As I “studied” this genre, there are some things that stood out. First of all, setting and ambiance is important. Lubitsch established that immediately with the garbage man on the gondola. Thankfully he cut out a lot of the beginning from the screenplay and went straight to Gaston fleeing the scene of the crime and then up to his hotel room where the two lovebirds would soon meet.
This “cute meet” happens right away with both of them finding out soon enough that both are thieves and they have stolen from each other and of course, have fallen for each other in the process. Their dialogue, although slow paced at times, was filled with subtext and simply funny.
Much of the dialogue throughout the film is hilarious and this is another important factor in a screwball comedy. None is better than Gaston who while evading questions, which he does so wonderfully, ends up either confusing the other or changing the subject to his own advantage. I’ve highlighted some of my favorite lines and there have been plenty, from all the characters.
Gaston as the male protagonist shows a hero who is part of the “nouveau poor” but really a con artist and thief. Comedies during the Depression focused on protagonists who were poor and were smarter and outwitting the upper class. This tended to be true of a screwball comedy, and so the protagonist is an identifiable hero in the sense he’s poor and trying to “work his way up.” Although his idea of working his way is to be a “self-made crook.” Lily is also thief and poor and easier to identify with. For this reason as well it easier to determine that Lily and Gaston are meant to be together, rather than Gaston and Mme Colet. Lily is also the one to be a bit more zanier. She’s no idiot, and she knows how to work every scene, play her part. She’s a strong female who won’t be played for a fool and won’t sit back and let anyone walk all over her.
Again the subject of the poor vs the rich is another theme that is easy to poke fun at. The lives of the rich aren’t as attainable to everyone and so it’s fun to go and see how “hard” the rich really have it. And as it turns out they not only have it “bad” they’re also pretty clueless. Mme Colet is not smart. In fact this makes it easier to accept that Gaston chooses Lily over her because she’s clueless to what’s really going on under her nose. How could she be so trusting to a virtual stranger? Just because he’s charming? And after reading the screenplay it’s even more clear just how generous Mme Colet truly is. It is part of her nature, and for being so good-natured and gullible she gets played, and the thieves get away with it all. When you look at it that way, it’s clear why Trouble in Paradise never got shown again until after the Code was dropped in the 60s.
And speaking of rich and all those things. I can’t go on any more than I already do over Francis’ wardrobe. Poor Hopkins only got a few wardrobe changes but it was Francis who wowed with fabulous dresses.
Plot wise the film runs smooth. Two thieves meet fall in love, when things get rough they decide to try and go for a big loot. Complications ensue in the form of another desirable distraction. People start realizing who they could be and the gig is up. But yet the two lovebirds stick together and get away with it and each other. I enjoyed the setup of François being the robbery victim that paid off when he turned out to be a suitor of Mme Colet. But overall I found the plot to be uncomplicated which is important because you want to sit back and laugh and not be fussing with the intricacies of the plot.
The music was something else that added to the plot. There’s music throughout most of the film and apparently this was something relatively new for a talkie, to have most of the film with background music. Lubitsch used the right kind of music at all times which added to the comedic effect already going on during the scene.
Finally the supporting players. François has perhaps the best role out of all them. He tells the tonsils story and gives the greatest faces when he is absolutely mortified. There’s the major who is such a jerk to François that it’s hilarious. M Giron is always serious thinking he has the upper hand only to be outwitted by Gaston every time. And don’t call him Adolphe! Then there are two others who stand out, the waiter from the hotel in the opening scene and the butler from Mme Colet’s house. These two players have small roles but are absolutely acting to their fullest in their parts. They could just be going through the motions and delivering their lines, but they have extra nuances, from facial expressions to mumbling. They could be forgotten in the background, but they aren’t. Who forgets “and as for you waiter?” to which the waiter responds eagerly with a “yes, Baron?” only to be told by Gaston, “I don’t want to see you at all,” and the waiter, crestfallen, replies, “no, Baron.” In the DVD commentary, it’s noted that Lubitsch, having been an actor of bit parts in the past, liked to bring these actors forward and have then stand out. This, I thought, was a nice touch that made his pictures different. And different is always good.
When the film was released there hadn’t been any screwball comedies out really. It Happened One Night is considered by many to be the first screwball comedy, but to dismiss Trouble in Paradise is a mistake. This may be a precursor to the screwball comedy but it definitely has many of the right ingredients for the genre. It isn’t what many think of at the thought of screwball comedy but at the same time it needs to be said that the genre came into its own after the Code was enforced when scenes had to get more creative as well as the dialogue. And seeing past what I see as pacing problems and a could’ve-been-more-convincing performance of one aspect on Francis’ part, Trouble in Paradise is a wonderful film that still makes me laugh each time I see it. Not many films—especially nowadays—can produce that kind of reaction.
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