Bluebeard's Eighth Wife

They meet on the Riviera - buying pajamas. This opening scene is a labored buildup for the hilarious payoff - one of those lauded Lubitsch 'touches'. My favorite scene from this film comes next. Colbert has left the dept store and is walking down the street, with Cooper walking fast to catch up. Colbert smiles knowingly to herself. Then Cooper strides past with narry a howdy-do and is gone. Now this IS a surprise and howlingly funny. But it doesn't make sense. Cooper is obviously smitten, but he ignores her. Further, how are they to get together when he doesn't know her name or address? The it-makes-no-sense-at-all plot has them marry and divorce. Now with alimony Colbert has money of her own and doesn't need to marry him for his money. She says this proves she loves him. Say again? After making him miserable and crazy, in the last 3 minutes the story wraps up happily and unconvincingly. Her goal was to cure her divorce inclined mate and make him a forever husband. But has this goal been accomplished? Along the way a bit of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew is tossed into the mix. We see Cooper reading 'Shrew' and then acting on what he has misread. In an hilarious scene he marches from his rooms to her rooms and does something that Petruchio would never have done to Kate, and Colbert swiftly sets him straight. It's been suggested that the script was a retelling of 'Shrew' with Colbert in the Petruchio role, but I, familiar with Shakespeare, don't see it. Oh, yes, Cooper spanks Colbert, just as Petruchio did Kate. But that's where the likeness ends. It IS fun watching Colbert make mincemeat out of Bluebeard. Colbert is an expert comedienne. Cooper less so. He's handsome and charming, but stolid where playful is required. Cooper had worked with Lubitsch 2 years earlier in 'Desire' with Marlene Dietrich, and he was excellent in this comedy. Apparently the problem in this film lies in the mismatch between Cooper's image and the Bluebeard character. Was Cary Grant not available? Or Melvyn Douglas? The film looks classy, except for the too obvious rear-projection scenes of the honeymoon couple walking the streets of European cities, which are jarring in this A-budget film. Colbert's costumes of ruffles, furs and spiffy hats are gorgeous. Colbert is gorgeous. I have long thought her chirpiness annoying, but in 'She Met Him in Paris', '3-Cornered Moon' and this film, all on the Colbert Collection set, she's perfection. In spite of the goofy plot and a not-quite-up-to-the-task Cooper, you'll enjoy watching these 2 great Stars deliver a lot of laughs.

Who wouldn't like a movie with Gary Cooper? Or one with Claudette Colbert? Or one directed by Ernst Lubitsch? Who wouldn't like a comedy film written by Billy Wilder? The answers to all of these questions would be very few people (among movie fans who have seen a body of work dating from the early years of Hollywood). So, when one film has all of these great talents involved in it, well … most of us would probably expect the spectacular. Unfortunately, "Bluebeard's Eighth Wife" is far from the mark. It's not bad, but it's not much better than mediocre. I am a little surprised that a few reviewers scored it a 10. But, with leveler heads, others noted some of the things I did about this film. Oh sure, it has some witty lines and scenes. In the opening we see Michael Brandon (played by Cooper) looking in a store window in what looked to me to be Nice, France. A sign welcomes people in different languages. A sign in Spanish, German, French and English reads that that language is spoken here. A fifth line, after English, reads, "American understood." Then, as Brandon walks through the store, a salesman tries to interest him in one product after another. Walking beside him with a men's cologne bottle, the salesman says, "It's the contention of our management that the man who smells is a thing of the future." To which Brandon replies, "You ought to go a long way." But after that, the clever and funny lines are few and far between. The next scene in the store is where Brandon and Nicole De Loiselle (played by Claudette Colbert) meet. It is amusing but not hilarious. And, from then on, the attempts at humor are mostly one-liners with no response. Cooper is very stiff and wooden in this film, and there is absolutely no chemistry between these two stars. Colbert is Colbert – a very good actress at whatever she puts her heart into. But when the script is poor, as this one is, one actor is not going to save a film. The characters are not matched well, and the direction is lacking. One other reviewer commented on the weak premise for this film, and I agree. That could have been part of why the film flopped at the box office. But, moviegoers in that day knew good actors and directors and writers, and so they probably expected something very good. I give this five stars for Colbert's performance and that of the supporting cast, especially Edward Everett Horton as her movie father. David Niven's part was OK, but in a couple of scenes, he seemed to be an afterthought of the screenwriter. I can see how some viewers felt bored about half way into the film. It did stretch out far too much, probably losing much of the audience interest at the point. For some top Hollywood people of the time, Bluebeard would have to rank toward the bottom of their portfolios.

