The Night Is Young

If you like operettas this is one you'll want to see. Released in 1935, it contains elements from earlier, pre-code days, such as the scene where Evelyn Laye puts on her stockings. It's pure cheese, probably inserted for no other reason than effect since it has absolutely no bearing on the story. In any case it's a minor and not unwelcome blemish on what is otherwise a very enjoyable film. Ramon Novarro is as always adorable (he even sings) and the chemistry between him and Evelyn Laye quite unforced and believable. The songs are also quite good and I found myself whistling their tunes later on that day. The whole thing has a feel of levity, airiness, joy and fun. And the ending is realistic to boot.

My only complaint is the casting of Charles Butterworth as the love object of Una Merkel. At 39 he was definitely too old to be introduced as a 'young man' by Novarro and perhaps not too old for 33-year old Una Merkel but he just looked so much older, more like a man in his 50s, while Merkel looked like she was in her 20s.

Evelyn Laye is the standout amoung a cast of familiar 30's character actors. I never saw her before and she walks away with this film. It seems she dropped out of the movies after this to work on stage again. The rest of the cast is fine and the photography and direction are stand outs. It's occasionally on TCM here in the US. The print is in very good shape but the audio is fuzzy in a few scenes. Recommended

Wistful, bittersweet operetta seemingly belonging to a time considerably earlier than 1935; it has elements of "Maytime," "The Student Prince," and, yes, "Bitter Sweet" in its plotting and sentimentality. (And leading lady Evelyn Laye, who is extraordinary, had in fact starred in "Bitter Sweet" on Broadway.) But Romberg and Hammerstein, whether au courant at the time or not, chose to write sincerely and with feeling, and MGM trotted out some good screenwriters and excellent production values to realize their vision. The result is an operetta familiar in its doomed-love-among-different-classes plotting, but integrated in a then-modern way, with characters subtly switching into song on the flimsiest of excuses. It's really charming, and Novarro, in his MGM farewell, is dashing and gentlemanly. Charles Butterworth, who had played this sort of part for Hammerstein on the stage in "Sweet Adeline," is a delightful underplaying buffoon, and his vis-a-vis, Una Merkel, gets more screen time than she was generally allowed. Rosalind Russell, as the well-bred woman Novarro must marry (like I said, it's very like "The Student Prince") isn't interesting at this point in her career, but Edward Everett Horton had by now perfected his fussy-major-domo characterization and does it to a T. Well directed by the nearly unknown Dudley Murphy, and lovely to look at.

I had never heard of this film until I saw it recently on Turner Classic Movies as part or a Ramon Novarro salute. What a charming story! It's quite similar to THE STUDENT PRINCE, but with different songs. "The Night Is Young" and "When I Grow Too Old To Dream" are the two standouts in the musical score, and they are delivered charmingly - several times - by Novarro and his leading lady, the beautiful Evelyn Laye.

Before viewing this film, I had just seen Jeannette MacDonald opposite Novarro in THE CAT AND THE FIDDLE. Next to the more famous American soprano, Miss Laye is a breath of fresh air - much less affected and more spontaneous in her acting, with an equally beautifully soprano voice. Perhaps because she is British, her enunciation is far superior to MacDonald's, and the voice is far less shrill in its upper register. Her chemistry with Novarro is wonderfully natural.

I don't mean to slight Ramon Novarro. He is, by turns, romantic, playful, wistful, and noble as the situation requires. He has a pleasant singing voice, and he acquits himself quite well in this bittersweet operetta.

When one adds in some of the excellent MGM supporting players - Una Merkel, Edward Everett Horton, Henry Stephenson, and Herman Bing - and a relatively thankless role for an as yet still supporting Rosalind Russell, it's a winning formula for passing close to an hour and a half.

The story is pure fluff, but what delightful fluff! I would really love to find this on DVD to add to my collection.

Ramon Navarro was a real talent. I'd never heard of Ms. Laye and was stunned at her beauty which was fantastic. She was the most beautiful woman on the screen at that time in my opinion. Mr. Navarro must have been very gay to resist her.

It was very unusual in the Hollywood days of - boy meets girl (often proposing marriage immediately), which leads to their eventually living happily ever after, that such a happy/funny romantic movie ends in such sadness for the protagonists. I was moved.