La femme de Monte Carlo

The one and only opportunity to see German actress Lili Dagover in an American film occurs in this rather old fashioned melodrama The Girl From Monte Carlo. Lili plays a notorious woman of leisure and pleasure who hangs out in the casinos looking for rich men to spend on her.

But she yearns for respectability and what's more respectable than a Captain in the French Navy. She marries the formal and stiff Walter Huston who's been at sea too long.

But this is not Dagover's only acquaintance with the navy. From out of her past is John Wray a notorious rake and Huston's executive officer. And one of Huston's newer officers Warren William gets Dagover's motor running.

Without saying any more about the plot it ends badly for all three of these men.

It was obvious that Warner Brothers-First National imported Dagover from Germany to rival the appeal Marlene Dietrich. She certainly gives a worthy go of it. But as well as Dagover puts her own brand of femme fatale on this film, she decided unlike Dietrich to return to Germany.

An interesting role here is that of George E. Stone who is Warren William's orderly and most discreet keeper of secrets. He's as loyal to William as he was as Otero in Little Caesar to Edward G. Robinson. I'll say nothing more, make of it viewer what you will.

As for Dagover it took more than one man to make her Monte Carlo Lili.

Captain Corliax of the LAFAYETTE (Walter Huston) has a very attractive wife, Lottie Corliax (Lil Dagover). She has had previous relations with his executive officer Bromberg (John Wray) and a junior officer, D'Ortelles (Warren William). She wants to remain loyal too her Husband, but feels ignored being drawn back to D'Ortelles and repulsed by Bromberg. A Naval battle intrudes upon all of this and in the end there is NO happy ending for anybody. Watch and find out the details.

Strong cast supports the film. Lottie Corliax a popular German Actress is attractive and seductive, if She had stayed over here (Hollywood) might have rivaled Garbo or Dietrich. Huston and William did what needed too be done, acted like professional Naval Officers. As for John Wray, he is just as big a weasel in this film as he was as Himmelstoss in ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930).

The SFX are credible done for the time and the Naval battle a fair representation of early 20th Century Sea combat. The LAYFAYETTE described in the film as a Battle-Cruiser would more correctly be called a Armored Cruiser. A type totally obsolete by 1914. In the film represented by full sized sets a large scale model and some pick up shots of ship activity from a Colorado class standard Battleship. The model taking its inspiration from the EDGAR QUINET class Armored Cruiser. Just like in the real conflict, the LAYFAYETTE showed little resistance to underwater attack and succumbed fairly quickly too her Central Powers opponent. France was very lucky She had Great Britain and its Royal Navy on Her side. Her Navy would have been no match for the powerful German Fleet.

Think Othello, Desdemona, and Iago. But a Desdemona with a past. This quick-paced drama of a variety of infidelities - large and small - is quite plausible. And with the commencement of World War I hostilities, this short story roils, rolls, and rocks. After all, loyalty is most important in wartime. This film is not so predictable as some would have you believe.

Fascinating German film star Lil Dagover - in her one Hollywood vehicle - plays a "woman of the world" whose stock-in-trade is an ability to see through men and she puts her heart into her work.

Dagover has poise and oomph and easy emotional range transcending the film's rather old-hat menage-a-trois intrigue. She's a pleasure to watch, an exotic glimpse of past feminine glamour and Viennese charm.

Walter Huston is good but unbudgingly stolid. Warren William is the romantic lead who later descends into delirium without ever receiving Dagover's go-ahead. The men wear splendid naval uniforms and struggle mightily with the call of duty. This is the film's antique theme: Love vs. Valor.

Director Michael Curtiz seems to enjoy filming Dagover, although he can't do for her what von Sternberg did for Dietrich: he doesn't build the film around her. He spends too much time on shipboard maneuvers and the action scenes of a naval battle. Much salt water is spewed.

The ending does have a fantastic Monte Carlo tilt, neatly dispensing with the entire melodrama we've just sat through as just another notch in the woman of the world's cigarette holder.

Either there wasn't room in Hollywood, or Dagover decided she prefered life in Germany, but she never made another film here.

Woman from Monte Carlo, The (1932)

** (out of 4)

Warner melodrama about a Captain (Walter Houston) in the Navy who is about to enter the start of WWI not knowing that his wife (Lil Dagover) has not only a secret past but she's also carrying on a relationship with her husband's Lieutenant (Warren William). After a tragic event aboard the ship, the Captain finds himself in trouble and the only witness (John Wray) to the events has his own agenda. Despite many familiar faces to film buffs, THE WOMAN FROM MONTE CARLO has been pretty much forgotten to time and if anyone does remember it it's probably for the top-billed Indonesian actress Dagover. It's clear that Warner was hoping they had found their own Greta Garbo type as Dagover gives off that sultry voice and the film wastes no time at showing off her legs. In her opening sequence we see her drag herself out of bed and of course her nightgown lifts up long enough to give viewers a good look at her legs. This here is about the most excitement you're going to get for nearly an hour as everything in the middle of the film is nothing more than boring dialogue as we see the three lead characters go back and forth about themselves. We have the Captain who begins to think that he's more committed to the Navy than his actual wife. We have the questionable wife who loves her husband but also another man. We have the other man who wants to protect the woman he loves. We then have a fourth character who of course is the real snake. The screenplay never really makes any of the characters all that interesting and a little energy or at least passion would have helped things. Director Michael Curtiz is pretty bland in terms of the visuals as there's nothing too good looking here and I'd say that the cinematography is pretty bland as well. I didn't think Curtiz did a very good job at building up any of the personal drama going on but he does manage to make for one great sequence. The highlight of the movie is a pretty good action sequence where the ship comes under fire. The effects are very impressive even today and the sinking of the ship manages to contain some nice drama as well. I thought Dagover was pretty good in her role as she perfectly sold the sexuality of the part but I thought she was also believable as the woman torn between two men. Huston doesn't get much to do but he's always fun to watch. William is good in his part but I think it's clear to say that it should have still been played by someone else. The actor is just too strong to play such a "simple" person and the French accent is constantly going in and out. John Wray makes for a good villain and we also have George E. Stone in a small part. Film buffs might want to check this out for its director and cast but sadly the end result isn't nearly as good as one would have hoped for.