By Candlelight (1933) User Reviews

precode Universal was so much more than monster films ...

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 19 June 2011]

... and I do not know why the folks at Universal don't do more to get treasures such as these out to the public, at least using the manufactured on demand method that Warner Brothers and MGM/UA are using.

This is one of the sophisticated precodes revolving around a series of mistaken identities and misrepresentations. The basic plot is that Josef (Paul Lukas) is butler to the carousing Prince Alfred von Rommer (Nils Asther). Josef helps the prince whenever he gets in a tight spot with one of his many lady friends - with that tight spot primarily consisting of protests and threats being raised by one of the ladies' husbands popping up unexpectedly. After one such episode the prince decides to take a vacation in Monte Carlo and he sends Josef on ahead with the luggage. On the train Josef notices an attractive young lady (Elissa Landi) and tries to make a play for her himself. He is only modestly successful until the young woman sees Josef's luggage and notices the prince's coat of arms. Now Josef has to pretend to be the prince in order to continue courting the lady. What happens when the real prince arrives? Is the young lady who she seems to be? Will those angry husbands now be after Josef since he has taken the prince's identity? Watch and find out.

The main negative in this film is the casting of Paul Lukas as Josef. This time it is not his accent that is the problem but his age. It is a bit of a stretch to believe that a man in his 40's would have such wide-eyed hero worship for the younger prince and his philandering ways. Nils Asther as the prince gives a charming and effortless performance, behaving genuinely amused at the uncomfortable situations in which he is placed. Like Lukas, Asther also had a heavy accent, and that and a contract dispute pretty much finished his acting career shortly after this film was made.

Highly recommended as one of the great sophisticated precodes, although you probably won't be able to find a good print of it. I know I haven't been able to find one yet.

A forgotten gem!

[mark.waltz · 8/10 · 24 December 2009]

Ah, Hollywood the 1930's. There was so much art deco one would think that the streets were lined with marble instead of cement. From the Ernst Lubitsch musicals of Jeanette MacDonald and Maurice Chevalier, to the Picolino of Fred and Ginger, there was more glamor than Versailles in its hay day.

It's hard to believe that this era was only 70-80 years ago, and the first World War hadn't had a Roman numeral on it. But this was the depression, and over at Universal studios, director James Whale ("Frankenstein", "The Bride of Frankenstein", the very glamorous 1936 "Show Boat") staged this comic romance about a butler who pretends to be a Lord to seduce a great lady, who is actually a maid! That part is apparent from the moment the plot gets going.

The couple is played by Paul Lukas (Academy Award winner for "Watch on the Rhine" and the romantic co-star of Ethel Merman in Broadway's "Call Me Madam") and Elissa Landi, an Italian born leading lady who was charming in several dozen now forgotten films. Lukas is trained by his boss, Nils Asther, in the art of seduction, and when Asther comes home early from a date, he overhears Lukas in action and pretends to be his butler.

Up to that point, Lukas would turn off the power in Asther's apartment while his master was entertaining an unsuspecting young lady, then bring in a candelabra to set up a romantic tryst. Now, Asther does that for Lukas "just for the fun of it", then makes a play for Landi himself. She, however, is only interested in "the Lord of the manor". Husbands of Asther's playmates confront him, a cigarette case is lost, and delightful confusion erupts. Imagine Landi's shock when Asther's latest conquest ends up being her boss!

During the year that Universal introduced "The Invisible Man", introduced new sob queen Margaret Sullavan ("Only Yesterday") and spoofed Warner Brothers' "42nd Street" with "Moonlight and Pretzels", it released this art-deco gem, a fast-moving, well acted comedy of manners (or lack of...). Lukas, who up to that point was known in Hollywood as the leading man of many women's films, proves himself to be much more debonair than presented in the past. With Landi, he shares some great scenes on a train ride where they mingle with common folk at a town fair. Landi is good in a drunk scene, but its Lukas and Asther who get acting honors here. Whale does a great job with every single detail from the sets, photography, and unmannered performances that remain fresh today as they were in 1933.

BY CANDLELIGHT (James Whale, 1933) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 7/10 · 17 February 2011]

This is a well-regarded minor Whale effort which, like REMEMBER LAST NIGHT? (1935) finds him in fine form tackling sophisticated comedy – though it eschews the zaniness which would mark that film; indeed, this is very much in the Lubitsch style and class!

