It's Love Again

1936 "THE DANCING SENSATION OF A NATION! JOYOUS JESSIE IN A JOYOUS DANCE ROMANCE Jessie MATHEWS The Dancing Divinity"
6.3| 1h23m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 30 May 1936 Released
Producted By: Gaumont-British Picture Corporation
Country:
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Elaine Bradford is a young singer and dancer, looking for her big break. Peter Carlton is a gossip columnist facing a deadline and a blank page. So, Peter invents "Mrs. Smythe-Smythe", a mysterious Englishwoman who spends her days hunting tigers in India, jumping out of airplanes, and generally driving men mad with her beauty. Since no one in London has ever seen Mrs. Smythe-Smythe, Elaine decides to impersonate the lady, in hopes that the publicity will land her the big break she's been looking for.

Genre

Comedy, Music

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Director

Victor Saville

Production Companies

Gaumont-British Picture Corporation

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It's Love Again Audience Reviews

Scanialara You won't be disappointed!
ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.
Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.
JohnHowardReid Copyright 30 August 1936 by Gaumont British Picture Corporation of America. New York opening at the Roxy: 22 May 1936. U.S. release: 12 May 1936. U.K. release through Gaumont-British: May 1936. Australian release through 20th Century-Fox: 26 August 1936. 9 reels. 83 minutes.SYNOPSIS: An aspiring singer/dancer cashes in on the publicity generated in a newspaper gossip column about a big-game hunter, Mrs Smythe-Smythe. Unbeknown to her, Mrs Smythe-Smythe is merely a figment of an eager young reporter's imagination.Directed with pace and style, its cleverly amusing script peppered with three or four charmingly tuneful and/or witty songs, and most ingratiatingly acted throughout, It's Love Again is one of my favorite Matthews musicals. Jessie herself is in such absolutely top-flight form (double pun intended) it's hard to decide whether she's more wonderfully gifted as a light comedienne or as a smooth singing, admirably acrobatic dancer.Although Jessie is given more than ample opportunities to shine, there's yet enough room in the ingenious script for a marvelous host of supporting characters. Young does surprisingly well by the romantic lead, playing with both charm and spirit and singing and dancing with laudatory finesse.For the lead support role of Archie Raymond, the producer was fortunate to secure the rare services of Ernest Milton, a famous Shakespearean actor who made but very few films. Milton brings a superbly mock-serious touch to what is nothing short of a brilliantly rendered interpretation. His performance alone is worth a thousand ducats; and the astonishing moment when Olive Sloane sweeps into his room and the two of them sit at the piano joyfully rendering "When You Wore a Tulip" while Jessie stares at their backs in dismay, definitely deserves listing in anyone's catalog of Unforgettable Scenes in the Cinema.Although up-staged for the first and only time in his comic career, Sonnie Hale still has some choice bits of business. One of his most amusing scenes he shares with his real-life father, Robert Hale, here playing a tiger hunter and India expert. (Sonnie's name is Robert too, hence the "Sonnie" sobriquet). He also has to compete for laughs with Robb Wilton who manages to turn to his own delightful advantage such exquisite encounters as his confrontation with a risibly elderly group of startled, typically British club members.When she is not dancing solo or being partnered with diffident but able Young, Jessie has two fascinating duets with Cyril Wells. Jessie leads, but the skill with which Cyril keeps up with her is truly amazing. He must be the only male partner she ever had who could not only accurately mirror her more strenuous passes but impart to their dancing a full measure of his own personality as well.I could continue on with this catalog of the movie's delights for some pages yet. It seems churlish not to mention Athene Seyler's pleasurable contributions or to pass over villainous Cyril Raymond. And on the technical side, at least two or three paragraphs on Alfred Junge's startling sets and Joe Strassner's incredible dresses seem called for. Nor should I forget the most attractive photography, so artistically supervised by Glen MacWilliams. As for Saville's meticulously stylish yet seemingly light and gossamer direction, such creative entertainment deserves a whole page. In short, It's Love Again is so chock-full of enjoyment, it's a film I want to see again. And again. And again.
