Dressed to Thrill: A Forgotten Bit of 1930s Fluff

Is it worth your time?

If you enjoy 1930s musicals that feel like a breezy Sunday afternoon, you’ll probably find something to like here. It’s light, it’s quick, and it doesn’t ask you to think too hard. If you prefer your movies to have grit or actual, real-world stakes, you’re going to hate every second of this. It’s just too pleasant for its own good.

Dressed to Thrill is basically a remake of a French movie called The Dressmaker of Luneville. I haven't seen the original, but this one feels like it’s trying really hard to be chic. Tutta Rolf is pretty great as the dressmaker, and she carries the whole thing even when the script gets a bit goofy.

The plot is one of those classic mix-ups that wouldn't last five minutes if people just talked to each other. Someone thinks someone else is a big deal, and then everyone just rolls with it. It’s silly, but it works for a while.

Clive Brook plays the guy who gets swept up in the misunderstanding. He’s got that stiff upper lip thing going on that makes you wonder why he’s even there. Still, he has a weird, awkward chemistry with Rolf that I didn't hate.

Oddly specific things I noticed:

• The costume design is honestly the best part. Some of those dresses look like they cost more than the entire production budget.
• There’s a scene where someone walks in and out of a room three times, and I swear they’re wearing a different hat each time.
• The lighting in the background shots looks like they just found the only bright lamp in the studio and shoved it in the corner.
• I kept thinking about Cleopatra, mostly because the scale here is so tiny it feels like a dollhouse by comparison.

There’s a musical number that goes on way too long. It’s like the director told everyone to just keep dancing until they got tired. I actually checked my watch during it. It’s not a bad song, but you can feel the air leaving the room.

It’s not as charming as The Sleepyhead, but it’s got a weird energy. You can tell the cast is trying their best to keep the momentum going. Sometimes they succeed. Sometimes they just look like they’re waiting for the lunch break to start.

I don't know, maybe I'm being too hard on it. It’s a 1935 musical. It wasn't meant to be analyzed in a basement eighty years later. It’s just a bit of fun. Or, well, it tries to be.

If you’re into the history of Fox Film Corporation, it’s an interesting watch just to see how they handled light comedies back then. If you’re just looking for something to watch while you fold laundry, you could do much worse. 👗