Synopsis
An Austrian soldier must choose between a wealthy fiancee and a new girl who takes his fancy.
Daybreak
Cast
Ramon Novarro Helen Chandler Jean Hersholt C. Aubrey Smith William Bakewell Karen Morley Douglass Montgomery Glenn Tryon Clyde Cook Sumner Getchell Clara Blandick Edwin Maxwell Jackie Searl Lionel Belmore Symona Boniface Allan Cavan Blanche Craig Carrie Daumery James Donlan Charles E. Evans Bess Flowers Carmelita Geraghty Kenneth Gibson Maude Turner Gordon Eric Mayne Bert Moorhouse William H. O'Brien Lee Phelps Phillips Smalley Show All…
Director
Writers
Original Writer
Cinematography
Genre
Releases by Date
Theatrical
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USANR
Releases by Country
USA
02 May 1931
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Trying to be Lubitsch, which is it's main flaw because nothing can compare with Lubitsch. But essentially that means we get cute, sexy, outrageously "European" pre-Code romance, and there's no way not to enjoy that. A little meandering, perhaps, but I had a great time with this fluffy little movie.
Novarro is charming and bright with the most infectious smile in old Hollywood (and that tinge of a Mexican accent, not nearly as heavy as old rumours would have you believe). So thoroughly charming, in fact, that I could let my misgivings go about the ickiness of the "hound the girl, invade every part of her life, until she reluctantly falls in love with you" trope, and instead enjoy his antics. He has genuine chemistry with Helen Chandler, who is so incredibly sweet and cute and plays the funniest drunk. I was so in love with both leads in this film.
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Ramon Novarro plays a Austrian solder who has a great future planned out but he gives that up in hopes of winning a piano teacher (Helen Chandler) but a gesture gone wrong forces her to take up another lover (Jean Hersholt).
DAYBREAK is a rather strange film that doesn't really know what it wants to be. At times it's a sweet little romantic comedy but at other times it's a rather overly dramatic wannabe moral tale. When the two things are mixed together it really doesn't work but the strangeness of the material at least keeps it mildly entertaining.
The film is probably best remembered today by the Pre-Code crowd and there's plenty of naughtiness here. That includes the two…
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Strange picture, in that I couldn't really tell what it wanted to be. Navarro's character tries too hard, and it all feels stalker-ish rather than charmingly romantic, which is what I think they were going for. Chandler's character is an innocent, sweet girl who gets brow beaten and liquored up until she gives into him, only to find in the morning that he wasn't serious. At that point, and with her effective acting, it felt quite like a tragedy.
Just when consequences stack up and the stakes become melodramatically life and death, the whole thing collapses and we get a quick happy ending and peace out.
2 stars for good performances.
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The missing link between von Stroheim's The Wedding March and Ophüls' Liebelei?
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"very well, i'm the gay lieutenant" YOU SURE ARE BABY
this was cute but the whole...stalker thing didn't sit well with me
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Daybreak (1931) is definitely inspired by what Ernst Lubitsch was doing at the time. Uniformed hunt for love with charm and a little naughtiness. Ramon Novarro could certainly pull it off, Helen Chandler a little less so. There is also a resemblance to Novarro's own silent classic The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) and he is reunited with Jean Hersholt, but this time not in a good way as Hersholt becomes his rival in this one. Sadly Daybreak misses most of it's mark for the lack of purpose and emotional push. They seem to have stripped the script down and there aren't any big climax moments to turn it into the dazzling romance it's supposed to be. Which leaves a fairly flat finish for a movie that was otherwise pleasant.
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Daybreak (Jacques Feyder, 1931) 7/10
Feyder brings a strong touch of sophistication to this pre-code European concoction based on a story by Arthur Schnitzler. A happy-go-lucky, irresponsible but charming member of the Royal Imperial Guard (Ramon Novarro) falls in love with a music teacher (Helen Chandler). A sleazy senior member of the guard (Jean Hersholt) tries to force himself onto her and she is rescued by the younger man. A misunderstanding between the two results in the girl becoming the whoring mistress of the old lech. Trying to win her back he challenges him to a game of Baccarat but loses. Will his rich Uncle (Sir C. Aubrey Smith) bail him out and will he earn back the love of the woman he loves? Novarro is delightful as the flirtatious and frivolous party boy and the production has a number of pre-code memorable moments - decadent Vienna high life, scenes set inside a brothel, one night stands and casual sex.
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This starts like such a sweet romance, but then the pre-code drama seeps on out.
Side note: I love the wan Ramon Novarro says “Laura”