Invitation to the Waltz

1935
1h 20m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Lilian Harvey in Invitation to the Waltz (1935)

In the Napoleonic era of the early 19th century, a ballerina moves thru Europe putting on different identities and becomes the mistress of a German Duke so he will sign a treaty beneficial t... Read allIn the Napoleonic era of the early 19th century, a ballerina moves thru Europe putting on different identities and becomes the mistress of a German Duke so he will sign a treaty beneficial to her country of England.In the Napoleonic era of the early 19th century, a ballerina moves thru Europe putting on different identities and becomes the mistress of a German Duke so he will sign a treaty beneficial to her country of England.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.9/10

YOUR RATING

3User reviews

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos

Featured review

7/10

Good

At first glance, I thought this was a stuffy constume drama. But, no... it turned out to be a lively history-adventure with numerous bits of comedy. The petite Lillian Harvey (playing a ballerina) is not just a passive love object. In fact, she takes centre stage as our charmingly goofball heroine. There's even a few oddly surreal moments (15 minutes in, she sabotages her dance by putting on blackface, huh?? 47 minutes in, she arrives at her flat, and it's filled with dogs! 64 minutes in, she asks a guard a question and he responds by simply barking like a dog. Huh??). There's also the main caper, as she gets involved in the political machinations of 19th century France, even getting mixed up with Napoleon! Oh yes, and it's also a romance, as she avoids becoming the.duke's mistress and escape with her real love, a handsome lieutenant (with the help of her male best friend, who also loves her but is unrequited). We also have a very interesting historical note that the "waltz" (as a musical genre) was once rejected by older generations (the same way rock music, or rap music, or big band, etc., were all forms of music that were rejected by the elders of their time). Finally, the final line of the film was genuinely funny. Overall, I would say that you should give this film a chance because it's better than it looks at first glance.