Popular reviews

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  Review by Michael Shawn ★★★

  Yet another confounding Hollywood adaptation of a stage musical, in which they rewrite the show wholesale, cut most of the songs, add new ones by other composers and yet still call it New Moon. I'll never understand the mindset. At least it is still an entertaining film, even if the songs feel shoehorned into the new plot at times. Stars Lawrence Tibbett and Grace Moore sing gorgeously and are adequate actors. They play a Russian lieutenant and princess who fall in love although she is promised to a governor who then exiles the lieutenant to a dangerous outpost when he finds out about the affair. It's a relatively engaging plot on its own, just a disappointment that it's not actually the operetta that Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein II intended. But that beautiful music... Heaven.

  • RANKED! — 1930

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  Review by loureviews ★★★½

  I L<3ve Musicals!

  Taking its inspiration and much of its score - but not its plot - from the stage musical of 1927, this film teams opera superstars Laurence Tibbett and Grace Moore as the officer and princess who find themselves romantically involved.

  Moore was a soprano who made eight films during the 1930s. She was not exactly pretty (resembling Ginger Rogers if her features were not quite right) but her voice made up for any deficiencies in looks or acting.

  There's not much to say about Tibbett though. An odd-looking chap who completely unconvinced in romantic roles he clearly had a following in his day. I'm just not that keen on him as a person.

  Roland Young plays Grace's…

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  Review by Emily ★★★½

  I like Grace Moore. She had a lovely soprano voice and was a pretty good actress too! I had never seen Lawrence Tibbett before and he was a solid leading man with a phenomenal baritone voice. Roland Young brought on the laughs.  I enjoyed this one!

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  Review by PUNQ ★★½

  While watching this I was thinking what a great vehicle this would have been for Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy, only to find out the duo actually did remake this film 10 years later in 1940! The formula and voices of Lawrence Tibbett & Grace Moore reminded so much of what Jeanette & Eddy is known for. Tempting to watch this 1930 version back-to-back with the 1940 reproduction to compare, but I'm not gonna do that this time.

  
  Much like Eddy, Tibbett comes across like a very bland leading man at first, but with his deep tenor voice manages to make a very good impression. Strong vocal presence! Moore with her excellent high pitched voice very much the same.

  
  Being a movie made…

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  Review by Jessica Pickens

  One instance where the remake is better

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  Review by hellohildy ★★★

  GIVE ME SOME MEN WHO ARE STOUT HEARTED MEN! I had no idea this is where that song came from!

  What pipes! I'd never seen or heard of Lawrence Tibbett before, but what a voice. Rather odd looking, stiff and over-made up, but when he starts singing the ground shakes! A great match for Grace Moore's lovely, rich soprano too. The story's not much, but the singing is worth it, even if you don't care for operettas.

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  Review by Jess McGrath ★★★

  Man, Lawrence Tibbett really didn’t have a chin. I am kind of a fan of these “let’s have a thin excuse to let singers do their thing”, and for this, we got a Hammerstein/Romberg collab, added bonus. We also got Grace Moore, who I don’t remember ever seeing but had one hell of a voice, good screen presence too. Fav moment was Tibbett belting out “What Is Your Price Madam?” in front of furious Moore and fiancé Adolphe Menjou. Songs don’t get much more ribald.

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  Review by Marya E. Gates ★★½

  mostly interesting now for its early songs co-written by Oscar Hammerstein II before his fruitful partnership with Richard Rodgers a decade later

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  Review by Revelator ★★★

  Yes, it's an early musical based on an operetta and inherently ridiculous, silly, and overblown. Those are its best qualities too. As Oscar Wilde said, nothing succeeds like excess.

  Lawrence Tibbett and Grace Moore don't go together, except when they sing. The combined force of their voices on "Wanting You" and "Lover Come Back to Me" is a sonic wonder to behold. Moore's acting is not bad, but she has a haughty standoffish quality toward the camera. Tibbett is more relaxed and retains the buoyant swashbuckling brio--and shattering baritone--that made him unique as an opera singer/film star. The supporting cast consists of a worldly set of sly dogs--Adolphe Menjou, Roland Young, and Gus Shy.

  Director Jack Conway and cinematographer Oliver…