Strange But Delightful

Rating: 8/10 (6 September 2005)

It's hard to recognize how utterly daring this film probably was at the time of its release. Charles Chaplin was put on a death list by Hitler for lampooning him in "The Great Dictator" in 1940, and while Ernst Lubitsch's film isn't quite as scathing as Chaplin's, I still have to think that so openly mocking the Gestapo while the war was still raging took a lot of guts for everyone involved.
This isn't necessarily a laugh out loud comedy; there are no really big laughs to be had. But it's never once less than delightful to watch, and all of the performances are terrific. Of course, the most praise must go to Jack Benny, who seems so utterly comfortable on screen, but Carole Lombard is as sexy and engaging as ever, even if she has quite a bit less to do.
Very funny, very entertaining, and probably a must see from the period of war-time cinema.
Grade: A