Slightly French
Slightly French
| 02 February 1949 (USA)
Slightly French Trailers

A film director, in bad standing with his studio, tries to turn a local carnival dancer into a "French" movie star and pass her off as his big new discovery.

Reviews
Ploydsge

just watch it!

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Dirtylogy

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

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Nicole

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

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Skyler

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

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mark.waltz

How do you turn a sarong into a Paris original? It takes class, poise and a ton of conniving. This remake of the 1934 musical "Let's Fall in Love" puts Dorothy Lamour into carny clothes and after initially seen in a Carmen Miranda disguise, movie director Don Ameche plans to make her a genuine French movie star after his temperamental leading lady (Adele Jerhens) makes the scene to end all scenes. Lamour goes under strict training before making her public debut. Falling in love with Ameche, Lamour's honest slip of the tongue threatens to destroy both her future as a movie star as well as Ameche's directing career.A decent post war musical was just one of many musical remakes of the post war era which strived to remain traditional in spite of changing tastes. Still gorgeous, Lamour makes an amusing comedian and displays both feistiness and sweetness with equal zest. Janis Carter adds some sparkle as Ameche's sister while Jergens goes all out as the initial choice for Ameche's film. Jeanne Manet adds both glamour and eccentric humor. Willard Parker takes on a Ralph Bellamy role of Ameche's rather dull rival for Lamour's affections. Still, in spite of all the talent, it's another case of a Cinderella rising out of the cinders and becoming the bell of the ball. The musical numbers indicate that this should have been made in color with one number looking like it was from the set of the Rita Hayworth musical "Down to Earth". In her big dramatic scene, Lamour seems to be trying to burlesque an Irish accent that would embarrass Maureen O'Hara. She does a nice job with " Let's Fall in Love " however, so a few overlooks of her acting weaknesses can be forgiven.

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HarlowMGM

SLIGHTLY FRENCH is a delightful little trifle starring Dorothy Lamour as a cynical carnival performer who is wooed by movie director Don Ameche to star in his new movie and feign being a great French star imported to America for the film. (Interestingly, this very plot was used that same year in IT'S A GREAT FEELING with Doris Day - and Day's Faux French femme's last name was Lamour!!!). Elegantly filmed by cultish director Douglas Sirk, SLIGHTLY FRENCH is not a classic but it's a very appealing little comedy/musical/drama with two excellent stars. Cannot believe one reviewer on IMDb wrote Lamour "never became a movie star" away from Hope and Crosby, she was only one of the biggest stars 1936-1949 in pictures and in 1941 was VARIETY magazine's top female box-office attraction. She starred in many excellent films sans Bob or Bing, THE HURRICANE, THE FLEET'S IN, JOHNNY APOLLO, SPAWN OF THE NORTH, etc. You'll note she gets billing over Ameche in this film. Alas, few of the big movie stars of the era have had their careers locked away in the vaults as Dorothy has - most of her films were at Paramount, and Universal (which now owns the 1930-1948 Paramount films) has done a very poor job getting most of them in circulation so most do only know her today from the Road movies. She was a great singer, a delightful screen star, and a fairly good actress too. Here's hoping this Columbia release will show up on Turner Classic Movies soon so more can see this lovely glamour girl in this underrated gem.

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tentender

(Spoilers, yes -- but the plot hardly matters...) Nothing much to recommend this, I'm afraid, except perhaps for the opening dance number, which seems to be taking place in someone's idea of Paris, but which we only belatedly discover is a sound stage (as if we didn't know) with the entrance into the frame of a camera on its crane. Nice touch, that. Unfortunately, from her first scene top-billed Dorothy Lamour is quite insufferable (intentionally, perhaps, but that doesn't really help matters), and she is, unfortunately, the central character. Don Ameche does his level best with a role which he was to reprise (in essence) in the 1958 Broadway musical "Goldilocks," and he does rant well. Janis Carter gives a real amateur night in Dixie performance as Ameche's sister, but Willard Parker (very handsome, he) is more than respectable as Ameche's producer and Lamour's secondary love interest (who ends up with -- too bad for him -- Carter). At least the title is intriguing (as are almost all Sirk's titles, in one way or another). Quite, quite boring, however.

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kenandraf

Bad movie made only for the lead star's fans.This is the first movie of Lamour where I get a good look at what kind of acting ability Lamour has.One will see it is quite limited but she is really a great salesman.She just hypnotises us with charm and beauty.One can also see she was a born entertainer indeed.If one likes her syle,this movie will truly delight her fans.just to see Lamour have fun with this formula romance/musical/comedy once more!I for one love this stuff.I rate Lamour as the third top sexy star of the 1940's behind Marilyn Monroe (mostly a model at that time) and Hedy Lamarr.....

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