That Lady in Ermine (1948)
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Though this film is listed in his filmography as his last, Ernst Lubitsch only directed eight days' worth of shooting before he died of a heart attack on November 30, 1947. Otto Preminger was called in to finish the film, but took no credit and allowed Lubitsch to stand as director. Unfortunately, Lubitsch probably wouldn't want credit in his filmography, because THAT LADY IN ERMINE is definitely not a Lubitsch film. Fairbanks Jr. stars in this period piece musical as a 19th-Century European army officer who takes over a castle to house his tired men. There he meets and falls in love with the castle's owner, Grable. Seeking to rid herself of this nuisance, Grable dreams of her great-great-grandmother, who found herself in the same situation 200 years before. Her grandmother advises that Grable pretend to fall in love with Fairbanks and then kill him. After all, it worked for her. Grable awakens and sets out to do as her dream advised, but she actually does fall in love with Fairbanks and decides not to kill him. Though the production was lavish, the film has no life and remains an exercise in trite and contrived plotting. Songs include "OOOh What I'll Do to That Wild Hungarian," "This Is the Moment," "There's Something About Midnight," "The Melody Has to Be Right," "Jester's Song" (Leo Robin, Frederick Hollander). |
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Award Nomination: Best Song - "This is the Moment"; Frederick Hollander (Music),
Leo Robin (Lyrics) Country of origin: U.S. Betty Grable -- Francesca/Angelina |