"Viktor Un Viktoria" (1933) was a joyous musical made in Germany the year Hitler came to power. For those who have seen it, it is a delightful film with a lot of the dialogue sung in rhyming couplets. Renate Muller was adorable as "Viktoria" and Anton Walbrook was her romantic leading man. The English remake, "First a Girl" was inferior but Jessie Matthews was a sparkling bonus. The name was taken from an old saying "first a girl, second a boy, always a joy" and it also had a shrewd publicity angle as Jessie and her husband Sonnie Hale had just adopted a baby girl.
Filmed on location on the Riviera, Jessie Matthews plays Elizabeth, a worker at Serafinas, an exclusive dress shop. The film begins with a fashion show for the guest of honour, Princess (Anna Lee). Elizabeth does an impromptu "apache" dance to "I Can Wiggle My Ears" and when her shoe flies off and lands at the Princess's feet she is demoted to messenger girl. While delivering a beautiful dress, Elizabeth, who has always wanted to be a showgirl, sees a chorus girl call up. In the now undelivered clothes, she catches the attention of Victor (Sonnie Hale) (after being ejected from the singing auditions). He is doing it tough in his chosen field - Shakespearian recitations!!! but has landed a job as "Victoria" - he is a female impersonator. Elizabeth and he meet at a cafe (the background music is from the original German film) and when Victor develops a cold he persuades her to go on in his place. There is a very funny scene in the dressing room in which Elizabeth refuses to undress unless all the men are out of the room!!! She finally goes on and sings "It's Written All Over Your Face" - geese wander onto the stage, Elizabeth slips and falls over when a water bucket overturns - she is a riot and a huge success. A theatrical manager sees her and puts her in the big time. Victor then becomes her protector.
"Half and Half of This Will Be a Rainbow", is a great chance to see Jessie Matthews and Sonnie Hale dance together. Before their marriage they had starred together in West End musicals. Victor is immediately taken with the Princess and Elizabeth is left with a sullen Robert (Griffith Jones). I agree that "I Can Wiggle My Ears" seems overlong, it is given a very "busy" Busby Berkeley type production - unfortunately without Jessie!!! The princess begins to suspect that "he" is a "she" when she finds a girl's comb that "he" has dropped!!!
Victor and Victoria holiday in Nice - she sings the beautiful "Just Say the Word and I'm Yours" while sunbathing and when Robert rescues Elizabeth from drowning he realises that she is indeed a woman. The finale is spectacular. Set in a bird cage with Jessie perched atop a swing in a "barely there" costume of spangles and feathers - there is then a quick change as she sings and dances to "Everything's in Rhythm With My Heart" in a beautiful feathery creation that would make Ginger Rogers jealous. After her dance she retires to a feathered bed suspended with chains.
Everything turns out alright - Elizabeth gets her man and Victor finally gets to do a turn as "Victoria" and is a howling success. Not one of Jessie's best but still highly recommended.
Filmed on location on the Riviera, Jessie Matthews plays Elizabeth, a worker at Serafinas, an exclusive dress shop. The film begins with a fashion show for the guest of honour, Princess (Anna Lee). Elizabeth does an impromptu "apache" dance to "I Can Wiggle My Ears" and when her shoe flies off and lands at the Princess's feet she is demoted to messenger girl. While delivering a beautiful dress, Elizabeth, who has always wanted to be a showgirl, sees a chorus girl call up. In the now undelivered clothes, she catches the attention of Victor (Sonnie Hale) (after being ejected from the singing auditions). He is doing it tough in his chosen field - Shakespearian recitations!!! but has landed a job as "Victoria" - he is a female impersonator. Elizabeth and he meet at a cafe (the background music is from the original German film) and when Victor develops a cold he persuades her to go on in his place. There is a very funny scene in the dressing room in which Elizabeth refuses to undress unless all the men are out of the room!!! She finally goes on and sings "It's Written All Over Your Face" - geese wander onto the stage, Elizabeth slips and falls over when a water bucket overturns - she is a riot and a huge success. A theatrical manager sees her and puts her in the big time. Victor then becomes her protector.
"Half and Half of This Will Be a Rainbow", is a great chance to see Jessie Matthews and Sonnie Hale dance together. Before their marriage they had starred together in West End musicals. Victor is immediately taken with the Princess and Elizabeth is left with a sullen Robert (Griffith Jones). I agree that "I Can Wiggle My Ears" seems overlong, it is given a very "busy" Busby Berkeley type production - unfortunately without Jessie!!! The princess begins to suspect that "he" is a "she" when she finds a girl's comb that "he" has dropped!!!
Victor and Victoria holiday in Nice - she sings the beautiful "Just Say the Word and I'm Yours" while sunbathing and when Robert rescues Elizabeth from drowning he realises that she is indeed a woman. The finale is spectacular. Set in a bird cage with Jessie perched atop a swing in a "barely there" costume of spangles and feathers - there is then a quick change as she sings and dances to "Everything's in Rhythm With My Heart" in a beautiful feathery creation that would make Ginger Rogers jealous. After her dance she retires to a feathered bed suspended with chains.
Everything turns out alright - Elizabeth gets her man and Victor finally gets to do a turn as "Victoria" and is a howling success. Not one of Jessie's best but still highly recommended.