Trouble in Paradise (1932) is a witty and racy pre-Code comedy that tells the story of two master con-artists (Herbert Marshall and the inimitable Miriam Hopkins) who fall in love after trying to pull cons on each other. When their money runs out, they must find a rich and gullible victim to unwittingly fund their expensive lifestyle. They target the owner of a world famous perfume line (Kay Francis), but things get complicated when Marshall’s character develops complicated feelings for his charming mark.
Ernst Lubitsch made a series of excellent romantic comedies in the early 1930s. These films were marked by fast and clever dialogue, perfect comedic timing, and suggestive themes that were quite daring for their time. When Joseph Breen took over the Hays office in 1934 and began strictly enforcing the production code that governed morality in Hollywood films, Lubitsch's edgy style had to be curbed. These early talkie comedies show the direction Hollywood humor might have gone were it not for the Hays Code.
Join us on Thursday January 26 at 7 p.m. At the Greenville Public Library for this hilarious and stylish movie. David Nilsen will be leading a brief discussion after the movie, and, as always, there will be free theater popcorn, candy, coffee, and Jones Soda. We hope to see you there.
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