Monte Carlo (1930) is messy, loud, and surprisingly fun

Is it worth your time?

You should watch this if you like movies that feel like they were made by people who just discovered how microphones work. It is charming in a very clunky, 1930s sort of way.

If you hate operetta singing or plots where people lie for no reason, you will probably want to turn this off after ten minutes. It is definitely not for everyone.

The movie starts with a wedding that isn't happening. Countess Helene is running away in her wedding dress, which is a classic move, but here it feels a bit more frantic.

She ends up on a train. This is where the movie actually gets good for a second.

She starts singing "Beyond the Blue Horizon" out the window. The train wheels are clicking in time with the music, and the peasants in the fields are waving back like it's a Disney movie.

It is totally ridiculous but you can't help but smile. Jeanette MacDonald has this look in her eye like she knows she’s being extra.

The sound quality is a bit rough, though. It has that early talkie hiss, like someone is frying bacon in the next room while the movie plays.

Once she gets to Monte Carlo, she goes straight to the gambling tables. She has almost no money left, but she acts like she owns the place.

I love how the movie shows she is broke. She literally just has a few coins and a lot of confidence.

Then we meet Count Rudolph. He sees her at the casino and decides he must have her, which is how these movies always go.

But instead of just talking to her, he pretends to be a hairdresser. Why? Because the movie needs a plot, I guess.

He ends up in her hotel room, actually doing her hair. Jack Buchanan plays the Count, and he has this thin mustache that makes him look like he should be selling vacuum cleaners.

The chemistry is weird. It is like they are both in different movies sometimes.

He is doing this very dry, British comedy thing. She is doing a high-energy musical theater thing.

There is a scene where he is washing her hair and they are just talking about nothing. It goes on for a long time.

I noticed that the extras in the background of the casino scenes look totally lost. Half of them are just staring at the camera like they’ve never seen one before.

The movie is is a bit slow in the middle. It feels like they had the train song and the ending, and they had to stretch the rest to fill the time.

It reminds me a bit of the pacing in Time to Love, where the concept is better than the actual minute-to-minute scenes.

Lubitsch is the director, and people always talk about the "Lubitsch Touch." In this movie, the touch feels more like a shove.

He really wants you to know that the characters are being naughty. There are lots of shots of doors closing and people looking through keyholes.

It’s very Pre-Code. They talk about things that would be banned a few years later once the censors got grumpy.

There is a funny bit with Zasu Pitts as the maid. She has these sad eyes and she’s always wringing her hands.

Honestly, Zasu Pitts is usually the best part of any movie she is in. She makes the lead actors look like they are trying too hard.

The sets are huge and look like they are made of wedding cake. Everything is white and shiny and probably very flammable.

I found myself looking at the clocks on the walls. They don't seem to match from shot to shot.

One minute it is 4:00, and the next it is 2:30. Nobody cared about continuity in 1930, and I kind of respect that.

The songs are okay, but they aren't all as good as the train one. Some of them feel like they just stop the movie cold.

It is not as polished as Forbidden or some of the later 30s stuff. It still has one foot in the silent era.

You can see the actors holding their poses for a second too long after they finish a line. They are waiting for the director to yell cut, but the sound keeps rolling.

The whole "pretend to be a servant" trope is so tired, even for 1930. But Jack Buchanan makes it work by being so incredibly smug.

He doesn't even look like he knows how to hold a pair of scissors. He just sort of waves them near her head.

I kept waiting for him to accidentally snip off a chunk of her hair. That would have made for a much better movie.

The ending is very abrupt. It just sort of... happens. They realize they love each other and the music swells.

It doesn't have the grit of something like Miami, but it’s not trying to be real. It’s a fairytale for adults who like champagne.

I think the the reason this works is Jeanette MacDonald. She has a way of looking at the camera that makes you feel like you're in on the joke.

Even when she’s being a spoiled brat, you kind of want her to win. She’s just so much louder than everyone else on screen.

It’s a weird little film. It’s like a postcard that someone sent you from a vacation they didn't actually enjoy that much.

But you keep the postcard because it looks pretty on the fridge.

If you’re looking for a deep story, go watch something else. If you want to see a countess sing to a locomotive, you’ve found your film. 🚂✨