That Lady in Ermine

Plot synopsis:
In 1861, Countess Angelina, ruler of Bergamo in southeastern Europe, marries Mario, a baron she has known since childhood. When the castle is threatened by Hungarian hussars led by Colonel Teglash on their wedding night, Mario flees.
At midnight, the paintings in the ancestral gallery come to life, and their subjects ask Francesca, Angelina's great-great-great-great-grandmother who looks exactly like Countess Angelina, to save the castle just as she did in the 16th century. Through a spyglass, Francesca observes Teglash leading the advancing army and finds herself attracted to him. When he sees her portrait, Teglash is puzzled by the fact she is wearning an ermine coat but no shoes.
Angelina greets Teglash, who flirts with her when he learns her bridegroom has escaped, but she makes it clear she respects her marriage vows and is concerned about her husband's safety. Angelina's servant Luigi, seeing how smitten the colonel is with his mistress, tells Teglash how three hundred years earlier, Francesca retained control of the castle when a tyrannical duke attempted to seize it. Via flashback, we see her, barefoot and in ermine, present herself to the duke and accompany him into his tent. After a period of time, Francesca departs, leaving the duke, with a dagger in his back, lying dead on his bed. Luigi tells the colonel that, according to rumor, she killed the duke because she feared she was falling in love with him.
Disguised as a gypsy, Mario returns to the castle but runs off when soldiers come to investigate. When he is captured, Teglash, unaware of his identity but impressed by his musical ability, decides to spare Mario's life and make him his personal gypsy. When he realizes he is Angelina's husband, he offers to free him if she dines with him that night, but she fails to rendezvous with him.
Francesca visits Teglash while he is asleep, prompting a dream in which Angelina joins him for dinner and demands a kiss. While she embraces him, she removes a knife from a roast pig and throws it at the clock, effectively stopping time. The two acknowledge their love and, as the gallery portraits look on, they fly up and crash through the roof.
The following morning, Teglash awakens to find the knife still in the pig and the clock ticking. Angelina arrives, and Teglash tells her he is freeing her husband and then describes his dream, touching her with his obvious deep feelings for her. When Mario arrives, she assures him she had nothing to do with the colonel.
Time passes, but Teglash still mourns the loss of Angelina. One night, while he is asleep, she arrives and falls asleep in a chair near his bed. Teglash revisits his prior dream, but this time the knife falls from the clock and Angelina stabs him with it. He awakens with a start and finds Angelina, who tells him Mario has left her and proposes they wed. That night at midnight, the portraits come to life once again to celebrate their union with song and dance.

Tags: paranormal

Review:
I enjoyed this film far more than anything had led me to anticipate; from reading other comments here, I suspect it benefits enormously from being seen on a full-size screen in the cinema, in the company of a cheerful and enthusiastic audience.
The music is nothing special -- in fact, I hadn't realised it *was* a musical, and was very surprised when the assembled ancestors burst into half-spoken lyric -- but I do have to admit that the half-threat, half-promise of 'Oh, what I'll do...' has proved far more catchy than it ever seemed at the time, as it's still going round and round in my head!The plot, such as it is, largely pivots around the past history of the eponymous Francesca, a sixteenth-century portrait sporting a distinctly anachronistic hairstyle and fur-coat.
Her idea on the sanctity of marriage don't quite jibe with those of her distant descendant, the Countess Angelina, and one can almost hear the storyline creaking at the seams under the strain of the Production Code in order to ensure that the heroine arrives unsullied in her much-delayed marriage-bed with the right man...The romance is scarcely earth-shattering, and in fact the first few scenes, played pretty well straight, verge on the tedious.
The impudence of Douglas Fairbanks Jr's courtship of Betty Grable's married Angelina is equalled only by Betty-Grable-as-Francesca's pursuit of him in turn, culminating in complete role-reversal in the hilarious fantasy sequence where she -- literally -- sweeps him off his feet.
This is probably the comic climax of the plot, although the consequences of the Colonel's understandable confusion are worked out with a deft touch in the remaining two 'acts' of the operetta-structure, and the spectacle of Fairbanks' blissful, bemused awakening is more or less worth the price of admission on its own.Grable is entirely convincing in establishing her two contrasting characters, wisely gets almost all the (limited) singing opportunities, and shares the honours where the swathes of quotable dialogue in the various verbal duels are concerned.
