I've been working through a few British Hitchcocks lately. I decided to try "Waltzes From Vienna" {1935} a rather lesser known work about which Hitchcock himself wasn't really very enthusiastic. I think that a fluffy romantic comedy was just too much out of his comfort zone. Esmond Knight {Johann Strauss Jr} was only adequate in the role and Jessie Matthews' singing ability was very much under-utilised, as was the opportunity to use more of the entertaining music of the Strauss family. One could never really engage with the romantic relationship between the characters Knight and Matthews played. Fay Compton's Countess was reasonable enough, but again somehow seemed to lack conviction. The humour, in my opinion, was frequently forced, slapstick, predictable and unconvincing. On the other hand, the set designs are frequently quite nice for a relatively low-budget film by the standards of his later works. There was a pleasant performance of "The Blue Danube" but one has to wait so long for it and the utterly silly explanation of its inspirational source beggars belief!
What makes the film worth watching is the great performance of Edmund Gwenn as the angry, jealous and dark Johann Strauss Sr. Fittingly, he has the last word in the film when he finally relents and signs his name for a young autograph hunter. Until this point he has been the only Johann Strauss. Now he finally recognises the merit of his son's work as he adds "Senior" to his name when the autograph is signed. It's a good moment and maybe just worth the wait.
All-in-all, it's a film that makes no real demands but is worth having as an example of a very unusual sortie into the genre of the romantic musical by Hitchcock. And despite my reservations about it, I think that all Hitchcock fans would like a copy in their collection.
What makes the film worth watching is the great performance of Edmund Gwenn as the angry, jealous and dark Johann Strauss Sr. Fittingly, he has the last word in the film when he finally relents and signs his name for a young autograph hunter. Until this point he has been the only Johann Strauss. Now he finally recognises the merit of his son's work as he adds "Senior" to his name when the autograph is signed. It's a good moment and maybe just worth the wait.
All-in-all, it's a film that makes no real demands but is worth having as an example of a very unusual sortie into the genre of the romantic musical by Hitchcock. And despite my reservations about it, I think that all Hitchcock fans would like a copy in their collection.