The first fifteen minutes of Reunion in Vienna is confusing, but compared to the rest of the movie, it's much better. Diana Wynyard is shows attending a tour of a grand Viennese palace, and she slips away from the rest of the group and imagines herself in a royal gown meeting the prince from long ago. Then, at home, she's bored with her husband Frank Morgan and father-in-law Henry Travers. It makes the audience think the movie is a fantasy about a bored housewife who wishes she could meet a prince.
Instead, the prince is not only real, but he's her ex-boyfriend. He was exiled after a change of power, and then Diana married Frank. Frank is a famous psychologist who carries the theory to his patients, including Una Merkel, that a woman's first love is glorified in her mind and that if she saw him again as he was, he'd topple from his pedestal. So, putting his money where his mouth is, Frank tells Diana to go to May Robson's party because he knows Prince John Barrymore will be in attendance. He believes she'll come running home with open arms. However, as soon as John graces the screen, he slows the tempo down and makes everyone think they're watching him onstage. His performance is very exaggerated, and he and Diana don't seem to have any shared history that would make her doubt her happiness at home.
This story isn't very interesting, since the majority of the movie tries to show tension between Diana and John, rather than the psychology behind Frank's theory. No one is at his or her best acting, so if you're a fan of the cast, try renting one of their other movies tonight.
Instead, the prince is not only real, but he's her ex-boyfriend. He was exiled after a change of power, and then Diana married Frank. Frank is a famous psychologist who carries the theory to his patients, including Una Merkel, that a woman's first love is glorified in her mind and that if she saw him again as he was, he'd topple from his pedestal. So, putting his money where his mouth is, Frank tells Diana to go to May Robson's party because he knows Prince John Barrymore will be in attendance. He believes she'll come running home with open arms. However, as soon as John graces the screen, he slows the tempo down and makes everyone think they're watching him onstage. His performance is very exaggerated, and he and Diana don't seem to have any shared history that would make her doubt her happiness at home.
This story isn't very interesting, since the majority of the movie tries to show tension between Diana and John, rather than the psychology behind Frank's theory. No one is at his or her best acting, so if you're a fan of the cast, try renting one of their other movies tonight.