The greatest movie ever!

Purely Joyful Movie!

Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

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

Producer: Harry Rapf. Copyright 7 January 1935 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. New York opening simultaneously at the Capitol and Loew's Metropolitan in Brooklyn: 13 January 1935. U.K. release: 4 May 1935. Australian release: 12 June 1935. 9 reels. 78 minutes. SYNOPSIS: Prince falls for a ballet dancer. NOTES: A financial disaster all around, forcing Novarro into retirement for the next 14 years and Miss Laye back to England and British films for good. Waspish reviews did not help. All the humorless critics took the ridiculous plot seriously, none realizing it was intended as a send-up. By the time the film arrived in Australia, M-G-M wanted only to bury it. So it was sent out as a support. Only astute audiences in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide took the picture at more than its face value, recognizing the entertaining satire for what it was. COMMENT: Amusing send-up of Ruritanian romance with music by Sigmund Romberg and a libretto by Oscar Hammerstein II. Songs are catchy and extremely well performed. Novarro is better cast than usual. Miss Laye is superb. Director Dudley Murphy has an eye for stylish compositions. He is abetted by James Wong Howe's brilliant camerawork, lovely costumes by Dolly Tree and magnificent sets.It's hard to explain why superlative entertainment like this, with its great score, wonderful cast and fabulous production values, failed so miserably at a box-office that only a few months later was to welcome Naughty Marietta with such frenzied adulation. Certainly Novarro's star was waning. Audiences hadn't really taken to him since he'd started to speak. His voice was felt to be too light for the roles he was often called upon to play. By the time he was more happily cast, it was too late.

"The Night is Young" from 1935 is Ramon Novarro's last film at MGM. His costar was a very popular British performer into her nineties, Evelyn Laye. Una Merkel, Rosalind Russell, and Edward Everett Horton costarred -- you'll recognize the whole cast.Novarro plays an Archduke whose marriage has been arranged to one Princess Matilda; however, he loves another -- Countess Rafay (Russell), but his uncle hates her family.Gustl, as he's called, can sow the wild oats before marrying, but Emperor Franz Josef has to approve and she has to be someone not in the royal circle.Gustl claims love for a ballerina, Lisl Gluck (Laye). She's in love with the ballet company's piano accompanist (Donald Cook),so when she finds out she's just to be a blind, she's fine with it. In return, he will produce her boyfriend's ballet. Well, we all know what happens.Unlike someone else on this board, I wasn't knocked out by the music or, frankly, the singing. Novarro is very charming and dashing, and Laye delightful. There is good acting all around. I'm just not crazy about some of these earlier musicals, even if this music is by Romberg. Perhaps if I liked the singing more...oh, well. This may be just the ticket for you. It's a very sweet story.

It takes a special sort of person to enjoy this film--a person who likes ultra-sappy operetta music. So, if you think that Janette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy films are the greatest things EVER, then you'll no doubt enjoy "The Night is Young"--even though neither of these stars are in the film. However, I do not, as I happen to be sane!! Sure, a few of the songs (the ones without the opera-like singing) are cute, but for the most part, when Evelyn Laye sings, I felt like screaming. It's amazing that such high-pitched caterwauling was popular in the 1930s and 40s, but today you'd be very, very hard-pressed to find anyone who'd like this sort of 'singing'. Oddly, however, Charles Butterworth of all people sang quite a bit in the film--even though he's certainly not a singer with his thin voice. But despite this, he was a delight throughout the film--even when he sang.The story is likely inspired by a sad true-life story. Back in the late 19th century, Crown Prince Rudolf of the Austria-Hungarian empire fell for a woman of not especially noble birth. His father (Emperor Franz Josef) forbade the romance--as love has nothing to do with marriage! Franz Josef's own marriage was a loveless disaster and by gum, so would Rudolf's--marriages were simply ways of forging political alliances...period. So, in a very tragic turn, it appears that Rudolf killed his lover and then himself! None of this is alluded to in the film. Instead, Franz Josef has ANOTHER son (something he did not have in real life) and this one also falls for a commoner--but with non-tragic results.The perennial lover of the 20s and 30s, Ramon Novarro, plays the handsome Prince. While he was always very good in such roles, it seemed weird that this guy had a strong Mexican accent. Laye (a really, really bad name for an actress) plays the commoner who ADORES singing. As for Una Merkel and Butterworth, they were welcome as comic relief. Oddly, however, the usually wonderful Edward Everett Horton (one of the best comic supporting actors of his age) was mostly wasted and had little opportunity to play his usual lovable befuddled self.Overall, the film had quite a few cute moments and the romance wasn't bad, but the singing had the effect of derailing the film. Too old fashioned and too schmaltzy, this film could have been lovely, but is simply not worth your time unless you are a die-hard Butterworth fan!

Thank heavens for TCM! I stumbled on this movie half way through and was instantly captivated. I immediately recognized Ramon Novarro but I was completely mystified as to who the fantastic lead was. Couldn't break away to google the movie until now and have learned that the beautiful and talented lead was played by Evelyn Laye. She puts Ginger and Jeannette to shame- a lovely voice and such a natural actress on screen. Apparently she left the movies after this role to return to the London stage- Hollywood's loss. Ramon is handsome as ever- probably his best role ever. The sets and music are wonderful and with the excellent cast, rise above the silly (but typical 1930's) plot. The ending was rather sad and actually not the typical poor girl gets rich boy in the end. Don't miss this gem- one of the best operettas out of pre- WWII Hollywood.