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The Smiling Lieutenant
From Paramount Pictures
Maurice Chevalier laughing and loving again in Ernst Lubitsch's sparkling cocktail of romantic merriment
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Not available to stream in US
🔔 Notify me when it’s streamingSynopsis
An amorous lieutenant is forced to marry a socially awkward princess, though he tries to keep his violin-playing girlfriend on the side.
Themes
Cast & crew
Directed by Ernst Lubitsch
Maurice ChevalierLt. Nikolaus 'Niki' von Preyn
Claudette ColbertFranzi
Miriam HopkinsPrincess Anna
Charles RugglesMax
George BarbierKing Adolf XV
Hugh O'ConnellNiki's OrderlyMaude AllenLady in Waiting (uncredited)
Granville BatesBill Collector (uncredited)
Harry C. BradleyCount Von Holden (uncredited)
Carrie DaumeryLady in Waiting (uncredited)Ludwig HeinsichMan (uncredited)Cornelius MacSundayEmperor Franz Josef (uncredited)Videos
Featurettes
Images · 3
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Reviews · from TMDB members
CinemaSerfMay 4, 2024
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 fathe… Read more
r, the King (George Barbier) passed by. His Majesty is outraged at such a diabolical liberty and so “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.