Love Me Tonight (1932)

[Areyakiddin]

Surprised this movie didn't have a thread dedicated to it. A lovely movie with great cinematic technique especially for such an early talkie. The scene dedicated to Isn't it Romantic is straight up breathtaking.

[Show spoiler]

From Rouben Mamoulian, the legendary director of City Streets, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Song of Songs, Queen Christina, Becky Sharp, The Mark of Zorro and Silk Stockings, comes a madcap musical tour de force of infectious melody, effortless vivacity and ceaseless invention from first frame to last. Building on a foundation of songs by Rodgers and Hart (Babes in Arms, Pal Joey), Mamoulian shepherds Maurice Chevalier (The Merry Widow) and Jeanette MacDonald (Rose-Marie) through this exuberant romp. Carefree tailor Maurice (Chevalier) leaves a backlot Paris where music literally radiates from every shop, sidewalk and boudoir to collect on a past-due bill at a recalcitrant aristocratic client’s family chateau. Mistaken for royalty, Maurice runs a gauntlet of lunatic blue-bloods, including love-happy Myrna Loy (The Thin Man) and screwball icon Charlie Ruggles (Bringing Up Baby). But it is Princess Jeanette’s (MacDonald) closely guarded heart that Maurice desires and it will take every ounce of his ingenious pluck to woo her without revealing his well-meaning romantic deception.
Product Extras :

Brand New 4K Master

Audio Commentary by Film Historian Miles Kreuger (Founder and President of the Institute of the American Musical)

Maurice Chevalier sings "Louise"

Jeanette MacDonald sings "Love Me tonight" (from the Paramount newsreel series HOLLYWOOD ON PARADE)

Screenplay Excerpts of Deleted Scenes

Production Documents and Censorship Records

Theatrical Trailer

Dual-Layered BD50 Disc

Optional English Subtitles

[tatterdemalion]

This is my favorite musical. The comedy with the songs flows so well. All the double entendre and many lines that after The Hayes Code would have been a no-no like Myrna Loy's liking schoolboys comment; and she does mean schoolboys before college; would have popped a blood vessel. The song Mimi with the wink, wink, nudge, nudge know what I mean? And lastly C. Aubrey Smith...all movies should have a C. Aubrey Smith in it.

With what was kept you wonder what the cut scenes were like. I only know of the Myrna Loy singing Mimi in Lingerie cut. But if they kept that schoolboy line those other parts must have been real doozies.

[Areyakiddin]

Originally Posted by tatterdemalion

This is my favorite musical. The comedy with the songs flows so well. All the double entendre and many lines that after The Hayes Code would have been a no-no like Myrna Loy's liking schoolboys comment; and she does mean schoolboys before college; would have popped a blood vessel. The song Mimi with the wink, wink, nudge, nudge know what I mean? And lastly C. Aubrey Smith...all movies should have a C. Aubrey Smith in it.

With what was kept you wonder what the cut scenes were like. I only know of the Myrna Loy singing Mimi in Lingerie cut. But if they kept that schoolboy line those other parts must have been real doozies.

Hard to pick one, but my personal favorite Pre-Code bit in here is the maid describing in song how she would "flirt until it hurt while he stood there in his undershirt".

According to the bonus features the cuts were made for a reissue to art houses, which makes those cuts even more of a tragedy. Though on the other hand, it sounds like Breen may have required it to be ripped it to shreds if it got a general release.

For those curious the other scenes that were cut:
1. Two references by Myrna Loy to the "virgin springs" and both characters she's talking to thinking she's referring to some type of dance.
2. The doctor's song included additional lyrics where he told Jeanette how a "Woman Needed Something Like That" giving such examples as a drum being beaten or a car needing ignition.

Thankfully nothing noticeable in the available cut like with the Marx Brothers movies, but all missed.

[All Darc]

"Love Me Tonight was restored by Powerhouse "Films from Universal's 2019 HD remaster, created from a 4K scan of a 35mm dupe negative print."

Dupe negative print?
A negative is not a print, but a master.

[ilenewoodsfan99]

So far, this is the first of only 2 Jeanette MacDonald titles on Blu Ray. Here's hoping Kino/Criterion/Warner can give us more soon! 3 years is a pretty long wait.

[BigSteveLittle]

Just wondering from 2025 which is the better transfer the Kino or Powerhouse. Only 4 years apart in release?

Steve

[sherlockjr]

Originally Posted by All Darc

"Love Me Tonight was restored by Powerhouse "Films from Universal's 2019 HD remaster, created from a 4K scan of a 35mm dupe negative print."

Dupe negative print?
A negative is not a print, but a master.

A little late response, but I suspect what this means is it was a scan of a 35mm print made from a dupe negative (probably a later safety dupe negative) so a couple of generations removed from the camera negative, and, of course, the image quality of a print scan is not as high as one directly from the OCN or a dupe negative.

[darrellmaclaine]

Originally Posted by BigSteveLittle

Just wondering from 2025 which is the better transfer the Kino or Powerhouse. Only 4 years apart in release?

Steve

Same master, but the Indicator has better extras, a good booklet, a nicer cover, and a Fidelity In Motion encode, so wins on all fronts.

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by darrellmaclaine

Same master

They do not share the same master.

[darrellmaclaine]

Originally Posted by Dailyan

They do not share the same master.

Huh, you're right! Hadn't even clocked that. So yes, the Indicator also features a new 2023 restoration.

[BigSteveLittle]

Originally Posted by darrellmaclaine

Huh, you're right! Hadn't even clocked that. So yes, the Indicator also features a new 2023 restoration.

So my reason for asking (which I should have said to begin with) is that each review for these editions has the 2019 release as very good, but the 2023 edition as having numerous artifacts. I'm not sure if this is actually the case or a product of the first review having less expectations.

[darrellmaclaine]

Originally Posted by BigSteveLittle

So my reason for asking (which I should have said to begin with) is that each review for these editions has the 2019 release as very good, but the 2023 edition as having numerous artifacts. I'm not sure if this is actually the case or a product of the first review having less expectations.

I think it's probably that the first review is just more forgiving. The flaws are at source level.