Ruth Golden

Maurice Chevalier's facial expressions are so great; from him announcing her jealousy to the squinch he makes when the husband is attempting to zip up the wife's dress. He is a cad, but a lovable one. That drawer of guns was hilarious, making you realize that Chevalier's character is quite used to these types of confrontations. The shot from the gun not having any effect caught me off guard but then I realized that, of course, the wife would have done it to garner sympathy from her husband, with whom she leaves even though they're still battling it out with words. I, too, am interested in seeing the full film. I liked that, while the rooms are still opulent, they are not the bright and sterile white of a lot of the musicals done during that time. Is that part of the Lubitsch touch, too?

I will admit not being very familiar with the work of Nelson Eddy and Jeannette MacDonald. That being said, I see similarities in their relationships that follow on and come before many of the stereotypical relationships of that era. The woman is supposed to act shy or reticent while the man is charmingly interested but not overbearing, but then ultimately comes to the woman's rescue (emotionally or physically). Sometimes the operatic music is a distraction for me; not sure why. Class differences and character differences seem to have become more "good/bad" as time progressed.

Yes to your #1, FredericMarchFan. Absolutely what I was thinking, too.

1. I agree with most of the responders here that the light-heartedness of the clip shows an escapism that becomes the norm for a lot of films. We don't see the desperation of the public as their lives change drastically. We are treated to fluff and light entertainment. 2. Thematically, the lightheartedness carries through no matter what is happening in the outside world. And, as someone else already stated, the reason people went to the movies was to escape what was happening and have a few hours (or sometimes a whole day) of something different than losing money or trying to support your family. 3. The suggestive looks, wordplay of the song, and back-and-forth decision making of the singer may have been handled differently pre-code, but I wonder if it would have made a better scene.