That said, it was criticized for Paul Lukas' central miscasting but I felt he acquitted himself reasonably well under the circumstances. He plays butler to Nils Asther's suave Prince: asked to precede him on a journey, he is mistaken for the real thing when running into charming Elissa Landi (also traveling incognito above her station!) on a train. The two start a hesitant romance, since each is wary of being exposed; the situation is further complicated when the womanizing Asther catches Lukas at his game in his own house. He is willing to play along and assumes the butler's responsibilities, only he has his eyes on Landi too, who in turn is naturally insulted by his impudence! Incidentally, the title is a reference to Asther's recurring trick for seducing the ladies – pretending that the electricity has gone out and having Lukas set up a romantic candle-lit mood (the Prince, then, is happy to oblige his butler during the latter's own affair)!

The mistaken identity ruse (obviously smoothed by the end) has been a staple in the romantic comedy genre, but Whale handles it with tremendous flair and dexterity. Getting back to Lubitsch and his renowned 'touch', we get an ingenious example of it here: Asther is entertaining the opera singer wife of an aristocrat who, breaking into his house, believes he can hear her voice in the next room…but when he steps inside is met with a gramophone playing one of her arias!; still not satisfied, he asks the Prince if he can call her at their home and Asther offers to do it himself – proceeding to connect the phone to a secondary line elsewhere in the house! By the way, what I said about the re-use of sets (and, for that matter, succinctness – since this runs for just 68 minutes) from one film to the other in my review of Whale's THE KISS BEFORE THE MIRROR (1933) applies here as well: both Asther's house and that of Landi's masters were already seen in that very picture (with the all-important mirror, also featured in the director's FRANKENSTEIN [1931], intact)!

Again, though, the print I acquired is far from optimal – being exceedingly soft and once more (briefly) boasting fluctuating audio. With this in mind, a DVD set through Criterion's sister label Eclipse – compiling Whale's most notable non-horror work (given that the company is on good terms with Universal anyway) – would be a veritable treat, especially for somebody not yet familiar with gems such as this one...

Charming and Clever

[jknoppow-1 · 2 February 2010]

Robert Wyler was a director for Universal whom Laemmle Jr. had promoted; and he had a familial connection. Robert Wyler's maternal grandmother was a first cousin of Universal owner, Carl Laemmle.

There had been turn downs by Wyler, Whale getting the assignments instead, and also cases in which Wyler had failed to be able to make a satisfactory start, and then Whale was asked to continue them.

'By Candlelight' was one of those latter cases.

It had been very successful a few years earlier as a British stage play. Because Whale had already turned down some efforts by Robert Wyler, who did not have the talent to direct, he was nearly forced to take on the film. Perhaps it was a matter of discretion over valor. In the end, he took it on.

He took Ted Kent, his favorite cutter, and the then competent John Mescall as the camera director. Whale started the film over from the beginning.

He filmed the script as it was for the most part, but he also made a game of it, putting in his own special tricks of the trade.

Carl Laemmle was very happy with the result. He liked the film himself, and it brought in good money just in the nick of time to help save the studio once more, adding some good revenue to the spectacular revenues from Whale's 'The Invisible Man' which were then really piling up.

Whale had a contract offer from Paramount as director. He was very actively considering it, but wasn't sure of LeBaron's own firmness in the position of producer; it was LeBaron's offer.

Laemmle offered Whale both a set of raises to automatically kick in, and producer's credit even though Whale would not actually be the producer.

And it's a good thing for us that Whale took Laemmle's offer, or we'd not have had 'Bride of Frankenstein' or 'Show Boat'.

But I'll always wonder what would have become of Whale's career had he taken LeBaron's offer to come and direct at a really powerful studio, which could have offered him some of the best talent, actors, writers and crew, in the world.

A good cast in a low quality film

[SimonJack · 6/10 · 16 June 2016]

Universal was a second-tier studio in the 1930s, and this 1933 film has a quality that reflects how it lagged behind the major studios of the day. This is not just in the technical production, but in the screenplay, directing and sets. "By Candlelight" is adapted from their Austrian play, "Candle Light," by writers Siegfried Geyer and Karl Farkas. It is a look at a time in the life of a fictitious European prince, Alfred von Rommer, who is a womanizer, and his butler, Josef, who idolizes and tries to emulate his master.

