A stylish, glamorous comedy
"Love before Breakfast" (1936) is a comedy about wealthy industrialist Scott Miller (Preston Foster) who pursues beautiful socialite Kay Colby (Carole Lombard), even though she is engaged to another man. Scott and Kay have a love-hate relationship, and there are a lot of zany antics. The movie is enjoyable. The Art Deco sets are gorgeous, and the costumes are glamorous.Kay is smart and sophisticated, and can easily match wits with Scott. The storyline is loosely based on "The Taming of the Shrew."
There are many amusing scenes in the film. Scott and Kay go horseback riding in the woods, where they play tricks on each other. There are more pranks at a costume party. The scene at a posh restaurant where tables rotate around a dance floor has a surrealistic and dizzy quality. Kay has an adorable little puppy. The dialog is wicked and witty, and the zany ending is hilarious.
The film is visually gorgeous, with lavish sets and costumes. It begins with some impressive low angle shots of the Empire State Building. Kay lives in a stylish Art Deco apartment.
Carole Lombard is glamorous in her elegant gowns and fur coats. At the costume party, Lombard looks stunning in a showgirl costume with a feathered skirt and headdress.
The movie takes a dark plot twist with the black eye incident. During a brawl, Scott accidentally gives Kay a black eye. Kay goes to the beauty parlor, but Scott pays the beautician to leave, so he can treat her black eye. Although the black eye incident is presented as comedy, it comes across as disturbing and creepy. The film was promoted with a movie poster showing Kay with a black eye.
Here is some trivia. In the 1930s, American photographer Walker Evans took a famous series of photographs of the rural South. One of the photos shows two houses, with the "Love Before Breakfast" movie poster displayed on a wooden fence. (See the message board for more about the photograph.)
Except for the black eye incident, this is an entertaining film. Carole Lombard is beautiful and witty. The movie has zany antics, superb cinematography, lavish Art Deco sets, and elegant costumes.
score 8/10
spotted-owl 11 August 2014
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3066215/35637
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