''Bride of the Regiment'' is a 1930 American

Pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

musical film directed by John Francis Dillon and filmed entirely in

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

. The screenplay by Ray Harris and Humphrey Pearson is based on the

book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physi ...

of the 1922

stage musical Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

''The Lady in Ermine'' by

Frederick Lonsdale Frederick Lonsdale (5 February 1881 – 4 April 1954) was a British playwright known for his librettos to several successful musicals early in the 20th century, including '' King of Cadonia'' (1908), '' The Balkan Princess'' (1910), ''Betty'' ...

and Cyrus Wood, which had been adapted from the 1919 operetta ''Die Frau im Hermelin'' by

Rudolph Schanzer Rudolf (or Rudolph) Schanzer (12 January 1875 – 1944) was an Austrian playwright and journalist. He is primarily known for the numerous operetta librettos that he wrote for composers such as Leo Fall, Jean Gilbert, Emmerich Kálmán, and Ralph ...

and Ernst Welisch. The story is a remake of a 1927 First National silent film, '' The Lady in Ermine'', that starred

Corinne Griffith Corinne Griffith (née Griffin; November 21, 1894 – July 13, 1979) was an American film actress, producer, author and businesswoman. Dubbed "The Orchid Lady of the Screen," she was widely regarded as one of the most beautiful actresses of the ...

. It was later remade by 20th Century-Fox as '' That Lady in Ermine'' (1948) starring

Betty Grable Elizabeth Ruth Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model, and singer. Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million; for 10 consecutive years (1942–1951) she reign ...

and

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr., (December 9, 1909 – May 7, 2000) was an American actor, producer and decorated naval officer of World War II. He is best known for starring in such films as ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937), '' Gunga Din'' (1939) ...

Plot

The film takes place during a period in which Austria controlled Italy during the Austro-Italian War of 1830. Colonel Vultow, played by Walter Pidgeon, leader of Austrian cavalry regiment, is sent to Italy to put down a revolt led by the Lombardian aristocracy. Vultow decides to go to the castle of Count Adrian Beltrami, played by Allan Prior, one of the leaders of the revolution. This happens to be Beltrami's wedding day. As he is emerging from the church following his wedding to Countess Anna-Marie (Vivienne Segal), Beltrami learns that Colonel Vultow is quickly approaching the town in search of him. At the behest of his bride, Beltrami flees the castle, but he asks Tangy, a

silhouette A silhouette ( , ) is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the silhou ...

cutter, to impersonate him and protect Anna-Marie. When Adrian returns in disguise, he is introduced to Vultow as a singer and silhouette cutter, and when the count demands for him create a silhouette, he enlists Tangy's aid. The deception is discovered, and Vultow sentences Adrian to death by a

firing squad Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French ''fusil'', rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are ...

unless Anna-Marie submits to his sexual demands. Eager to save her husband, Anna-Marie shows a portrait of her great-grandmother to Vultow and explains why the woman is wearing only an ermine cloak. Her ancestor once killed a man to protect her honor, and the countess fears she will be forced to do the same. The painting comes to life and Anna-Marie's great-grandmother steps down from the frame and embraces Vultow, now drunk on

champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

. He falls asleep and dreams Anna-Marie willingly gives herself to him, and when he awakens, he orders Adrian to be freed in the mistaken belief Anna-Marie is now his. When Vultow receives news that the Italian troops are advancing, he departs, and the count and countess are reunited.

Pre-Code sequences

The film was full of so much

humor that it ran into censorship problems in many areas. The film drew large crowds in Chicago where it played as an "Adults Only" feature. The soundtrack reveals some amazingly suggestive dialogue. In one sequence,

Myrna Loy Myrna Loy (born Myrna Adele Williams; August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. Trained as a dancer, Loy devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. ...

(playing a depraved dancer named Sophie) finds out Vultow (

Walter Pidgeon Walter Davis Pidgeon (September 23, 1897 – September 25, 1984) was a Canadian-American actor. He earned two Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for his roles in '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942) and ''Madame Curie'' (1943). Pidgeon also starred in ...

) who had previously fallen for her charms and made love to her has met with Anna-Marie (

Vivienne Segal Vivienne Sonia Segal (April 19, 1897 – December 29, 1992) was an American actress and singer. Early years Segal was born on April 19, 1897, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the elder daughter of Jewish parents Bernhard Segal, a physician, ...

