User reviews

At first glance, I thought this was a stuffy constume drama. But, no... it turned out to be a lively history-adventure with numerous bits of comedy. The petite Lillian Harvey (playing a ballerina) is not just a passive love object. In fact, she takes centre stage as our charmingly goofball heroine. There's even a few oddly surreal moments (15 minutes in, she sabotages her dance by putting on blackface, huh?? 47 minutes in, she arrives at her flat, and it's filled with dogs! 64 minutes in, she asks a guard a question and he responds by simply barking like a dog. Huh??). There's also the main caper, as she gets involved in the political machinations of 19th century France, even getting mixed up with Napoleon! Oh yes, and it's also a romance, as she avoids becoming the.duke's mistress and escape with her real love, a handsome lieutenant (with the help of her male best friend, who also loves her but is unrequited). We also have a very interesting historical note that the "waltz" (as a musical genre) was once rejected by older generations (the same way rock music, or rap music, or big band, etc., were all forms of music that were rejected by the elders of their time). Finally, the final line of the film was genuinely funny. Overall, I would say that you should give this film a chance because it's better than it looks at first glance.

Lillian Harvey was born only a few miles form where i live in London.She became a star on the continent and England,and for a short time the USA.She had a very engaging voice and could dance.She starred in light operetta films.often,as in this film,set in Central Europe,often,as in this film in the 19th Century.I have never been much of a fan of this genre and this film does little to change my attitude.The plot concerns the Napoleonic war and is set in 1805.the plot is to complex to bother about.I was disappointed that Harvey sang too little and danced too much.I found that generally this was a rather boring film,essentially of its time .