It's Love Again (1936)

Great Film overall

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Copyright 30 August 1936 by Gaumont British Picture Corporation of America. New York opening at the Roxy: 22 May 1936. U.S. release: 12 May 1936. U.K. release through Gaumont-British: May 1936. Australian release through 20th Century-Fox: 26 August 1936. 9 reels. 83 minutes.SYNOPSIS: An aspiring singer/dancer cashes in on the publicity generated in a newspaper gossip column about a big-game hunter, Mrs Smythe-Smythe. Unbeknown to her, Mrs Smythe-Smythe is merely a figment of an eager young reporter's imagination.Directed with pace and style, its cleverly amusing script peppered with three or four charmingly tuneful and/or witty songs, and most ingratiatingly acted throughout, It's Love Again is one of my favorite Matthews musicals. Jessie herself is in such absolutely top-flight form (double pun intended) it's hard to decide whether she's more wonderfully gifted as a light comedienne or as a smooth singing, admirably acrobatic dancer.Although Jessie is given more than ample opportunities to shine, there's yet enough room in the ingenious script for a marvelous host of supporting characters. Young does surprisingly well by the romantic lead, playing with both charm and spirit and singing and dancing with laudatory finesse.For the lead support role of Archie Raymond, the producer was fortunate to secure the rare services of Ernest Milton, a famous Shakespearean actor who made but very few films. Milton brings a superbly mock-serious touch to what is nothing short of a brilliantly rendered interpretation. His performance alone is worth a thousand ducats; and the astonishing moment when Olive Sloane sweeps into his room and the two of them sit at the piano joyfully rendering "When You Wore a Tulip" while Jessie stares at their backs in dismay, definitely deserves listing in anyone's catalog of Unforgettable Scenes in the Cinema.Although up-staged for the first and only time in his comic career, Sonnie Hale still has some choice bits of business. One of his most amusing scenes he shares with his real-life father, Robert Hale, here playing a tiger hunter and India expert. (Sonnie's name is Robert too, hence the "Sonnie" sobriquet). He also has to compete for laughs with Robb Wilton who manages to turn to his own delightful advantage such exquisite encounters as his confrontation with a risibly elderly group of startled, typically British club members.When she is not dancing solo or being partnered with diffident but able Young, Jessie has two fascinating duets with Cyril Wells. Jessie leads, but the skill with which Cyril keeps up with her is truly amazing. He must be the only male partner she ever had who could not only accurately mirror her more strenuous passes but impart to their dancing a full measure of his own personality as well.I could continue on with this catalog of the movie's delights for some pages yet. It seems churlish not to mention Athene Seyler's pleasurable contributions or to pass over villainous Cyril Raymond. And on the technical side, at least two or three paragraphs on Alfred Junge's startling sets and Joe Strassner's incredible dresses seem called for. Nor should I forget the most attractive photography, so artistically supervised by Glen MacWilliams. As for Saville's meticulously stylish yet seemingly light and gossamer direction, such creative entertainment deserves a whole page. In short, It's Love Again is so chock-full of enjoyment, it's a film I want to see again. And again. And again.

The name Jessie Matthews may not meant a great deal to current film goers, even to those who like old movies, but she was England's biggest musical star of the 1930's. She was a great dancer, a fine singer, a wonderful actress and scintillating personality. (Only personal troubles and changing tastes ushered in by the war prevented her from having a longer career.) It's Love Again, at a mid-point in her film career, provided her most memorable vehicle, except perhaps for the earlier film Evergreen, in which she established her screen persona as an aspiring musical star who resorts to some sort of trickery to achieve stardom. In this film she tries to get publicity for herself by impersonating a mysterious Indian woman who is actually a concoction of her society columnist boy-friend, played, surprisingly, by an engaging Robert Young. Also in the cast is her then-husband comedian Sonny Hale as well as his father Robert, and well-known character actress Athene Seyler. It's a peppy and thoroughly entertaining film. There is comedy, romance, good songs and musical numbers --- and Jessie wears some exotic and quite sexy costumes. All in all, though not for everyone's taste, it is a delight and quite different from --- and in many ways better than --- the musical films Hollywood had to offer at the time. And the talented Miss Matthews, with her bright eyes, toothy smile, enthusiasm, eccentricity, and Mayfair accent, is worth a look for those not familiar with her.

I've seen a few Jessie Matthews' musicals on late-night TV & they are all enjoyable. I regard her as an underrated talent from her era as I hadn't heard of her until the last few years. She has an effervescence & innocence about her that is ideally suited to such light & breezy productions & her almost accidental forays into fame & fortune."It's Love Again" is my personal favourite as the songs in it are mostly very appealing. It also gains from having a youthful Robert Young as a leading man & the settings for the musical numbers are impressive. This is much better than a typical time-filler of a late-night movie!

Very fresh, even tho' made over 50 yrs ago.