This film was absolutely hilarious. I am not a fan of romantic comedies, but this film won me over. It had so many wonderful jokes that you just wouldn't see in a movie these days, and with such a charm that you could never even dream of seeing in a romantic comedy today. The leads were wonderful as their characters, and the performances seemed very natural. Cooper was wonderful as the adventurous, picky, and misogynistic Mr Brandon. Colbert was beautiful as the playful, tricky, and scheming Nicole, and Horton was a barrel of laughs as her money grubbing father. The entire cast seemed just perfect. This is a truly wonderful film which a viewer can sit back, enjoy and laugh with.

It's all about getting what you want when you want it. And the message of Bluebeard's Eighth WIfe is to be careful what you wish for, until what you wish for wishes for you. Most men have heard the stories about what happens when your sexual frustration isn't relieved and a certain part of your anatomy turning blue. Misogynistic pirates aside, Cooper plays a very wealthy man who is very accustomed to getting what he wants whenever he wants it, learning only too late that it wasn't what he expected and never learning his lesson until he runs into the feisty Claudette Colbert. Through a twisted (in soul and in practice) business deal, he ends up marring/buying her with the intent of bedding her, but she will have none of it (literally) and frustrates him at every turn, and corner, and room, and tourist attraction. The film has definite French sensibilities which means it has strong double-entendres and boudoir humor for the day and a sharp edge you're not accustomed to (and may not enjoy seeing) in either Cooper or Colbert. The whole reason I watched the film was because they are "likable" actors, and the whole point of this movie is that they're unlikable people, or at least likable people who have developed unlikable traits to protect themselves, they think, from the world. If you can accept it on its own terms you'll find satisfaction in this witty and sophisticated film...and satisfaction, as we said, is what it's all about. Such a movie with such a cast only comes around, after all, once in a...ummm...blue moon.

Claudette Colbert. Gary Cooper. Edward Everett Horton. The great Ernst Lubitsch, with one of the most distinctive directing styles of any director that even has its own name as director. Billy Wilder, a terrific director himself, with a writing credit. That the 30s is one of my favourite decades in film and 'Bluebeard's Eighth Wife' in type of story sounded like something that would be enjoyable to me. So the potential was quite large, the potential for it to be great. 'Bluebeard's Eighth Wife', having said all of that, could have been a lot better. Great potential with enough to recommend but for my personal tastebuds it doesn't completely come off and for Lubitsch it is quite a big disappointment, especially considering that it came from a very good period for him. But not because it didn't try, it and everyone involved, very much did try. If anything this was a case of trying too hard. While one can totally see what Colbert's appeal was watching her performance here, this is not a good representation of Cooper. There are good things. It is beautifully filmed and do love Colbert's wardrobe, she always did look lovely in her films. It is scored with the right amount of energy and lushness. There are signs of brilliance in Lubitsch's direction and his uniquely deft mix of wit and sophisticated elegance. The script does boast some wonderfully witty lines, and as others have said 'Bluebeard's Eighth Wife' has some great moments too. The biggest delights being Colbert's drunk scene and especially the opening sequence. The slapping scene is surprisingly clever and amusing for something that could have easily been distasteful. Furthermore Colbert is terrific, she radiates on screen, her comic timing is on point. Horton as always steals his scenes, comedy comes so easy to him. Likewise with Herman Bing. Did think however that there were too many times where the humour could have been sharper and even more subtle. As said, other efforts of Lubitsch and Wilder show off their different styles more. Wilder is usually more consistently wittier than this and Lubitsch's elegant touch is not quite as elegant to usual. As said, there were times where it does feel like 'Bluebeard's Eighth Wife' was trying too hard which made the story particularly later on feel contrived. Namely towards the end where the material lost its freshness, and actually though that the treatment of David Niven (doing his best in the wrong role)'s character was on the mean-spirited side. Cooper seemed too amiable to me in playing a character meant to be a jerk and he doesn't look at ease. A few nice moments aside, like their first scene, their chemistry doesn't quite gel properly. Altogether, watchable but disappointing. 5/10

