La Dame au manteau d'hermine

Watched 'That Lady in Ermine' as an admirer of both Otto Preminger and Ernst Lubitsch and as a fan of classic-era film. It is hard to go wrong too with performers such as Betty Grable, Douglas Fairbanks Jr and Caesar Romero on their own and just as big a delight seeing those names in the same film and there was an intriguing story and ideas here.

Ideas that could have been executed much better on the whole. 'That Lady in Ermine' is far from a bad film and there is a good deal to like, but it is very uneven, quite strange and doesn't really come together as an overall whole. While the talent and potential are not completely squandered they are nowhere near close to being fulfilled, all have done much better and deserved better.

Starting with the good things, 'That Lady in Ermine' does look great. It is very lavishly produced and shot in beautiful, vibrant Technicolor. The music is pleasant and charming regardless of its lack of memorability. There are elements of the Lubitsch touch, where there is sparkling wit, sophistication and charm and where the film has more energy.

Despite her later considering 'That Lady in Ermine' her least favourite film of her career, Betty Grable is spunky and charming, it is not a typical role for her but her approach to it is distinctively so. Romero and especially Fairbanks are immensely likeable in their roles and Walter Abel, Harry Davenport and Reginald Gardiner entertain in support.

However, the story is both slight, plot-less often, and overly silly, with a lot of ideas not done anywhere near much with and too many elements that don't gel together. The script is uneven, sometimes witty and at other times clunky and the pace is a mix of just fine to dull in other stretches. The final act is somewhat heavy-handed which jars with a good deal of the rest of the film.

As has been said, this was Lubitsch's last film and mostly his but he sadly died of a heart attack aged 55 during filming and the film was completed by Preminger. Some may say that the transition from one to the other was seamless, personally do not agree with this. The two had very different directing styles to each other and approached their films differently, Lubitsch's films were light, sophisticated and witty while Preminger's were heavier and some exploring darker and ahead of the time themes and subjects, both as great and absorbing as each other in their own way. Both styles can be seen here and don't gel together, with Lubitsch's style being more successful in his own distinctive way and far more enthusiastic while Preminger's was heavy-handed and coarse which is where the film is less interesting.

Overall, uneven but oddly interesting and watchable. 5/10 Bethany Cox

I just watched this film on YouTube; it's there for free in version with very good image quality. It was a box office flop, and has a poor reputation among classic film devotees. But if you enjoy musicals, you might want to give it a chance.

I mildly enjoyed it. Fairbanks Jr. Is excellent, giving a spirtited performance with the right touch of believable emotion and light tungue in cheek playfulness. The sets are opulant. Fredrick Holander's music is lovely, though the song lyrics (by Leo Robin?) are mediocre and banal. There are occasional playfully funny moments.

On the down side, the film overall lacks the charm, subtle sexiness, and light touch that Lubitch would have given it, if he had directed the entire thing, and his capabilities were not greatly diminished by very poor health. Grable is OK in the role, but far from the ideal actress-singer for it. I've read that Fox head Zanick wanted to broaden her appeal and put her in more high class roles, so she made three classy pictures and all of them, including this one flopped. (One of them is excellent, and I highly recommend it, "The Shocking Miss Pilgrim".)

That Lady in Ermine seems to have two endings; and I felt let down by the second one. It should have ended when the Fairbanks character rides away, bidding the Grable character a regretful goodby. But then there's a entirely unnecessary scene, which seems tacked on.

I really enjoyed this Lubitsch movie with Betty Grable. It made quite a change from her usual "musicals", and I cannot again understand why there have been no videos or DVDs made of it. Younger viewers who don't even know who Betty Grable is will surely appreciate this Lubitsch movie. Here's hoping!

In 1948 this was my all-time favorite movie. Betty Grable's costumes were so ravishing that I wanted to grow up to be her and dress like that. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., was irresistible as the dashing Hungarian officer. Silly and fluffy as this movie might appear at first, when I was eight years old it seemed to me to say something important about relations between men and women. I saw it again the other day; I was surprised to find that it still did.

THE LADY IN ERMINE certainly has its moments, but it can't decide if it wants to be a romance or a comedy. Parts of it are very funny indeed and had me laughing out loud, while others seem to fall as flat as a lead balloon.

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. is handsome and dashing, as usual, providing a much needed surge of energy when he is on screen, but Betty Grable seems uncomfortable in her double role. She's far more enjoyable to watch as the ancestor than she is as the descendant. The opportunity for her to display her most valuable assets (her legs) is limited.

20th Century Fox has surrounded the two leads with good character actors from its stable, including Cesar Romero showing some versatility, Walter Abel in two roles, and Harry Davenport as the likable old retainer. Reginald Gardiner is wasted as Alberto.

It's a shame that the songs are so ordinary and mostly forgettable. Was this the best Fox, the studio that brought us STATE FAIR, could do? All in all, you're not missing much if you don't see it, but it's a pleasantly diverting way to pass an hour and thirty minutes.