The movie opens with Josef reading a book by or about Casanova. It may have been his autobiography. Anyway, that short glimpse is a heads- up of what is to follow. Josef is a loyal and trusted servant who wants to seduce women as does his master. But, when he encounters Marie, he falls in love with her. This is unlike his master's method of having an affair with a married woman and then moving on to another.

The married women we see here all are very attractive younger women married to old codgers. One suspects they were gold-diggers and therefore not to be pitied for having been taken advantage of by Prince Alfred, the Casanova. More likely, those sort of trysts were mutual interests just in and of themselves. I make this observation only to suggest that Casanova's exploits likely were not of innocent women married to devoted men in happy marriages, but to women who perhaps were as much on the prowl as was he.

So, the film has a mildly amusing plot. The cast are up to their tasks. I don't think Paul Lukas was miscast, although his befuddlement at times seems overly done, considering that he supposedly has learned from experiences in watching and abetting the prince in his escapades.

Nils Asther gives the finest performance in this film as Prince Alfred. Elissa Landi is very good as Marie. This talented actress has only 33 movies to her credit, including some very good starring roles. She quit acting at age 38 and wrote novels until she died of cancer at age 43 in 1948.

"By Candlelight" had the potential to be a much better film than it is. Again, the studio shortcomings are the culprit. The worst thing about this movie that almost had me turn it off a few times is the music. The score is heavy and leaden, and the volume is so loud that it distracts from the dialog. This isn't just once but throughout much of the film. Where were the producer, director and film editors when this was being put together? The film editing seems a little bit choppy, and the directing is weak. The film uses some nice angles for shooting scenes, but then we have some instances of stilted delivery by actors – especially Lukas. It's as though the clapboard has just set up another take and the actors count three before beginning.

Similar films by the major studios of the day showed considerably better production values. Still, this film is an interesting look at some lesser known, but very good actors of the past. Just be forewarned about the very high volume of the heavy musical score.

James Whale romantic comedy

[Shotsy · 6/10 · 2 April 1999]

Charming film. Lukas is not quite suited to the role. Music is played too loud throughout although it is good music. Whale must have done this quick. Not a whole lot of Whale genius here. Still enjoyable for fans of the period.

One of those Fred and Ginger types of light comedies.

[1930s_Time_Machine · 4/10 · 28 August 2023]

This is a straight comedy of errors type of thing which although some of its humour is still funny and it's is expertly put together, it's nothing special but still a good example of early thirties middle of the road comedy.

The problem with this is that you've got to like the characters to enjoy this fully but they're just not made relatable enough. Your main man here that you're watching is Paul Lukas and once you get it in your head that he sounds just like Bela Lugosi and looks Dracula in HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA you can't warm easily to him. There's actually a scene where he kisses 'Marie's' neck commenting on her perfect throat......there must have been some funny outtakes from that shoot!

But back to the review..... James Whale's direction makes this feel genuine, as though they're real people. It looks classy and paces itself just right. The characters however seem a little distant and the lead (Dracula audition Hopeful?) is dishonest and a liar so not very likeable. Unusually for a James Whale film but it just doesn't have any magic. And the score is weirdly overpowering. Universal must have been getting their money's worth from the orchestra - it never stops. Were they just showing off to their competitors that they can now afford an orchestra by using it over every single second of your picture.

Terribly Unfunny

[view_and_review · 1/10 · 26 January 2024]

Yes! There is nothing funnier than infidelity, except maybe...ummm... Everything. Infidelity seems to have been Hollywood's favorite topic from the time movies could be made. I think they had squeezed every drop out of that topic by 1933 to the point it didn't interest me at all anymore.

Within the first fifteen minutes Count von Rischenheim (Lawrence Grant) was at the home of Prince Alfred (Nils Asther) trying to find his wife (Dorothy Revier) as she hid in the other room; all the while the butler, Josef (Paul Lukas), tried to help his boss to keep the woman hidden.

Later, when the butler, Josef, was on a train he met a woman named Marie (Elissa Landi). Josef pretended to be a prince while Marie pretended to be a married lady (by lady I mean a woman of high class). Josef didn't care a bit that she was "married," he still wanted her.

From the train ride on until I turned off this dreadful movie, Josef and Marie catted around. Besides the whole ordeal being terrible unfunny as they pretended to be something they weren't, the intrusive musical soundtrack ruined whatever wasn't already ruined by the script. It was a comical soundtrack as if I was watching a folly, and they didn't know when to stop playing the music.

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