"The Love Parade"

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 898, 15 February 1930, Page 27

"The Love Parade "

POPULAR FRENCH PLAYER. MAURICE CHEVALIER, IS AGAIN A SUCCESS taljTof ROYAL ROMANCE Maurice Chevalier has made lightning strike twice in the same place. His second picture, "The Love Parade,” promises to be an even greater success than “Innocents of Paris.” The new picture is different in every aspect from the other' different in mood, in theme, in style; having only the immense charm of the man to carry over, writes an American critic. This charm has freer play, because of a fuller story than in the former film, for in “The Love Parade” Chevalier is a nobleman, military attache in Paris, beloved of the ladies, loving many of them; leaving Item; fighting over them: ready to die bravely for them. ; GAY DAYS END I The gay Paris days come to an end. The Ambassador finds fault with Count Alfred's adventures and orders him to report to Queen Louise. The queen is lonely. She Is young, lovely, desirable, but there doesn’t seem to be a husband for her. Her Ministers propose one after another of the available princes, but none seems to please the whimsical lady, and she swears she will never marry. And just at the juncture Alfred shows up to report 4, 'in person” to report to her majesty for punishment. She reads the report of his wicked ways in Paris, and becomes interested. Chevalier does everything with the role of Alfred. He is full of smiles of assorted meaning; he raises his eyebrows or looks aslant and smiles again, and everyone straightaway fails in love with him. He has added a hundred new graces to those he showed us in “Innocents of Paris,” and very close behind him comes Jeanette MacDonald, the queen. A lovely creature, with wonderful eyes and distracting hair; L a voice of great beauty and knowledge of its use. Which reminds one of Chevalier’s songs, “The Love Parade,” "Paris, Stay as You Are,” and others; sung with all the finesse that made his singing in the first picture so attractive 1