The charming and vivacious Claudette Colbert shines brightly in this fast-paced, witty, hilarious farce. Look at these credits: A script by the great team of Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder; a supporting cast that includes John Barrymore, Mary Astor, Rex O'Malley, Hedda Hopper and Monty Woolley - all at their best. (Even Don Ameche as the romantic lead, not known as a particularly exciting or interesting actor, holds his own.) Frederick Hollander, famous as the composer of the Marlene Dietrich signature song "Falling in Love Again," contributes incidental music that successfully evokes the Paris that used to be, or at least the Paris of the imagination, even though this movie was shot at Paramount Studios, USA, with liberal use of process shots of the fabled French metropolis. All in the sure hands of Mitchell Leisen who directed his fair share of golden age films which are still watchable in the 21st century.
The farcical plot is based on the Cinderella concept - in this case, an out-of-work show girl stranded in Paris is first taken in by a taxi driver who falls in love with her, and then by an older gentleman who plies her with riches for reasons which do not become clear until we've laughed our way through several episodes. The plot overflows with ingenious twists and clever, snappy dialogue. Complications build to a wacky courtroom resolution presided over by Monty Woolley.
Anyone who has also seen the 1942 Preston Sturges comedy The Palm Beach Story will wonder if Sturges didn't steal half the idea from Midnight. The parallels are abundant and I highly recommend the Sturges film to anyone who likes Midnight. In the Sturges film, Colbert, on the run from her architect husband (Joel McCrea), impulsively boards a train for Palm Beach, setting in motion a cinematic pandemonium. Mary Astor is again on hand as the daffy, loquacious sister of eccentric millionaire Rudy Vallee.
The farcical plot is based on the Cinderella concept - in this case, an out-of-work show girl stranded in Paris is first taken in by a taxi driver who falls in love with her, and then by an older gentleman who plies her with riches for reasons which do not become clear until we've laughed our way through several episodes. The plot overflows with ingenious twists and clever, snappy dialogue. Complications build to a wacky courtroom resolution presided over by Monty Woolley.
Anyone who has also seen the 1942 Preston Sturges comedy The Palm Beach Story will wonder if Sturges didn't steal half the idea from Midnight. The parallels are abundant and I highly recommend the Sturges film to anyone who likes Midnight. In the Sturges film, Colbert, on the run from her architect husband (Joel McCrea), impulsively boards a train for Palm Beach, setting in motion a cinematic pandemonium. Mary Astor is again on hand as the daffy, loquacious sister of eccentric millionaire Rudy Vallee.