) and fallen for her charms and has completely forgotten about her. Sophie declares "I'll get him back! I'll dance until his blood is steaming!" and proceeds to begin a smoldering dance number on top of a long dinner table in a very seductive manner in an attempt to lure back Vultow from the charms of Anna-Marie. In another scene, Vultow has a conversation with Anna-Marie. He believes he has had sexual relations with her during the previous night. In reality, however, he dozed off after drinking too much liquor and dreamed the entire episode. The conversation runs as follows: :Vultow: "Have you learned that sometimes defeat can be sweet? That even surrender may have its, umm, compensation? :Anna-Marie: "I've learned how a gallant soldier, umm, ''conducts himself in victory"'' :Vultow: ''Merely a question of practice, my dear''." :Anna-Marie: "Ha Ha." :Vultow: "My victories have been numerous." :Anna-Marie: "Really?"

Cast

as Countess Anna-Marie * Allan Prior as Count Adrian Beltrami *

as Colonel Vultow *

Ford Sterling Ford Sterling (born George Ford Stich Jr.; November 3, 1883 – October 13, 1939) was an American comedian and actor best known for his work with Keystone Studios. One of the 'Big 4', he was the original chief of the Keystone Cops. Biography ...

as Tangy *

as Sophie *

Lupino Lane Henry William George Lupino (16 June 1892 – 10 November 1959) professionally Lupino Lane, was an English actor and theatre manager, and a member of the famous Lupino family, which eventually included his cousin, the screenwriter/director/actr ...

as Sprotti

Songs

* "Broken-Hearted Lover" (Sung by Allan Prior) * "Dream Away" (Sung by Walter Pidgeon and Vivienne Segal) * "When Hearts Are Young" (Sung by Walter Pidgeon and Extras) * "In a Gypsy Camp" (Danced by Myrna Loy) * "Shrimp's Dance" (Danced by Lupino Lane) * "Soldier Song" (Sung by Walter Pidgeon and Soldiers) * "You Still Retain That Girlish Figure" (Sung by Lupino Lane and Louise Fazenda)

Production

The film is notable as the first Technicolor feature to include an outdoor sequence filmed at night, a difficult task due to the lighting that was necessary for Technicolor photography at that time.Reading Eagle - July 20, 1930 - Page 10 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PVExAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7eEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1507,3372510&dq=bride-of-the-regiment+technicolor&hl=en No expense was spared on the lavish gowns and sets and two thousand extras are reported to have been in the production. Aside from one tune retained from the original stage production - "When Hearts are Young (in Springtime") - the songs for the film were composed by Edward Ward and Al Bryan. The film differed from most film operettas of the time in that its musical numbers, various comic bits, and even a few characters are unrelated to the basic plot. No prints of the film are known to exist.

Critical reception

The quality and beauty of the Technicolor photography was universally praised. One reviewer proclaimed that it was "one of the most thrilling and at the same time pictorially beautiful picture that has reached the screen for a long time. The color is clear, brilliant and remarkable for its depth, giving an illusion of third dimension." Another reviewer noted the "beautiful indoor shots and the brilliance of its parade of costumes."

Mordaunt Hall Mordaunt Hall (1 November 1878 – 2 July 1973) was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for ''The New York Times'', working from October 1924 to September 1934.The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' observed, "The dialogue here may be suited to an operetta on the stage, but it is scarcely suited to scenes in a picture . . . As one witnesses the scenes being unfurled, it seems as though the actors were enjoying this film so much they did not care whether audiences found it entertaining or not."''The New York Times'' review
/ref>

Preservation status

No film elements are known to survive. The large amount of

content, which raised alarm even before the Code began to be enforced (in 1934) may have contributed to the film's disappearance as this would have made the film unacceptable for

Associated Artists Productions Associated Artists Productions, Inc. (a.a.p.) later known as United Artists Associated was an American distributor of theatrical feature films and subjects for television. Associated Artists Productions was the copyright owner of the ''Popey ...

in the 1958 when a number of early

features were transferred to black and white film. The soundtrack, which was recorded on

Vitaphone Vitaphone was a sound film system used for feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects made by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National from 1926 to 1931. Vitaphone was the last major analog sound-on-disc system and the only one ...

disks, survives intact.

References

External links

* * * *
''Bride of the Regiment'' Soundtrack at Internet Archive
{{John Francis Dillon 1930 films 1930s color films 1930 lost films American films based on plays Lost American films Films directed by John Francis Dillon 1930 musical films First National Pictures films Warner Bros. films Films set in Lombardy Films set in 1830 Films based on operettas Films based on adaptations Films produced by Robert North American musical films Early color films Films scored by Edward Ward (composer) 1930s American films