This film reappeared on channel 13 in the 1990s when they did a series of comedies from Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s. In fact, to the tune of "The Jolly Fat Policeman", they had a montage of scenes from the films to introduce the series of people laughing, including one of Gary Cooper chortling when watching a film in a movie house - a sequence from this film. It all begins innocently enough when Cooper, a millionaire, goes into a fancy department store in France to buy pajamas. But he only likes to sleep in the tops. The clerk (Tyler Brooke) insists that he cannot sell half a pair of pajamas as Cooper wants. Claudette Colbert hears the argument and offers to help - she only likes to sleep in pajama bottoms. What if Brooke sells them each half? Brooke has never had such an offer before, so he goes to the floor walker (Rolfe Sedan) and asks him if this can be done. He is disturbed too - the request is quite unconventional. Eventually they contact the store's owner (Charles Halton). Halton is in bed, and gets out - his skinny frame supporting only a pajama top (if a suitably long one for the sake of censorship). Can they sell the two customers one set of pajamas (half for each)? Properly horrified, Halton answers, "No, of course not! That is Communism!!". So the sale is not allowed. Apparently nobody thinks that Cooper can buy the total pair and sell half to Colbert. Lubitsch's BLUEBEARD'S EIGHTH WIFE has had a reputation of falling flat, most viewers not liking it because of a misreading of Colbert's character. She is seen as quite mercenary towards Cooper - selling herself to him on her terms. Actually Cooper's character is the nastier, as he is rich and figures that everything has a price. He is correct most of the time. Look at the way Colbert's aristocratic pauper of a father, Edward Everett Horton, sees his new son-in-law as a golden goose he can use. Cooper's willingness to marry Colbert somehow includes an agreement that if he is hesitant or chooses to not marry her he has to pay damages. Horton, when he realizes this, takes out a watch, and (in a most reassuring voice) says to Cooper - "Take your time my boy!", to come to a decision. Later we see Horton's wardrobe has gotten more modern and fancier. The film, script by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett, compares well with their script for Mitchell Leisin's MIDNIGHT (also with Colbert, but with Don Ameche and John Barrymore). There Colbert is willing to sell herself for a money marriage to (to Francis Lederer), but it is complicated by a fictitious marriage to Ameche. She really loves Ameche (a taxi driver) but she explains to him in an unexpectedly realistic moment that her parents married "for love" but poverty made them grow to hate each other. This is not found in BLUEBEARD'S EIGHTH WIFE, where Colbert does not have a background like that (she is, after all, the daughter of a Marquis). Her mercenary plotting is to teach Cooper a lesson about his standards. The film has some nice work by the supporting staff, including Herman Bing as a private eye who turns out to be hiding things that Colbert learns about, and a young David Niven, who has a set of choice moments as a stand in punching bag and as a willing ear to Cooper. Coop tells Niven about his problems with Colbert, and how she is so infuriating. Niven listens respectfully. At the end, Cooper is touched by his willingness to hear what he had to say. "Albert, how much do I pay you?", Cooper asks him. Niven thinks and says, "Thirty five francs a week sir.". Cooper looks deeply into his soul, and says (shaking his head), "That's fair!"

Ernst Lubitsch is the guiding hand behind "Bluebeard's Eighth Wife," a 1938 comedy starring Claudette Colbert and Gary Cooper. The screenplay was written with a light touch by Brackett and Wilder. The story concerns a wealthy man, Michael Brandon (Cooper), who meets the very attractive Nicole De Loiselle (Colbert) in a Parisian men's department store. Brandon wants to buy the top of the pajamas, as that's what he sleeps in, but the clerk insists that he buy the entire set. Nicole enters and buys the pants. Nicole's father (Edward Everett Horton) is a penniless marquis, trying to sell a project to Brandon, who isn't interested. The marquis then attempts to get him to buy a Louis IV bathtub. When he realizes that Nicole is the marquis' daughter, the marquis sees immediately that there is interest and tries to get them together. After all, he's loaded, and the hotel bill is due. Finally, the couple does become engaged and of course the marquis brings in his entire family at his expense for the wedding. While everyone is gathering for a photograph, some white stuff falls out of Michael's suit. "What is that?" she asks. "It's rice," he says. "Don't you use it at weddings? It's supposed to bring good luck." "Did your bride and groom have good luck?" she asks. "Well," he says, "we had a pleasant six months." She then finds out he's been married seven times. After renegotiating some sort of prenup he has set up, she goes through with the wedding, but they live separate lives. For some reason, people put this film in the same category as I Met Him in Paris because they're on the same DVD and they both take place in Paris. I Met Him in Paris is not a Lubitsch film and has some problems. This film has a fine script, zips along at a great pace, and has some wonderful scenes. I Met Him in Paris didn't really pick up until the second part. Gary Cooper and Claudette Colbert are delightful. It's hard to believe that someone like Gary Cooper actually existed - tall, drop dead gorgeous, and a cowboy to boot. Talk about your perfect man. And what a smile. Colbert is flawless in acting and in beauty - I saw her up close in 1974 and she looked the same as she did in this film. For as much success that she had, I don't think she ever received the credit for her dramatic work that she deserved, though she did for her comedy. In her last appearance, in The Two Mrs. Grenvilles, she played an actual person, Elsie Woodward (name changed in the movie), and people who knew Elsie said Colbert was totally the character. I don't think this is Lubitsch's best, but it's still delightful. How can you miss with those stars, that director, and those writers. David Niven has a supporting role as an employee of Brandon's who is also a friend of Nicole's. He's very funny.

