Metropolitan *** (1935, Lawrence Tibbett, Alice Brady, Virginia Bruce, Cesar Romero) – Classic Movie Review 7468

Director Richard Boleslawski’s enjoyable 1935 musical romantic drama Metropolitan is mainly memorable for the marvellous baritone singing of Lawrence Tibbett, who plays a young singer desperate for his big break. Although Tibbett shows that he is not really a film actor, he notably performs among other songs Mozart’s aria from The Marriage of Figaro, the Toreador Song from Carmen (music by Georges Bizet, libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy) and ‘On the Road to Mandalay’ (music by Oley Speaks, lyrics by Rudyard Kipling).

In the story by Bess Meredyth, struggling, temperamental prima donna opera singer Ghita Galin (Alice Brady) turns her back on New York’s Metropolitan Opera and brings together the best rising stars (including Thomas Renwick, played by Tibbett) to establish a new opera group, until she quits this company too, leaving Renwick (Tibbett) and company to try to turn the show into a hit.

It is the very first movie from the then new 20th Century Fox company, merging the 20th Century Pictures film studio with Fox Film Corp.

Metropolitan also features Virginia Bruce, Cesar Romero, Thurston Hall, Luis Alberni, George Marion Sr, Adrian Rosley, Christian Rub, Ruth Donnelly, Franklyn Ardell, Etienne Girardot and Jessie Ralph.

Metropolitan is directed by Richard Boleslawski, runs 79 minutes, is made and released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Bess Meredyth and George Marion Jr, based on a story by Bess Meredyth, is shot in black and white by Rudolph Maté, is produced by Darryl F Zanuck and is scored by Alfred Newman.

As the film is listed as having 10 reels, much cutting must have taken place to edit it down to its 79 minutes, which would need eight reels. William ‘Billy’ Benedict, Ruth Donnelly, Sarah Edwards, Tom Herbert, Hector V Sarno, Lee Phelps and Hank Mann are cut from the finished print.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7468

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