Simply A Masterpiece

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Spy-thrilla where Jeannette MacDonald must get napoleonic soldiers to reveal their secrets. Warren Williams (The Lone Wolf!) is the Major; Billy Gilbert who sneezed his way through films is the innkeeper. Douglass Dumbrille always played the bad guy, and here is the Marquis. Dance numbers, singing. It's Jeanette MacDonald, who always does operatic arias. Yawn. Pretty dated stuff. Intrigue. suspense. love triangles. It's a pretty dry period piece, which is never my first choice. Kind of a mata hari. Showing on Turner Classics. It's pretty well done, but moves pretty slowly. the songs keep bringing it to a screeching halt. I'd skip this one unless you're a fan of J. MacDonald. Directed by Robert Leonard... nominated twice, but never got the Oscar.

An operetta, with Alan Jones replacing the usual Nelson Eddy as Jeanette's costar, unfortunately, their only film starring together. Jones had a subsidiary role as the lead male in two partial operas with Jeanette in the previous "Rose Marie". Lots of ornate traditional European pageantry, beginning with a major festival, decreed by young King Ferdinand. The reason for this celebration isn't clearly specified. However, a good guess would be his recent coronation and/or the recent conquest of Portugal by a combined Spanish-French force. However, this happiness will be short-lived as Napoleon has plans to keep substantial troops in Spain, and replace the Spanish government with one of his own, headed by his brother Joseph.The title is taken from Rudolf Friml's 1912 operetta. However, the rather mundane plot of the original was discarded for a much more complicated and historically interesting one. The screenplay concentrates on the period just before and after the French takeover of Spain in 1809, then skips about 5 years, until the British and Portuguese forces are finally making headway in joining the various Spanish partisan groups toward liberating Spain.Most of Friml's original songs were retained. In addition, Friml was employed(now 25 years later) to compose additional songs: the most remembered being "The Donkey Serenade", sung by Jones, as he rides a horse alongside a stagecoach carrying Jeanette, trying to interest her in a romantic relationship. This scene is staged in the spectacular Alabama Hills, near Lone Pine: the main local for many a western, especially. A flute-playing boy, and guitar-playing stage driver aid Jones(Don Diego or Captain Andre))in his quest.Yes, as a few reviewers have complained, the plot is rather complicated, both from the viewpoint of the historical setting, and the political and emotional relationships between the characters played by Jeanette and Jones, and between Jeanette and Major de Rouchemont, as well as the Marquis de Melito. Jeanette plays Nina Maria: a famous singer and dancer, as well as Spanish spy, sometimes sent to dazzle high ranking French officers, and hopefully obtain militarily important info. Jones is sent by the French to keep an eye on her, thus they are on opposite sides of the political struggle, yet increasingly drawn to each other emotionally. This doesn't seem to make sense. If the French know/suspect that she is a spy, why do they allow her access to high ranking military officers??Jeanette looks and acts radiant throughout this production, often in various ornate costumes. As with most of her best-remembered films, it was shot in B&W, thus she appears to be a brunette. She often dances enticingly, along with her singing.. Jones makes an excellent singing companion for her, as well as occasionally soloing. Unfortunately, he wasn't very distinctive looking, nor tall, like Nelson Eddy: Jeanette's usual singing male costar. Thus, with a few exceptions, MGM relegated him to minor films. Just the year before, he had costarred in the popular film version of Kerns' "Showboat". However, he had disappointing film roles after the present one, thus moved to Universal in 1940, where he fared no better. Some people prefer him to Eddy, whom they complain was too wooden in his acting. I don't find Eddy inherently wooden: just playing his frequent stalwart characters as they should be, in the traditional acting style of these operettas. Returning to the political-military aspects of the film, we have the replacement of Spanish king Ferdinand with Napoleon's brother Joseph, after the French successfully defeat the Spanish armies. In the later portions of the film, the Duke of Wellington is the guiding light of the allies armies(British, Portuguese, and Spanish forces). After an initially success the year before, he was forced to retreat southward in the face of overwhelming French forces in the north. However, over the winter, the military situation drastically changed. While Napoleon's Grand Army was gradually decimated in the disastrous Russian campaign, the allies forces swelled with new recruits. Thus, Wellington now feels he has the manpower and cannon power to defeat the shrunken French armies in Spain. He has a plan to deceive the French army in the battlefield. Jeanette's Nina has a complicated role in this deception, and she again encounters Don Diego(Jones) in this operation. The allies defeat the French in the pivotal historical Battle of Vitoria, and the French soon are forced to leave Spain for good. With hostilities ended, and Nina's death sentence commuted, Nina and Don Diego feel they can finally resume their former romantic relationship, to end the film. But first, she must find Diego among the wounded in a makeshift hospital. The finale has them riding off into the sunset in a little horse-drawn wagon, singing their hearts out to reprises of "The Donkey Serenade", followed by "Giannina Mia", which were 2 of the previous 3 love songs sung by Diego to Nina.

France and England are at war. Napoleon has placed troops in Spain "to protect the Spanish" in case England invades.There is a beautiful cantina singer (and dancer!) named Nina Maria (Jeanette MacDonald) whom men fight over. She works as a spy for Spain. When Napoleon invites Ferdinand--who appears guileless--to France for a meeting, Nina Maria must leave for France immediately to determine if Napoleon's intentions are honorable.She is pursued there by Don Diego (Allan Jones), a man smitten by the senorita. Along the way, he tries to charm her by singing "The Donkey Serenade"--one of the most memorable moments in the film.When they arrive in Bayonne, France, things get complicated. The senorita discovers someone is on to her. The love story becomes more political as Nina Maria must make alliances based on trust. Will she let her heart guide her actions? What is Napoleon's true objective?The two leads are excellent. Much of the surrounding cast portray military characters and they are very strong.The lavish sets and a large number of extras give the film a feeling of richness, as when Joseph Napoleon and his military escort ride into Madrid.Part romance, part political intrigue, "The Firefly" entertains while Jeanette MacDonald shines.

I am told that the original plot of The Firefly has seen on Broadway back in 1912 had absolutely nothing to do with the Peninsular Campaign of the Napoleonic Wars. Hard to believe because the plot here seems so right.The core of the plot is duty to one's country. Though Allan Jones and Jeanette MacDonald are on opposite sides and love each other, at some point each betrays the other at some point in the movie to gain a tactical advantage for France or Spain.The Rudolf Friml-Otto Harbach-Oscar Hammerstein II, is mostly retained for the movie. One new song, based on a Friml instrumental composition called Chanson, is given a lyric by Bob Wright and Chet Forrest and arranged by MGM's house composer Herbert Stothart. Their combined efforts yielded The Donkey Serenade and provided Allan Jones a signature song for the rest of his career.Jeanette was taking a rest from her usual singing partner, Nelson Eddy, and her teaming with Jones was felicitous. They are a pair of winning songbirds. Maybe had Jones stayed with MGM, he and MacDonald might have made some more films together. Maybe he might have played some of the parts that Nelson Eddy did opposite her. But he probably was right in thinking he'd always be number 2 at MGM, so he moved to Universal.Beautiful singing and a decent plot in this one. Go see it.