Gary Cooper, (Michael Brandon) played the role as an American millionaire who had seven bad marriages, but always divorced his wife's with plenty of money to live on. Michael is in Paris on business and goes into a French Department Store to buy a pair of pajama tops and the sales people refuse to sell him just the tops, he has to buy the bottoms or there is no sale. Nicole DeLoiselle, (Claudette Colbert) listens to this conversation and offers to buy the bottom of these pajama's. Michael becomes very interested in Nicole and they have occasion to meet and go on dates. It is not too long before Michael proposes marriage to Nicole and she is very taken back with his request for marriage since she really does not know him very well. However, once she finds out she is going to become the Eighth wife of Michael she begins to change her mind and this story becomes quite entertaining and funny. Don't miss this film, it is great entertainment by great veteran actors. Enjoy.

I saw this movie again today and decided to re-review it. While I still was not thrilled by the film, I realize that my earlier review was too harsh. I think this occurred since I knew it was an Ernst Lubitsch film and I expected so much more. While the film was directed by the fantastic director, Ernst Lubitsch, it sure lacked the great writing of his more famous films. His films (apart from this one) were well-known for their charm, romance and the "Lubitsch touch"--a way of saying that the movies had a certain something that lifted them to greatness that was beyond words. Some examples of seemingly ordinary plots that were lifted to greatness by his genius would be IF I HAD A MILLION, THE GOOD FAIRY, TROUBLE IN PARADISE, NINOTCHKA, THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER and THE MERRY WIDOW. Second, the film was co-written by another man destined for greatness, Billy Wilder--director of a long list of his own great films. With this esteemed pedigree, I figured it was practically impossible for the film to be anything but marvelous. Boy, was I wrong--this story was one that just shouldn't have been made despite the efforts of the actors to carry it off. All the elements SEEMED right but the overall effort wasn't. The film starred Gary Cooper and Claudette Colbert. This was an odd pairing (even odder than Colbert and John Wayne in WITHOUT RESERVATIONS) and the actors just seemed to have little, if any, chemistry between them. Their styles were just too different and Cooper's character was just too unlikable. He played a mega-rich American who had absolute contempt for marriage and fidelity--having gone through seven "quickie" marriages before he even met Colbert. This is a fundamental problem, because a man who is so shallow that he could do this is tough to like as a leading man. Plus, what's romantic about a guy who's already been married seven times? So, when Cooper professes his undying love for Colbert, she and the audience are left to think "who cares?!". How can you detect the Lubitsch touch in such a contrived and unromantic plot? This makes connecting with and caring about Cooper very difficult, though there STILL could have been a decent film beneath this bizarre plot element. However, given that there is little chemistry between them and that the dialog is often quite forced, there just isn't much left to care about or keep your interest. The bottom line is that unless you are a complete old movie zombie (like me), this film is a bitter disappointment--watchable and cute in places, but still nothing like I'd hoped for in a Lubitsch film.

An Ernst Lubitsch comedy, co-scripted by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett, which has always been generally dismissed by critics and fans alike. Perhaps with the film's reputation as a lesser effort those who sit down to view it will be pleasantly surprised to find it an agreeable affair, anyway. Gary Cooper plays a seven times married American businessman millionaire who finds that with wife no. 8 (Claudette Colbert) he may have met his match. She has made him agree to a pre nuptial agreement of paying her $100,000 should there be a divorce and then makes him spend much of the marriage unhappy and wishing he hadn't signed that agreement. While the film is never as funny or clever as the best of Lubitsch, it still has its moments. The film is remembered primarily for the scene in which Colbert and Cooper "meet cute" as they agree to split a pair of pajamas in a department store. But there are other moments, too, such as the scene in which Cooper, inspired by having just read Taming of the Shrew, bursts out of his room, walks with great macho determination and accompanying soundtrack drum roll down a hallway, enters a room where Colbert stands and slaps her across the face. She responds by slapping him back and Cooper, perplexed by this unexpected turn of events, leaves the room, walks back through that same hallway to his room again and picks up the book to try to figure out what he did wrong. Like all Lubitsch productions this film has a graceful air of sophistication, with a physical elegance in its sets and photography. Colbert is an old hand at frothy material like this while Cooper, cast against type, plays his role with obvious enthusiasm. He's a far cry from the Cooper we're used to seeing on screen in the scene in which he plays a piano while singing "Looky, looky, looky, Here comes Cookie" to Claudette. The supporting cast is first rate, all of them deft performers: a young David Niven, and old pro character actors Edward Everett Horton and Herman Bing. English mangling, beer barrel shaped Herman Bing is the unlikeliest of detectives, hired by Cooper to follow his wife to see if she has any lovers. "Don't forget," he tells the millionaire, "we are a first class firm. You will find that out when you get our bill." Recommended as middling production code era Paramount fare.