Court-circuit

... and I do not know why the folks at Universal don't do more to get treasures such as these out to the public, at least using the manufactured on demand method that Warner Brothers and MGM/UA are using.

This is one of the sophisticated precodes revolving around a series of mistaken identities and misrepresentations. The basic plot is that Josef (Paul Lukas) is butler to the carousing Prince Alfred von Rommer (Nils Asther). Josef helps the prince whenever he gets in a tight spot with one of his many lady friends - with that tight spot primarily consisting of protests and threats being raised by one of the ladies' husbands popping up unexpectedly. After one such episode the prince decides to take a vacation in Monte Carlo and he sends Josef on ahead with the luggage. On the train Josef notices an attractive young lady (Elissa Landi) and tries to make a play for her himself. He is only modestly successful until the young woman sees Josef's luggage and notices the prince's coat of arms. Now Josef has to pretend to be the prince in order to continue courting the lady. What happens when the real prince arrives? Is the young lady who she seems to be? Will those angry husbands now be after Josef since he has taken the prince's identity? Watch and find out.

The main negative in this film is the casting of Paul Lukas as Josef. This time it is not his accent that is the problem but his age. It is a bit of a stretch to believe that a man in his 40's would have such wide-eyed hero worship for the younger prince and his philandering ways. Nils Asther as the prince gives a charming and effortless performance, behaving genuinely amused at the uncomfortable situations in which he is placed. Like Lukas, Asther also had a heavy accent, and that and a contract dispute pretty much finished his acting career shortly after this film was made.

Highly recommended as one of the great sophisticated precodes, although you probably won't be able to find a good print of it. I know I haven't been able to find one yet.

Charming film. Lukas is not quite suited to the role. Music is played too loud throughout although it is good music. Whale must have done this quick. Not a whole lot of Whale genius here. Still enjoyable for fans of the period.

Suave butler Paul Lukas greatly admires his wealthy employer, one of those vaguely royal European noblemen who wanders around the continent carrying on romantic affairs. Lukas even practices copying the prince's mannerisms and pickup lines.

Traveling with the prince's luggage, he meets attractive and well dressed Elissa Landi and allows her to think he is the prince himself as they strike up a relationship on the train. They quickly fall in love - and Lukas is reluctant to tell her the truth, afraid that she will not be interested when she learns he is only a butler. Landi, on the other hand, is similarly shifty about her own identity....

Nils Asther is lots of fun as the real prince, who readily plays along with Lukas's game when the opportunity comes up. Landi is fine as the leading lady, sometimes very funny as she alternates between displaying allure and alarm. Lukas is good, too, as the slightly goofy impostor whose scheme starts to get out of control.

The plot and all its little devices - candles, champagne, unscrewing a fuse so the lights go out at the right moment - are not only silly but really rather predictable for the most part. Still, this is a solid entry in the early genre of comedies about misbehaving European royalty.

You can tell that "By Candlelight" is a film that came out before the tough Production Code of mid-1934. This is because this comedy also talks about adultery...and it certainly does NOT condemn it in any way!

Josef (Paul Lukas) is the valet to a prince...and a very good one. So when the prince is out whoring around with other men's wives, Josef, as best he can, runs interference. One day, the prince decides to go on a journey...and he sends his valet ahead of him to get his summer home ready. On the train ride, Josef meets a charming woman and Marie (Elissa Landie) assumes that Josef is THE prince...and pursues him. Little does she know that he's no prince...and Marie has a secret of her own to hide.

This is a cute sex comedy...minus the sex. As usual, Lukas is charming and the film has a few nice laughs.

This is a straight comedy of errors type of thing which although some of its humour is still funny and it's is expertly put together, it's nothing special but still a good example of early thirties middle of the road comedy.

The problem with this is that you've got to like the characters to enjoy this fully but they're just not made relatable enough. Your main man here that you're watching is Paul Lukas and once you get it in your head that he sounds just like Bela Lugosi and looks Dracula in HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA you can't warm easily to him. There's actually a scene where he kisses 'Marie's' neck commenting on her perfect throat......there must have been some funny outtakes from that shoot!

But back to the review..... James Whale's direction makes this feel genuine, as though they're real people. It looks classy and paces itself just right. The characters however seem a little distant and the lead (Dracula audition Hopeful?) is dishonest and a liar so not very likeable. Unusually for a James Whale film but it just doesn't have any magic. And the score is weirdly overpowering. Universal must have been getting their money's worth from the orchestra - it never stops. Were they just showing off to their competitors that they can now afford an orchestra by using it over every single second of your picture.