The Smiling Lieutenant
Maurice Chevalier laughing and loving again in Ernst Lubitsch's sparkling cocktail of romantic merriment
1931 | 89m | English
Popularity: 2 (history)
| Director: | Ernst Lubitsch |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Samson Raphaelson, Ernst Lubitsch, Hans Müller, Ernest Vajda |
| Staring: |
| An amorous lieutenant is forced to marry a socially awkward princess, though he tries to keep his violin-playing girlfriend on the side. | |
| Release Date: | Aug 01, 1931 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Ernst Lubitsch |
| Writer: | Samson Raphaelson, Ernst Lubitsch, Hans Müller, Ernest Vajda |
| Genres: | Comedy, Romance |
| Keywords | romantic rivalry, pre-code, wink |
| Production Companies | Paramount Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 03, 2024 Entered: Apr 27, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Maurice Chevalier | Lt. Nikolaus 'Niki' von Preyn |
| Claudette Colbert | Franzi |
| Miriam Hopkins | Princess Anna |
| Charles Ruggles | Max |
| George Barbier | King Adolf XV |
| Hugh O'Connell | Niki's Orderly |
| Maude Allen | Lady in Waiting (uncredited) |
| Granville Bates | Bill Collector (uncredited) |
| Harry C. Bradley | Count Von Holden (uncredited) |
| Carrie Daumery | Lady in Waiting (uncredited) |
| Ludwig Heinsich | Man (uncredited) |
| Cornelius MacSunday | Emperor Franz Josef (uncredited) |
| Elizabeth Patterson | Baroness Von Schwedel (uncredited) |
| Janet Reade | Lily (uncredited) |
| Werner Saxtorph | Joseph (uncredited) |
| Karl Stall | Master of Ceremonies (uncredited) |
| Robert Strange | Colonel Rockoff (uncredited) |
| Charles Wagenheim | Arresting Officer (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Samson Raphaelson | Screenplay |
| Johnny Green | Music Arranger |
| Ernst Lubitsch | Writer, Director |
| Adolph Deutsch | Music Director |
| Merrill G. White | Editor |
| George J. Folsey | Director of Photography |
| Hans Müller | Novel |
| Hans Dreier | Art Direction |
| Ernest Zatorsky | Sound |
| C.A. Tuthill | Sound |
| Leopold Jacobson | Opera |
| Felix Dormann | Opera |
| Ernest Vajda | Screenplay |
| Harry Froboess | Stunts |
| Clifford Grey | Lyricist |
| Oscar Straus | Original Music Composer, Songs |
| Conrad Salinger | Music Arranger |
| Milton Sperling | Production Assistant |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Ernst Lubitsch | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Actress | Marlene Dietrich | Won |
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 3 |
| 2024 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 5 |
| 2024 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 3 |
| 2024 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 4 |
| 2024 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 3 |
| 2024 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 2 |
| 2024 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 2 |
| 2024 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 2 |
| 2024 | 12 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
| 2025 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 2 |
| 2025 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Trending Position
How many films are you ever going to watch that have songs rhyming "liver" with "quiver" - or that quote Emperor Napoleon's last words before entering exile on Elbe - "so long!"? "Niki" (Maurice Chevalier) is a happy-go-lucky military officer in love with "Franzi" (Claudette Colbert) and all is set ... fair with their lives until a state visit to the Emperor by the princess "Anna" (Miriam Hopkins) lands him in hot water. He smiled at her as the carriage carrying her and her father, the King (George Barbier) passed by. His Majesty is outraged at such a diabolical liberty and si "Niki" is duly summoned. Luckily, he can think on his feet and he can also spell, so is spared death and becomes the apple of the princess's eye! Next thing, wedding bells are being readied and he is swept back to their home land of Flausenthurm a married man. "Franzi" follows and they try to keep something illicit going, but "Anna" is no fool and soon we have a sort of reverse love triangle as the two woman and their hapless hero try to work things out in quite an unusual fashion. Oscar Straus and Clifford Grey provide the musical numbers and though they are pretty unremarkable by themselves, they give the charismatic Chevalier a chance to grin quite a lot, wink now and again and for Colbert and Hopkins to shine. The humour is gently paced, and the whole thing looks like it was shot on the sound stage of the "Prisoner of Zenda". Sure, the story is a bit old hat but it has plenty of charisma to keep it going and is worth a watch.