The Guardsman

A little creaky, but worth it to see the real-life husband/wife duo of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne who were legends on the stage, and who live up to at least some of that here. Lunt does well early on when he emotes little facial expressions and mannerisms in a very natural and modern way, and Fontanne towards the end is brilliant, especially talking about his kiss as she caresses his face, and in delivering a veiled ribald reference about something else of his. The story involves a pair of actors who are also husband and wife, but it's pretty basic. He's worried that because she's had a number of men as lovers before she married him, she'll move on to another after all of the bickering they've been doing. To test her, he dresses up as a Russian officer and sees how she reacts to his advances. Where Lunt falls down a bit is in his characterization of the Russian, which is clunky and odd; it doesn't work, and also makes the chemistry that develops with her seem false. I loved the delightful bit of ambiguity in that very last shot and this wouldn't be a bad film to see, but guard your expectations. (sorry, no pun intended)

... because seeing it today it seemed as creaky as a rusty swing set. Yet the leads were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress for that year. Some Oscar decisions do not age well.

The plot is about a stage actress (Lynne Fontaine) and a stage actor (Alfred Lunt) who are constantly bickering after just a short time of marriage. The actor believes his wife is now looking to replace him, and he thinks that she would prefer a soldier type, because she seems to scan the audience for such men. Several days latter a Guardsman - he instead looks like the doorman at one of your better New York hotels pre pandemic - begins sending flowers and then asks if he can come and see the actress. She says yes. Perhaps the husband is right and he is about to be replaced. Watch and find out what happens.

The leads here were famous stage actors of the 20th century, and furthermore they actually were married and made very few film appearances. Their next one after this wasn't for another twelve years in 1943. But if they bickered in real life it must have all been in good fun because they were married for 55 years until death separated them in 1977. I thought it odd that they were making the actress 29-30 years old, because in 1931 that was approaching middle age, and the plot is also painting her as a great beauty, but I just couldn't help noticing she had a matronly figure. Fontaine's actual age at the time of the production was 44 years old. Husband Lunt was five years younger than that. Actually, during her life, Fontaine kept the year of her birth such a secret that her own husband thought she was ten years younger than she was. Quite a trick.

Actually, these two characters - actor and actress - are both behaving insufferably, and are very vain people, so it's easy to laugh at them but very hard to like either of them. What's fun in it? Zasu Pitts as a servant because Zasu is always lots of fun in that deadpan way of hers. Then there is Maude Eburne as "Mama", a kind of lady in waiting to the actress. This is rather funny because at the beginning of the movie the married acting couple are in a play about Queen Elizabeth and Queen Elizabeth had a nurse for 23 years who acted as a substitute mother to her. This might be just a coincidence but I enjoyed it. Finally there is Roland Young as a theatre critic who pals around with the acting couple and gives them great reviews. Great shades of Citizen Kane isn't this a conflict of interest?

By the way, I call the leads "actor" and "actress" because that is how they are billed. I never heard any of the cast call them by their actual names. I would mildly recommend this one.

Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne are legendary among Broadway actors and this married couple were among the most respected stage actors of their day. Despite this, this power couple only made one sound film together (as well as a brief cameo in "Stage Door Canteen") and Hollywood was excited about their pairing--and both were nominated for an Oscar for their performances in the movie. Despite this, however, they didn't seem to want the Hollywood life and returned to Broadway.

When the film begins, the pair* are just completing yet another very successful performance. However, despite their smiles and the opinion of their fans that they are the perfect couple, the pair fight incessantly...and even do so with smiles on their faces as they take their bows! Soon you learn that he is very jealous of his wife and suspects she's cheating. And, to prove it, he creates a fake identity and begins sending his wife flowers and letters. But because he thinks he's the world's greatest actor, he even arranged to meet her in disguise. What happens next? See the film.

I think "The Guardsman" is a great example of a film that was overhyped simply because of the actors in it. Lunt and Fontanne was legendary...so folks thought it was brilliant. When seen today, the brilliant is difficult to see and the plot seems utterly unworkable as a film. After all, what wife would not recognize her own husband in disguise making love to her?! I think folks back in 1931 were able to suspend disbelief...I sure wasn't. In fact, I was bored and my score of 5 is pretty generous.

For a better film with a somewhat similar plot, try Leslie Howard and Bette Davis in "It's Love I'm After". It's not a work of genius but takes similar material and does more with it. Overall, "The Guardsman" is very talky, has a ridiculous plot and, dare I say it, a bit of overacting. And, occasionally, the great stage actors (particularly Lunt) have a tendency to talk over other actors as they deliver their lines.

*Lunt and Fontanne are not given names in the script...a strange thing and I cannot think of another film like this.

Many people seem to regard this film as important simply because it is a living testament to Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontaine's acting. After all, it is the only preserved sound performance in which they have starring roles. In reality, however, the film is not only historically important because of the legends in it; it is one of the most fresh and funny films to emerge from the pre-Code period. The story is irresistible: a vain acting couple constantly insult and tease one another. In order to test his wife's fidelity after a bout, the Actor (Lunt) disguises himself as a foreign guardsman, goes out of his way to meet his wife in disguise, and furthermore goes on to try and seduce her. After he succeeds, he reveals himself, furious at her perfidious attitude. The Actress (Fontaine) begins laughing, claiming that she knew all along. At first dubious, the Actor is eventually convinced that his wife was playing along with him, and the two romantically embrace. The Actress looks at the camera and gives the most priceless look, letting the audience know that she may not have really known all along... Lunt and Fontanne make this film come to life. There dominating presence creates a satirical and realistic portrait of what an egomaniacal acting couple's life might really be like.

In addition, there are some priceless supporting roles: Maude Ebourne as a sarcastic maid, Zasu Pitts as a strange (to say the least) servant, Roland Young, and always-reliable Herman Bing as "a creditor." Sidney Franklin, perhaps the most unjustly forgotten of all screen directors (his classics include Private Lives, Smilin' Through, The Good Earth, The Barretts of Wimpole Street, and The Dark Angel), adroitly guides the ensemble, allowing the acting to take center-stage but never neglecting the details so important to cinema. In all, this short, fast-paced romp with two bona fide legends of American stage history is an essential lesson in screen comedy and romance. Although the Lunts, when asked to do later film work, replied "We can be bought but we can't be bored!" there is absolutely no sign of unenthusiasm on screen here. Each earned an Oscar nomination for their performance in The Guardsman, and they left their indelible stamp, albeit only for a short eighty some-odd minutes, on American motion picture history.

Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne are married to each other and have a successful stage career. However, whilst the public sees them perform successfully on stage, they are constantly goading each other in their private life, so much so that the trust placed in their marriage vows is being tested and threatened. No more so than when a mysterious Russian turns up and starts sending flowers to Fontanne. Who could he possibly be?

This film is funny. It has a different storyline and you are never quite sure whether or not Lynn Fontanne knows what she is doing. Even her knowing glance to camera at the film's end leaves you in two minds.

Would you recognize your partner if they donned a disguise? Every time I've ever put a fake moustache on, I've always been rumbled.