Trouble in Paradise (1932)

Directed by Ernst Lubitsch. Starring Herbert Marshall, Miriam Hopkins, Kay Francis, Edward Everett Horton, C. Aubrey Smith, Charles Ruggles, Robert Greig.

Lubitsch’s effervescent pre-Code farce of romantically-entangled thieves Marshall and Hopkins who target a jewel-encrusted purse owned by wealthy widowed perfumier Francis, but matters get complicated when they embark on a more ambitious con and Marshall starts to fall for the mark. Bright, witty, and sophisticated, the pic is never quite as stimulated as the best of its breed—it’s simply too polite and refined for that—but it’s still a delight from start to finish…or, rather, just before the finish, since the romantic triangle is resolved in such a rushed and unconvincing fashion that it’s like chasing a whole bottle of slow-sipped champagne with an underripe strawberry. The main actors are subtle and suave, nicely underplaying what could have been excessively loud if elevated (or reduced?) to the screwball trade; supporting cast provides more than just plot-pushing décor. Adapted from László Aladár’s play, The Honest Finder.

79/100