Story of movie The Merry Widow 1934 Film : The Merry Widow is a 1934 film adaptation of the operetta of the same name by Franz Lehár. It was directed and produced by Ernst Lubitsch and starred Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald. A French-language version was produced at the same time and released in France the same year as La Veuve joyeuse.
| The Merry Widow | |
|---|---|
theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ernst Lubitsch |
| Produced by | Irving Thalberg Ernst Lubitsch |
| Written by | Libretto: Victor Léon Leo Stein Screenplay: Ernest Vajda Samson Raphaelson Marcel Achard (French version) |
| Starring | Maurice Chevalier Jeanette MacDonald |
| Music by | Franz Lehár |
| Cinematography | Oliver T. Marsh |
| Edited by | Frances Marsh (English) Adrienne Fazan (French) |
Production company | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
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Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English French (separate versions) |
| Budget | $1,605,000 |
| Box office | $2.8 million (worldwide rentals) |
Screenplay
Playboy Captain Danilo (Maurice Chevalier) is ordered by King Achmet of Marshovia (George Barbier) to court and marry Madame Sonia (Jeanette MacDonald), a rich widow who owns a large portion of the kingdom.
English
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French
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Cedric Gibbons and Fredric Hope won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction.
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
- 2006: AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals – Nominated
The film earned $861,000 in the US and $1,747,000 overseas for a total rental of $2,608,000. It earned a further $151,000 on re-release in 1949-1950 to almost break even.