Alex da Silva Peter (Robert Young) and Freddie (Sonnie Hale) invent a celebrity, Mrs Smythe-Smythe, in order to fool the public and sell newspapers. Meanwhile, Elaine Bradford (Jessie Matthews) is looking for a chance to become a celebrity and seems to be getting nowhere with her audition for major theatre producer Raymond (Ernest Milton). So, she pretends to be Mrs Smythe-Smythe in order to get attention. Things go well at first but a rival reporter discovers the truth....There are many humorous sections in this film, eg, the scene where Peter and Freddie decide on their celebrity, Raymond's exasperation with the theatre (I hate the theatre....I hate the people...). The cast are all good and Sonnie Hale is funny in most of his scenes. The film is Britsh and I was surprised at the quality of both the production and the comedy. It doesn't contain that stupid British humour of the time. It is actually quite funny! But best of all, the film has Jessie Matthews singing and dancing. The songs are all fine but her dancing is great. She was easily up there with the best that Hollywood could provide at the time. Maybe she was THE best of her time. All the dances are good, my favourite being the sequence where she is trapped into giving a performance of a Hindu temple dance. She has no idea what she is supposed to do and starts somewhat hesitantly but then turns it into the most enjoyable solo tap dance sequence in any film that I can remember seeing. A joy to watch. I was pleasantly surprised by this film.
Jem Odewahn I caught this recently on late-night television. It wasn't given a great review in my TV guide, but I was intrigued into watching it for I had never seen 30's British star Jessie Matthews in a film. Admittedly, I was also waiting up for the World Cup coverage (Go Socceroos, go!) to begin on a different channel. So I killed time and watched 'It's Love Aagain'.And I enjoyed it.It has a very light, flimsy plot and little unique visual style. Those are the downers...but then, did the Astaire-Rogers 30's musicals have amazing story lines and incredible camera-work? No. This is a cheery comedy-musical designed to make audiences feel good about themselves and life, and it works on that level. Some of the acting is rather poor at times, but that doesn't detract from the star, the 'Dancing Divinity' Jessie Matthews.From seeing her in this, I think that she was a very talented lady. She is an appealing, though not great, actress and a wonderfully capable and accomplished dancer-singer. She lights up the screen in every scene she is in and she works well with her male love interest, Robert Young. I've seen a lot of Young's work lately (courtesy of late-night television) and I am beginning to really like him. A reliable, underrated leading man.It looks very lavish for a Post-Great Depression film set in London. Matthews is charming, the musical numbers are fun, and you'll forget your troubles for a brief time.Worthwhile.
Kalaman "It's Love Again" is my second Jessie Matthews musical. After watching her previous merriment, "First a Girl"(1935), I wanted to see more of her work. And "It's Love Again" is every bit as spirited, frolicsome, and enthralling as that one. It is characterized by grand production values, lovely gracefully directed dancing numbers, and some agreeably enchanting songs - especially the title song, which for some reason I can't seem to forget, even though I've seen the film only once. Ms. Matthews herself – a radiant, willowy, longed-legged radio soap star turned singer/dancer - is a joy to watch. The effortless way she dances, moves, or sings is quite astonishing, makes you wonder why she is little known. As in "First a Girl", "It's Love Again" features Matthews impersonating another persona, only to discover later her true self. Here, she is dancer, Elaine Bradford, who impersonates a mysterious, alluring British celebrity named Mrs. Smythe-Smythe who spends most her of time in India hunting tigers. Elaine jumps into the role in order to gain fame and impress the show biz manager Archie Raymond (Ernest Milton) of her true talents. The celebrity is concocted by Peter Carlton (Robert Young), a slack but fearless gossip columnist looking for a big break and falls in love with Elaine. Their romantic moments are marvelously sweet and endearing amidst the chaos of dancing and singing. Victor Saville's direction has its occasionally polished slickness, with its penchant for large-scale, Busby Berkeley-like production numbers. The plot can get a bit tiresome as it proceeds - the constant obsession with Peter's invention Mrs. Smythe-Smythe is really trite and overdone. However, it doesn't get in the way of the glorious numbers and the charming rapport of Ms. Matthews and Mr. Young. Though it scarcely turns up in some circles as far as I know - "It's Love Again" is worth seeking out if you haven't seen it already. Like so many of the best 30s musicals, you will ultimately be left with a feeling of utmost joy and ecstasy.