clanciai Review of That Lady in Ermine

That Lady in Ermine (1948)

A heroic princess of the 16th century intervening in the 19th

[9/10 · 1 February 2020]

This was Ernst Lubitsch's last film, and the tragedy of it was that he died on the way of heart failure at only 55, so Otto Preminger had to complete it. This provides a clash in style between the two Viennese masters, which the film suffers from. It was intended as a spiritual and sparkling comedy, but it gets a bit heavy on the way under Preminger's probably reluctant direction. The main assets of the film is the brilliant and very original script, the splendid colours and costumes, making the film visual fireworks all the way, and Betty Grable is surprsingly good in a character totally out of her usual parade. Douglas Fairbanks Jr is always a dashing expert, and all the others contribute also well to the show, while the prize goes to the imagination of the plot - it transcends history, as it makes the 16th century play an important part by intervening in the 19th century, so it's a play using different historical dimensions to compliment each other. The music is also splendid, and here you notice the real Viennese spirit of the film. Although you might have some objections to some silliness and other flimsy ingredients, you simply must be impressed by the final dancing scene when they break the ceiling. The main Lubitsch spirit of great comedy and humour shines through after all and survives even Otto Preminger's heavyweight in handling the material.