Tovarich (1937)
- General info
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- Synopsis:
Russian Prince Mikail Alexandrovitch Ouratieff (Charles Boyer) and his wife, Grand Duchess Tatiana Petrovna (Claudette Colbert) flee from the Russian Revolution to Paris with the Czar's fortune, which he has entrusted to them for safekeeping. They keep the money in a bank, faithfully refusing to spend any of it for themselves. Then, destitute, they are forced to take jobs under false identities as butler and maid in the household of wealthy Charles Dupont (Melville Cooper), his wife Fermonde (Isabel Jeans), and their children, Helene (Anita Louise) and Georges (Maurice Murphy). After a shaky start, the servants gradually endear themselves to their employers. However, their secret is finally exposed when one of the guests at a dinner party, Soviet Commissar Gorotchenko (Basil Rathbone), recognises them. - Actors:
- Claudette Colbert, Charles Boyer, Basil Rathbone, Anita Louise, Melville Cooper, Isabel Jeans, Morris Carnovsky, Victor Kilian, Maurice Murphy, Gregory Gaye, Montagu Love, Renie Riano, Fritz Feld, Heather Thatcher, May Boley, Doris Lloyd, Curt Bois, Ferdinand Munier, Grace Hayle, Allan Conrad
- Directors:
- Anatole Litvak
- Writers:
- Jacques Deval, Casey Robinson
- Aka:
- Tonight's Our Night
- Genres:
- Classics, Comedy
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Reviews (1) of Tovarich
Comedy Drama. - Tovarich review by Steve
Screwball comedy about the diaspora of the Russian revolution... A married pair of destitute Russian aristocrats exiled in Paris take on a job as servants to the frantic family of a banker, and find living in the home of a capitalist to their liking. But when a prominent Bolshevik comes to dinner, old resentments are revived.
The problem with Tovarich is that the play by Jacques Deval is so wholeheartedly sympathetic to the aristocracy. Which probably suited Hollywood's anti-Red agenda going into WWII. The story completely whitewashes them and demonises the Communist. The film partly overcomes this impediment thanks to sensational performances and an unusually witty script.
Claudette Colbert and (a slimmed down) Charles Boyer are the émigrés forced into service. She is in a class of her own with comic dialogue of this calibre. The support cast is excellent, featuring an ominous performance from Basil Rathbone as the Soviet consul. There are evocative studio sets of the Paris ghettos which contrast with the wealth of the bankers.
The film ultimately gets bunged up with dubious politics. The best and funniest parts of the film are when the refugees ingratiate themselves into the rich French household, far more luxurious than they knew back home. Anatole Litvak's direction is mechanical, but the film remains viable thanks to the brilliant screwball stars.