But in the field of unspoken reaction she is really outclassed by her male supporting leads; Fairbanks in particular is an absolute treat in a number of wordless sequences whose set-up and humour is worthy of the silent screen.This film is too uneven in style to be a classic, varying from sparkling repartee to hackneyed tedium.
Out of tune with its times, it may have failed to draw contemporary audiences -- but, on this showing, really didn't deserve to be disowned by both Grable and Preminger, the (uncredited) director.
Betty Grable's costumes were so ravishing that I wanted to grow up to be her and dress like that.
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., was irresistible as the dashing Hungarian officer.
THE LADY IN ERMINE certainly has its moments, but it can't decide if it wants to be a romance or a comedy.
Parts of it are very funny indeed and had me laughing out loud, while others seem to fall as flat as a lead balloon.Douglas Fairbanks Jr. is handsome and dashing, as usual, providing a much needed surge of energy when he is on screen, but Betty Grable seems uncomfortable in her double role.
The opportunity for her to display her most valuable assets (her legs) is limited.20th Century Fox has surrounded the two leads with good character actors from its stable, including Cesar Romero showing some versatility, Walter Abel in two roles, and Harry Davenport as the likable old retainer.
If you have the opportunity to catch this one on TV (It's in American Movie Classic's library, I believe, and doesn't appear to be available on video.) and you're a fan of Ernst Lubitsch, don't expect much evidence of his famous "Touch."  Herr Lubitsch died before completing very much of this production and the directing reigns were turned over to Otto Preminger.
My own impression of the final results makes the passing of the talented Mr. Lubitsch a great misfortune for all concerned.
There are definitely elements to enjoy and Betty Grable is, as always, appealingly lovely in Technicolor and has a lively and natural presence as an actress.
Betty Grable is "That Lady in Ermine" in this 1948 musical, also starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Cesar Romero, Reginald Gardner, and Walter Abel.Frankly, it's hard for me to believe that Lubitsch directed this.
And in fact, he died eight days into production and the film was finished by Otto Preminger.
The story is taken from a 1922 musical, and originally Lubitsch wanted Jeanette MacDonald for the role; Zanuck wanted Gene Tierney; finally Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer were announced, but it didn't happen.Grable has a dual role here, as Angelina in 1861 and her ancestor Francesca, from 1561, whose portrait hangs in the great hall.
The Hungarians also invaded 300 years ago, and Francesca was able to save the castle.
Can her ancestor do it again, in spite of feeling attracted to the handsome colonel (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.)?
The film takes us into the past and back into the present, and it's a lush, gorgeous production.
The color in the film is eye-popping as well.There is really no music to speak of, except for a couple of songs that are continually repeated.
The ancestors step out of their portraits and come to life, and at one point, Fairbanks is dubbed and sings gloriously in an operatic tenor voice.
Fairbanks is wonderful; Grable is perhaps a little too vanilla for the role, but she gives the role a youthful energy.
The story, what there was of it, really needed the lightness Grable gave it.See it for incredible color and costumes and a fine cast.
One of the better Betty Grable movies!.
I really enjoyed this Lubitsch movie with Betty Grable.
Younger viewers who don't even know who Betty Grable is will surely appreciate this Lubitsch movie.
Watching That Lady In Ermine I was wondering what Betty Grable was doing in a project that seemed to be aimed for Marlene Dietrich to do.
Zanuck should have known better.Betty plays a 19th century Italian countess whose domain has been invaded by a troop of Hungarian Hussars captained by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Her ghostly ancestor whose portrait hangs in the palace hall along with the rest of her distinguished family tree, sees no small resemblance in Doug now and another invader some 300 years earlier whom she dealt with when armies failed.Besides that the current Betty has just been married to Cesar Romero and the invasion has come at a most inopportune moment, before things have been consummated.
She and Fairbanks have no chemistry at all, though Doug is as charming as ever and someone I can watch in anything.Frederick Hollander and Leo Robin wrote the score for this film and This Is The Moment got an Oscar nomination for Best Song.
That Lady In Ermine's one chance for Oscar glory fell to Buttons And Bows.Ernest Lubitsch died midway during the film and Otto Preminger finished That Lady In Ermine.
I can't believe Lubitsch had Grable in mind for the lead here.
The final film for Ernst Lubitsch, completed by Otto Preminger after Lubitsch's untimely death during production, is a juggling act of sophistication and silliness, romance and music, fantasy and costume dramatics.
In a 19th century castle in Southeastern Europe, a Countess falls for her sworn enemy, the leader of the Hungarian revolt; she's aided by her ancestor, whose painted image magically comes to life.
