annabella. How he kept secret the fact that his left wing party has nominated him for a seat in the Hungarian Parliament is beyond me. Nevertheless on election eve the family learns that Stephenson will be returned as Prime Minister and Powell will be occupying a seat on the back bench.

The Baroness And The Butler is the kind of film that would have been made in any number of European countries, a delightful bit of Frou-Frou that definitely did not have any relation to Hungary in 1938 with Admiral Miklos Horthy running things as a fascist learning military dictator. Those parliamentary elections have about as much relevance as those that were still going on in Nazi Germany where Reichstag elections were dutifully held with only one party being allowed to participate.

Still Powell and Annabella are nothing less than charming and capable players and they pull this film through and you can actually enjoy it if you'll completely suspend disbelief. Of course Powell and Annabella are in love, but she's unhappily married to a philandering Joseph Schildkraut. And Schildkraut like Captain O'Shea in Ireland is going to make the scandal make his career. As usual Schildkraut is letter perfect playing the part of an unscrupulous schemer, characteristics he patented at the height of his career.

If you're a fan of the stars you'll enjoy The Baroness And The Butler.

The great William Powell is perfect as the local Jeeves for a bigwig in Hungarian politics. He was the sort of character who was admired in 1938 but was hated when Nigel Hawthorne played Malvolio in "Twelfth Night."

He's also secretly run for, and won, a seat in Parliament in the Party opposed to his master's. He retains his role as the butler, will his new position cause a rift in the family?

Playing opposite Powell was Anbabella, who did not become the new Garbo (if they needed a new Garbo her shoes would be filled by Ingrid Bergman who, unfortunately, isn't in this movie).

Powell is superb, as usual. But the story is ludicrous.

It is rare that I come upon a classic film I like this much. Comedy, drama, a charming story, all well produced and satisfying. I am not a fan of screwball comedies or slapstick, and a lot of times that's what people think of when they think of classic comedy, which is a shame. Much of the comedy in this film could be used today. William Powell is brilliant as ever. Annabella is stunning. Henry Stephenson is charming. He reminds me of a friendly C. Aubrey Smith. And they were in fact cast together in Little Lord Fountleroy (which, if you haven't seen, is an excellent forgotten classic). I can't recommend this film highly enough. Someone has uploaded it to youtube recently, which is where I watched it.

An amusing little story that probably worked better on the stage and doesn't appear to have been much of a challenge for any of the cast. Powell fans will enjoy it nonetheless and Anabella is quite stunning, despite her thick accent. More of Nigel Bruce in comedy relief might have helped the film along.

Although 20th Century Fox touted this as a debut film for French star Anabella, her filmography includes two earlier American films for the same studio. A note on the Fox Movie Channel stated that production on The Baroness and the Butler was delayed while Powell mourned for Jean Harlow, who was engaged to him at the time of her death.