By Candlelight

press release: USA | 1933 | 35mm | 70 min.

Director: James Whale; Cast: Elissa Landi, Paul Lukas, Nils Asther

Josef (Lukas), the dedicated butler to a womanizing prince (Asther) falls for the elegant young Marie (Landi), when they meet on a train. Assuming her to be a great lady, the manservant also allows Marie to assume that he is a nobleman of the highest rank, setting the stage for dizzying shifts in identities and social ranks. This sly pre-code comedy with a distinctly European flavor was based on an Austrian play that became a Broadway hit when adapted by P.G. Wodehouse. Preceded by Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in Grandma’s Pet (1932, 7 min.)

Sunday Cinematheque at the Chazen: It’s a Universal Picture

This lineup of movies released by Universal Pictures from 1928-1936 shows how one of the smallest of the major studios, under the leadership of head honcho Carl Laemmle Jr., held their own with a variety of fun and fast-paced features that delivered innovation in a number of genres: melodramas, comedies, thrillers, war stories, musicals and horror movies. Our series partly focuses on Universal’s top-flight, best-known directors like William Wyler, John Stahl and James Whale, but you will also have a chance to discover the expressive and riveting work of Edward L. Cahn, Paul Fejos, and others. As a bonus, many of the features will be preceded by animated preludes starring Universal’s top cartoon star of the day, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Special Thanks to Dave Kehr, whose series of Universal discoveries curated for New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Bologna’s Il Cinema Ritrovato provided significant inspiration.

Admission free for all screenings, seating limited. No admission 15 minutes after scheduled start times.