Betty Grable, in a long blonde wig adorned with flowers, has never been more beautiful, and her songs are very pleasant.
The costumes are lavish, the colors are vivid, and Betty Grable looks hot as always.To see an interesting breech of continuity, watch Betty Grable's high-heels change into completely different shoes midway through her dance (roughly 1:01 into the movie).
While the credits say that this is an Ernst Lubitsch film, he actually died during the making of this film.
Otto Preminger completed the film and I don't know whether he's to blame, Lubitsch is or both of them.
Regardless, it's a very poor film...and the film that Betty Grable hated the most.
The story is just a muddled mess.The story is set in the mid-19th century and a Contessa Angelina (Grable) just married handsome Count Mario (Cesar Romero).
The leader of the Hungarians is the Colonel (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) and he's instantly smitten with her.
Oddly, while the Contessa cannot reciprocate, a painting of a distant relative who JUST HAPPENS TO LOOK EXACTLY LIKE HER (a stupid cliché, I know) falls for him and comes out of the painting to pitch woo to the Colonel.
There's more to this goofy film than this...but isn't that dopey enough to let you know why this movie is a mess?!Although the film looks great with its lovely color and sets, the story often is very dopey and makes no sense.
And, the overall film is a tad embarrassing at times...so I can understand Grable's feelings about this one!.
Let me start out by saying that I used to really like Betty Grable, particularly from "Down Argentine Way", but by the time she got around to this disaster, she had also got "round" and frankly the whole film was an embarrassment.
Costarred with Douglas Fairbanks JNr (who must have been fairly desperate) the story was bad, the colours good, and the film far too long.
It had some of the old standbys in it like Harry Davenport and Reginald Gardiner to try and stimulate interest but with no success.
The music score was woeful, and I have to say not one tune was memorable in any way....as I was such a fan of Miss Grable, I always wish I had never seen this one!.
It's reasonably funny by bits, it got great stars and it's gorgeous to look at.
The songs (there are about two which are then repeated) are forgettable, but they get a healthy ironic treatment (such as the terribly handsome Mr Fairbanks exploding into frenzied Wagnerian version of the tender ballad Miss Grable has just rendered); there isn't much dancing with all the 1861 crinolines draped around Miss Grable, and the comedy might be a bit heavy handed, but the result still is very uplifting.
Miss Grable is a bit past her prime and on the plumpish side, but still fresh and comfortable in this continental "olde worlde" comedy.
My suggestion is - just enjoy the artwork, the costumes, the witty script and everything else this film has to offer, and stop complaining.
Lubitsch's last production but not his least interesting film.
Somehow largely ignored by critics as he couldn't finish it himself and as the movie wasn't co-signed by Preminger who he did most of the staging...
A very strange mix of musical (a remembrance of The Merry Widow ?)and classic Lubitsch touch sentimentalism (an impossible love-story like Cluny Brown)yet a very clever and intelligent one yet not to be understood as some nostalgia of some lost world but rather a testament on eternal feelings prevailing on the foolishness of mankind and especially men in times of war with a "moral" lesson still true today as it was in 1948.
Billy wilder as an answer to Preminger who grieved at Lubitsch's funerals about having lost a great man replied that we still had his films and that sums it all up about that Lady in Ermine....
Fairbanks' dubbed voice is far beyond belief.He also hardly looks the part of a handsome Colonel.On the whole, you might bear it once, just to be a completist.
Lubitsch's last film - completed by an inept Preminger - is a remake of BRIDE OF THE REGIMENT _ a 1930 all two -strip Technicolor film, starring Walter Pidgeon, Vivienne Segal and Myrna Loy - which is now lost - although the Vitaphone disc soundtrack survives at UCLA.This was in turn derived from a stage musical entitled THE LADY IN ERMINE by Lonsdale and Wood, adapted from an operetta, DIE FRAU IM HERMELIN by Schanzer and Welisch.It drags badly and Grable is as inept as Fairbanks is fabulous, doing all the work here, full of life and vitality, taking the Lubitsch direction perfectly.
Watched 'That Lady in Ermine' as an admirer of both Otto Preminger and Ernst Lubitsch and as a fan of classic-era film.
It is hard to go wrong too with performers such as Betty Grable, Douglas Fairbanks Jr and Caesar Romero on their own and just as big a delight seeing those names in the same film and there was an intriguing story and ideas here.Ideas that could have been executed much better on the whole.
