L'aventure de minuit

I bought this film on video cassette online, not knowing what to expect, but since I liked all the stars involved - Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland - I figured I would probably enjoy the film. Enjoy is not the word, I relished it. It was like eating a dark chocolate ice cream cone with chocolate syrup and cherry and whipped cream piled on top. And nutty! Oh, so nutty! What a delight! Other reviewers here have mentioned the plot about a couple of bickering thespians, so I won't repeat it here in detail. I'll just mention my favorite scenes: ALL of them! :)

It's Love I'm After is Leslie's funniest film. He is hilarious, his comedic timing perfect. I burst out laughing whenever he started going on his Shakespeare routines, like picking up the burnt fish at dinner and reciting lines from Taming of the Shrew. I loved the way he and Bette Davis punched each other around, I can just imagine what fun they had playing this couple! And Olivia de Havilland looked so beautiful and sexy, she had great clothes in this film, and her part was all sweetness and light. The one who really steals the picture though is Eric Blore, who almost always plays butlers or waiters in films. The scene where Bette comes upon Leslie and Olivia kissing in the garden and sees Eric desperately doing turkey imitations to warn him of her arrival had me in conniption fits of laughter! Please see this film, you'll love it. 9 out of 10.

While Bette Davis and Leslie Howard are amusing as two battling lovers who also happen to be ham actors, the surprise of this little comedy is Olivia de Havilland as the moonstruck girl with a crush on matinée idol Basil Underwood (Howard). De Havilland never had a better ingenue role and she makes the most of it. Amusing to note that three years later she and Howard would be paired as Melanie and Ashley in 'Gone with the Wind'. Strange that previous comments fail to even mention her presence in this film! Even Bette Davis admitted that de Havilland had the better role with more footage--and claimed to dislike the film. However, all three leads are excellent--with Eric Blore stealing scenes as the butler frequently told by Leslie Howard to "Pack my bags!" Bonita Granville is rather irritating as de Havilland's brat sister and Spring Byington is her usual chipper self. Patric Knowles, as de Havilland's boyfriend and ultimate love partner, is wonderful in his amusing role as the man who sets the whole plot into action. Catch this one on Turner Classic Movies if you can. It's well worth it. Leslie Howard shows a real flair and delight in playing his ham actor--one of his finest comedy roles. A highlight is a confrontation between him and de Havilland when she declares: "I was in love with Clark Gable last year. If I can get over him, I can certainly get over you!" Screwball comedies don't get any better than this!

I'd never even heard of this one until it came out on DVD-R courtesy the Warner Archives. I gave it a try and I was delighted. I've seen every pair of the three main stars here together in different films before (Bette Davis, Leslie Howard, Olivia De Haviland), but never all three at the same time. The pairings I am speaking of were all in serious films, and it is great to see these three try out their comic chops and try them out together. Leslie Howard and Bette Davis hardly ever got a chance at this type of role, and Olivia De Haviland did so on several occasions, but so few people remember those performances.

The film concerns a pair of Shakespearean actors. Basil Underwood (Leslie Howard) and Joyce Arden (Bette Davis). They are involved on and offstage, and are constantly fighting and making up. One night Marcia West (Olivia De Haviland) sees a performance of Romeo and Juliet and falls instantly in love with Basil, she even goes backstage and tells him so. This has Marcia's boyfriend in a panic and he asks Basil to come to the West estate and behave so badly as to end Marcia's feelings for him. Basil, just recently making a resolution to not be so selfish, decides to do this as a good deed. However, Joyce follows Basil to the estate, and Marcia does not react as planned to Basil's actions. For that matter, Basil doesn't act as Basil planned. Also a delight is Eric Blore as Basil's valet. He steals every scene. Highly recommended.

It's Love I'm After concerns a famous acting couple (Leslie Howard and Bette Davis) whose fighting often outweighs their love for each other. When a young girl (Olivia De Havilland) develops an intense crush on Howard, her fiancée takes it upon himself to make a deal with him to be mean to her. Howard does it to improve his moral standing but takes a few relapses as everything he does excites Havilland even more. This is a truly funny comedy with an excellent cast.

Olivia De Havilland appears here in an early role. Her enthusiasm and innocence make her seem younger than she is and very high-strung. However, her performance is perfect for the part.

It seems that in Hollywood there were two legitimate British actors: Howard and Charles Laughton. Laughton's weight forced him into fatherly roles and Howard's good looks pushed him toward romantic leads. Howard's presence in this film reflects his talents as an actor and this stereotype but the two are incorporated brilliantly. He shines the brightest.

I caught this on TCM as part of the Bette Davis Star of the Month tribute, and I have to admit, I didn't expect much. The thought of Davis, Howard, and de Havilland in a purely comedic film just seemed a little implausible to me. Thankfully, I was wrong; after five minutes, wild horses couldn't have pulled me away!

Howard plays Basil Underwood, the heartthrob of the theatre world. While touring the nation in Shakespearean plays, he builds quite a reputation as a lady's man, breaking hearts from sea to shining sea. On the eve of his elopement to his long-suffering co-star / fiancé Joyce (Davis), Basil is faced with a dilemma: in order to redeem himself in the eyes of an old friend, and in a vain attempt to make resolution for his many indiscretions with the fairer sex (the big blonde in New Orleans, the redhead in Denver, etc.), he has to make himself out to be a complete cad and cause a young fan (de Havilland) to hate him. The rest of the plot revolves around Basil's attempts to become a changed man, rather than the "bad odor" he is affectionately called at the beginning of the film.

Howard shines in this film; you can tell that he is really having some fun in this one. He plays the cad well, and is enjoyable at it. Davis has a basically supporting role, but handles what she is given with ease and sarcasm. De Havilland is a bundle of girlish charm and energy, and her blind adoration of Basil makes for some really cute situations.

The star, however, is Eric Blore, who plays Digges (Basil's valet and, essentially, his conscience). Forever packing (and unpacking) the bags and keeping track of Basil's dirty deeds, this man puts up with it all and handles it with unnerving calm and a sharp wit. Oh, and he does a mean bird call!

Although not the best of any of the primary players' careers, this is certainly a must-see for any fan of Howard, Davis, and de Havilland, or anyone just looking for a cute movie to make them smile. The last time I laughed this hard at primarily dramatic actors in a movie together was when I saw VALLEY OF THE DOLLS recently...the major difference is that Howard, Davis, and de Havilland intended to make a comedy. Enjoy!