The Night Is Young

Director: Dudley Murphy Dudley Murphy

Overview

Based on a story by Vicki Baum, the Sigmund Romberg-Oscar Hammerstein operetta The Night is Young is set in Vienna during the Franz Josef era. To cover up an affair with the married Countess Rafay (Rosalind Russell), Archduke Gustave (Ramon Novarro), the emperor's nephew, feigns a romance with ballet dancer Lisi (Evelyn Laye). By the time Gustave realizes how much he truly cares for Lisi, the stern Franz Josef (played by Henry Stephenson) admonishes the young man to honor duty over love and to enter into a pre-arranged marriage of state. After a tearful rendition of "When I Grow Too Old to Dream," Gustave and Lisi bid one another their last farewell. This relentless parade of "Student Prince" cliches is relieved somewhat by the comic expertise of supporting players Una Merkel and Charles Butterworth.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/17/2015
UPC:	0888574298944
Original Release:	1935
Source:	Warner Archives
Language:	English
Time:	1:21:00
Sales rank:	58,714

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ramon Novarro	Paul Gustave
Evelyn Laye	Lisl Gluck
Rosalind Russell	Countess Rafay
Una Merkel	Fanni
Charles Butterworth	Willy
Henry Stephenson	Emperor
Edward Everett Horton	Szereny
Donald Cook	Toni
Charles Judels	Riccardi
Herman Bing	Nepomuk
Christian Rub	Cafe Proprietor
Albert Conti	Moehler
Elspeth Dudgeon	Duchess
Gustav von Seyffertitz	Ambassador
Harry Pollard	Drummer,Drummer
Carlos de Valdez	Adjutant

Technical Credits

Dudley Murphy	Director
Harry Rapf	Producer

Editorial Reviews

The Night is Young is a second-drawer operetta, and that by itself will make it a hard sell for modern audiences. The "breaking into song" musical itself is not easily embraced today, and the operetta variation is particularly scorned. But even in its own day, Night was far from The Desert Song and The Student Prince in quality. The story is terribly trite, but then so are those of many better operettas. The problem is that it is told so baldly and with so little panache. The screenplay features dialogue that is simply wince-inducing; at its best, it only achieves a kind of banality. The supporting cast is noteworthy, with stalwarts like Edward Everett Horton, Charles Butterworth and Una Merkel contributing their typical but dependable characterizations. The leads are more problematic, although both Ramon Novarro and Evelyn Laye sound quite good when singing. Unfortunately, they are saddled with the worst dialogue, and their valiant efforts are not enough. A classic score would have made a difference, but despite the presence of the superior "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" and the effective title song, the score as a whole disappoints. The production is lavish, at least, but it can't make Night more than passable.