'That Lady in Ermine' is far from a bad film and there is a good deal to like, but it is very uneven, quite strange and doesn't really come together as an overall whole.
While the talent and potential are not completely squandered they are nowhere near close to being fulfilled, all have done much better and deserved better.Starting with the good things, 'That Lady in Ermine' does look great.
There are elements of the Lubitsch touch, where there is sparkling wit, sophistication and charm and where the film has more energy.Despite her later considering 'That Lady in Ermine' her least favourite film of her career, Betty Grable is spunky and charming, it is not a typical role for her but her approach to it is distinctively so.
Romero and especially Fairbanks are immensely likeable in their roles and Walter Abel, Harry Davenport and Reginald Gardiner entertain in support.However, the story is both slight, plot-less often, and overly silly, with a lot of ideas not done anywhere near much with and too many elements that don't gel together.
The final act is somewhat heavy-handed which jars with a good deal of the rest of the film.As has been said, this was Lubitsch's last film and mostly his but he sadly died of a heart attack aged 55 during filming and the film was completed by Preminger.
The two had very different directing styles to each other and approached their films differently, Lubitsch's films were light, sophisticated and witty while Preminger's were heavier and some exploring darker and ahead of the time themes and subjects, both as great and absorbing as each other in their own way.
Both styles can be seen here and don't gel together, with Lubitsch's style being more successful in his own distinctive way and far more enthusiastic while Preminger's was heavy-handed and coarse which is where the film is less interesting.Overall, uneven but oddly interesting and watchable.
5/10 Bethany Cox. Least Successful Betty Grable Movie..
There is a reason this is a rarely seen Betty Grable movie.
It is not a typical Betty Grable movie.While it is a beautifully filmed technicolor movie, it is NOT a Musical.
Grable was a very talented entertainer - but she was NOT an accomplished actress.
No movie more clearly shows this than "That Lady in Ermine".In fairness, I doubt that anyone could have made a success out of this muddled mess of a plot.
In an ironic twist of fate, Fairbanks falls immediately in love with a photo of Grable's Grandmother.
Douglas Fairbanks displays absolutely no charisma here.
Cesar Romero is subjected to a role as a real jerk and Bette Grable sings with a chorus- What I'll Do to that Hungarian!The ridiculous plot deals with a picture of a woman in a castle in 1561 Rome that saved the day by killing a conqueror.
(Fairbanks) Now, let's fast forward to 300 years later, where Grable, just married to the Count Romero, faces a similar situation, when on her wedding night, there is an invasion by Hungarian soldiers.Romero acts cowardly and flees before the army arrives.
The ending is worse than the entire wretched film when Grable meets Fairbanks to tell him the good news-an enraged Romero has annulled the marriage.This poor imitation of a movie was made in 1948.
As Harry Davenport, a veteran supporting player who is in it, died in 1949; this must have been his last film.
The costumes look more like those that would come out of the stone age.
A farcical fantasy musical, despite the fact that a number of songs were deleted in the final cut.
Although Lubitsch alone was given official credit as the director, in fact, he died part way through filming, being replaced by the quite different Otto Preminger.
Preminger has taken a lot of heat for the deficiencies of the film, which many believe would have largely been avoided if Lubitsch could have finished it.
Nonetheless, it still offers sumptuous gowns and surroundings, especially when Betty Grable is in the spotlight.
Betty stated this was her least favorite film she did.
But, I say she shouldn't be ashamed of her part, nor of the film as a whole......Some of you may be turned off by the fantasy of wall portraits of ancestors coming alive around midnight, and cavorting through the castle.
The one was well received by contemporary audiences, while the other, like the present film, was not.
Betty plays both her current self, as Countess Angelica, of mythical Bergami, in SE Europe, as well as Francesca: her look-alike distant ancestor of 300 years ago, and whose portrait hangs in the main hallway of the castle.
Since Angelina and Francesca look the same, except perhaps their clothes, one has to keep on their toes to make sure which they are currently looking at, or whether it's Angelica in a dream by Hungarian Colonel Teglash(Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) I'm still not certain about some cases......Of the several songs "Ooh!
What I'll do to that Wild Hungarian" is good, and is sung by Francesca(or is it Angelina) near the beginning , and again at the finale, accompanied by dancing by the portrait ancestors.
At the climax when Angelina and Col. Teglash are cementing their love for each other, they sing and dance to the Academy Award nominee; "This is the Moment", which is quite charming.......Cesar Romero has the role of Angelina's temporary husband(to be annulled).