“THE LOVE PARADE”

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 935, 31 March 1930, Page 17

“THE LOVE PARADE”

DELIGHTFUL MUSICAL PLAY ROMANCE AND COMEDY i “Anything to please the Queen/' sang Count Alfred Renard when Queen Louise of Sylvania commanded him to dine with her at eight o’clock. She was a very beautiful queen and the dashing Count Alfred was a very obliging young man. And so it came to pass that the position of Prince Consort was not very long vacant. “The Love Parade.” which was screened at the Strand Theatre on Saturday evening concerns one of tiiose obscure little kingdoms which one finds so very hard to find on the map, and which are so very convenient to novelists like Mr. Anthony Mope and writers of musical comedy. Put wherever Sylvania is it is certainly a very picturesque little place. There is also a picturesque little army, a beautiful queen waiting for a husband and much romance. There are also Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Lupino Lane and Lilian Roth, the principals of a very strong cast, who are largely responsible for one of the most entertaining pictures seen in Auckland for a long time. ••The Love Parade” is almost light opera. There is the glamour of glittering uniforms, pretty dresses, a royal wedding, attractive music and, to make it thoroughly modern, an abundance of dainty negligee of the kind generally described by fashion writers as diaphanous. Prom the queen’s wardrobe one concludes that the climate of Sylvania is indeed a very mild one. Maurice Chevalier is Count Alfred. | Count Alfred was a very gay young ; man attached to the Sylvanian Emj bassy at Paris, but his escapades led to him being sent back to Sylvania to I report to the queen. The queen has ' been supplied with a confidential document in which a conscientious I minister has set out with some detail •; m© intriguing adventures of the count. | The queen is determined that he j should be punished, but cannot decide lon what form it should take. Being las much a woman as a queen she i orders him to dine with her at eight ! o'clock. At about half-past eight the j queen is in the count’s arms. SPECTACULAR WEDDING i The royal wedding is a very spectacular affair. The count lias beer raised to the rank of a prince in order that ho might marry the queen. In order to emphasise the fact that hit wife is the queen they are made wife and man instead of man and wife, the queen promising to love and protecl i him and the prince consort to love un<: i obey. The prince consort has liardlj bargained for this, but after a momentary hesitation, murmurs his assent. As prince consort he has nothing tc do but eat and sleep and be a dutifu husband. It becomes very monotonou; I being husband to a queen, particular!: 1 when the queen commences to becorm | rather authoritative. They drift apar j until at last, alter one stormy scent i when the queen commands him to atj tend the opera with her and to appea: ! in a good humour before the audience he announces his intention of leaving ! her and going to Paris. ! When tiie queen realises that she i j more in love than ever with her hand ; some young consort she finds the table | completely turned. There is a ver; entertaining scene when the princ< packs his bag While the queen tearfull; announces that she will follow him t Paris. Lventually she promises t | love and obey him and all is forgiven Maurice Chevalier gives a delight fully fresh performance as the print-* and he is very ably supported by th ; beciutiful Jeanette MacDonald as th | queen. The singing of the seveni lilting numbers is very good, particu ; larly “Anything to Please th© Queen. ! “Dream Love” and “My Love Parade. [ Lupino Lane and Lilian Roth, as th 1 prince’s valet and the queen’s mai ; respectively, also give two outstand ! ing performances. Their song an I dance number, “Let’s Be Common,” i ; one of the most popular features c I th© picture. “Paris Stay the Same I and “Nobody’s Using It” were Maunc i Chevalier’s two big numbers. Th j latter was exceptionally entertaining. Th© talking and singing is of a liig 1 standard and th© chorus work i ! thorough and satisfying. “The Lov 1 Parade” is a triumph for Ernes i Lubitsch, who directed it. Of it j kind it is a masterpiece. In les competent hands it could be either ; great failure or a great succes j Treated as a delightful farce it is cei j tainly a great success. There is also a strong supportin ’ programme including a Fox Movietor | amusing Micky the Mouse cartoon. Filming on “The Big Pond.” Mauric Chevalier’s third talking and singir production, has been completed at t’r , bert plays the leading feminine role.