A wealthy Wall Street philanthropist is so exasperated with
the wayward and reckless behaviour of his daughter that he sets down an
elaborate scheme to teach her a lesson. After flying halfway across the
Atlantic to elope with her boyfriend, Betty’s behaviour and pride soon lands
her in hot water as she and her lover begin to fight, another man comes into
the mix, and a crash in the market sees her life of exuberant gowns and
champagne quickly turn to home cooking and becoming a flower girl in a cabaret.
Hitchcock’s silent precursor to Gentlemen Prefer Blondes? Why not? Champagne
is a very charming and funny little film that explores all manner of
relationships: man/woman relationships, man’s relationship with money and
power, and of course the societal norms of the higher class. It’s all very “how
the other half live” and I enjoyed every minute of it.
A wealthy Wall Street
philanthropist is so exasperated with the wayward and reckless behaviour of his
daughter that he sets down an elaborate scheme to teach her a lesson. After
flying halfway across the Atlantic to elope with her boyfriend, Betty’s
behaviour and pride soon lands her in hot water as she and her lover begin to
fight, another man comes into the mix, and a crash in the market sees her life
of exuberant gowns and champagne quickly turn to home cooking and becoming a
flower girl in a cabaret.
As I started my love affair with Hitchcock and his
movies during the 60s when his career had peaked and worked my way backwards,
some of my reviews may be a little prejudiced or dated or biased or whatever
you wish to label it. I will say that he was not dubbed the ‘Master of
Suspense’ for nothing and thrillers, spy movies, and films characterised by
dramatic bouts of suspense are what Hitchcock is known for. They define his
repertoire. That’s why it’s so refreshing to find a film of his that goes
against the Hitchcockian norm that dictates the codes of his films. I fell in
love with Spellbound because it was
this brilliant romance, The Trouble With Harry was a real surprise because it was this fresh and out-of-the-blue
comedy, and now (although this movie preceded all those I’ve mentioned) comes Champagne, one of the finest romantic
comedies/riches-to-rags stories I’ve seen.
The story speaks for itself really
and this, blended with a few typical Hitchcockian camera techniques, is all
that’s needed to make a good movie. Even at the earliest stages of his career,
Hitchcock had it right! The extreme
close-ups, the long shots through the stems of champagne glasses, and the quick
cut editing (to name but a few) are all fantastic little tricks that are used
to great effect within this film.
I want to also draw special attention to
Betty Balfour who stars as Betty the heiress. She was just lovely, and you felt
for her so much throughout this movie as her hardships just seemed to increase.
The poor little dear couldn’t catch a break.
Not to mention that the
accompanying score is just wonderful. I recognised Schumann’s ‘The Merry
Peasant’ and Ravel’s ‘Bolero’, which I particularly enjoyed as they took me
back to my clarinet-playing days. If I might put forward a slice of personal
philosophy, I believe nostalgia is the greatest guilty pleasure in the world!
Reminiscing, even if it’s a sad memory, always makes us feel so good in the end….
Anyway
back on track…
Starring Jean Bradin, Ferdinand von Alten, and Gordon Harker, Champagne is a wonderful little film
filled with romance, drama, tricks, betrayal, and comedy. I thought it was
wholly delightful and very charming.
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