There are many films who have become famous on their own right, while others who deserve it simply haven't; being this more common amongst European ones. Valse Brillante is a well crafted, well written and above all finely acted French musical, where songs and dialogue perfectly combine together. It is elegantly directed, with a smooth yet never boring narrative rhythm. This may be explained by the fact that director Jean Boyer was the son of a chansonnier, had been a performer himself, had previously worked with Charles Trénet or Georges Guétary, had ample experience in comedies and musicals and in adapting foreign films.
The lead couple, Márthä Eggerth and Jan Kiepura, both famed singers who were married in real life, made only one more film together after this one, which is a pity watching their common spark and sense for comedy. Their separate songs are as good as the numbers they perform together, and their virtuous and most funny singing of Mozart's Turkish March is brilliant, something to behold. She is so good at varying her register according to each number -cocquettish, charmante, folkloric, sexy-, while he, keeping on with his energetic attitude which gave both opera and movies such unique moments, seems to be having a good time as her bodyguard, playing detective to find out who is menacing her suitors. Lucien Baroux is also great as their manager, as Roger Tréville is as Martha's stressed admirer.
But there's much more in this delightful story : the script plays with the actor's names and nationalities from the start, giving them both the opportunity to speak in their native languages (Polish for Kiepura, Hungarian for Eggerth), and raising many topics to the actors advantage, like when Kowalski's surname is always misspelled or when he briefly retires to his Polish "dominion" where not even a goat is missing. He is in shirt sleeves while Mártha appears dressed in Jacques Heim. Before this she dances and sings an Hungarian number, and Kiepura will give an energetic rendition of a mazurka.
To sum it up, this is an intelligent, amusing and delightful musical comedy with the added interest of watching Eggerth and Kiepura perform together. Délicieuse!
The lead couple, Márthä Eggerth and Jan Kiepura, both famed singers who were married in real life, made only one more film together after this one, which is a pity watching their common spark and sense for comedy. Their separate songs are as good as the numbers they perform together, and their virtuous and most funny singing of Mozart's Turkish March is brilliant, something to behold. She is so good at varying her register according to each number -cocquettish, charmante, folkloric, sexy-, while he, keeping on with his energetic attitude which gave both opera and movies such unique moments, seems to be having a good time as her bodyguard, playing detective to find out who is menacing her suitors. Lucien Baroux is also great as their manager, as Roger Tréville is as Martha's stressed admirer.
But there's much more in this delightful story : the script plays with the actor's names and nationalities from the start, giving them both the opportunity to speak in their native languages (Polish for Kiepura, Hungarian for Eggerth), and raising many topics to the actors advantage, like when Kowalski's surname is always misspelled or when he briefly retires to his Polish "dominion" where not even a goat is missing. He is in shirt sleeves while Mártha appears dressed in Jacques Heim. Before this she dances and sings an Hungarian number, and Kiepura will give an energetic rendition of a mazurka.
To sum it up, this is an intelligent, amusing and delightful musical comedy with the added interest of watching Eggerth and Kiepura perform together. Délicieuse!
