'THE SMILING LIEUTENANT

Evening Star, Issue 20981, 21 December 1931, Page 9

'THE SMILING LIEUTENANT

MAURICE CHEVALIER FOR REGENT

Maurice Chevalier returns to tho screen as the star of a gay, ingratiating entertainment that bubbles with'' spry, bright humour. The picture is ‘The Smiling Lieutenant,’ a production' which reveals the master touches of that incomparable director, Ernst Lubitsch. Paramount has also added to the cast two outstanding stage and . screen 'luminaries, Claudette Colbert and Miriam Hopkins. Then, there is the inimitable Charlie Ruggles and George Barbier. The story of ‘The Smiling Lieutenant ’ tells of the love adventures of a handsome young officer who loves one girl and is forced to marry another.--And the other is a real princess who,; ; looking upon _ the smiling lieutenant,- j and finding him good to look at, sets j out to win him for ever and ever. Butl the princess isn’t much to look at, andf the lieutenant does all in his power | to earn her displeasure. Then one] day, on the advice of the smiling lieu-1 tenant’s sweetheart, who realises she; can’t compete with a princess, the' princess imports a few Paris creations.; And immediately the smiling lieutenant. looks up and takes notice while the ! princess makes him suffer as much as she can. As the lieutenant of the' title.Maurice Chevalier outdoes himself. And close on the heels of Chevalier are Miriam Hopkins as the princess who ' blossoms into a beauty, and Claudette Colbert as the sweetheart who loses and smiles. Both these young ladies once again prove the indisputable fact that a good actress can make a good role perfectly grand. And. Charles Ruggles and George Barbier do well as an officer and the father of th» princess respectively. The music, Written by Oscar Straus,the noted Viennese composer, is of high order and features a number of songs which Chevalier sings with all hi* accustomed vigour and enthusiasm. ‘ The Smiling Lieutenant ’ will b» shown at the Regent Theatre during Christmas week.,