That Night in Rio (1941)

Very disappointing...

Simply A Masterpiece

Sadly Over-hyped

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

As a lifelong fan of musicals, and who tries to find merit in even the lesser/worst ones, 'That Night in Rio' is a more than worthwhile one. No classic, hardly a stinker, instead very entertaining.Its weak point is the story, which is not much of one and is more an excuse to string along the songs and production numbers together. When there is signs of a story, there is a constant recycled feel and plausibility is cast to the wind and thrown out the window. People always argue about whether one should see musicals for the story, there are numerous times where it doesn't but it does depend on how well done everything else is.There is actually very little to dislike about 'That Night in Rio' and everything else is done very well indeed, and more, but with so much effort put into everything else it was a shame that the effort doesn't really translate in the story and it sticks out like a sore thumb. SZ Sakall and J Carroll Naish, while still good, deserved more to do in quite limited and clichéd roles, Sakall especially is very close to wasted.However, 'That Night in Rio' looks great, with beautiful production values and costumes, luminous photography and lavish colour. The sets are obviously back lot-bound and the lack of evocative Rio locations to lust after is somewhat of a disappointment, the good news is that the sets are still very handsomely constructed, colourful and pleasing. The songs are lively, full of energy and truly lovely to listen to, "Boa Nite" is a beautiful romantic song but Carmen Miranda's exuberant and riotous "I, Yi, Yi, Yi, Yi (I Like You Very Much)" and "Chica Chica Boom Chic" stand out the most.Script-wise, 'That Night in Rio' is witty and the romantic aspects are adorable and charming, always on the right side of charm and sweetness without laying it on too thick with the sugar and sentiment. The film never loses its energy thanks to the songs, production numbers and the cast, despite the story threatening to grind things to a halt which luckily it never quite does.Don Ameche plays his two roles with dashing charm, elegance and witty bravado, and Alice Faye has energy and substance. Shining brightest is none other than "The Brazilian Bombshell" or "The Chiquita Banana Girl" (the one and only) Carmen Miranda, whose delightful presence is the bees knees and makes the jaw drop.All in all, a very worthwhile night in Rio especially for Miranda. 8/10 Bethany Cox

With the success of "Down Argentine Way', came 'That Night in Rio',a better film. Historically, the US is wooing our neighbors to the South, who found some elective affinity with Europe fascism--especially the Argentina of Peron and the Brazil of Vargas. So, Hollywood armed with all the soft power it could command and came up with the time honored conceit of mistaken identity: Don Ameche plays Baron Durate the very rich banker man about town, skirt chaser who neglects his wife (Alice Faye) and the night club headliner Larry Holmes who has a hot tempered girl friend (Carmen Miranda). The film's opening number 'Chica, Chaca Boom Chic' explodes in the opening scenes with the vivacious Miranda, her alluring green eyes, her exotic hats and bare midriff and undulating hips. It sets the zest and good fun of the film. Jealous, suspicious that her man was cheating on her, she breaks out into rapid fire Portuguese that adds spice to the dialogue and enlivens a heavy handed script. Those blue bedroom eyes of Faye is as effective in conveying sexuality and emotion. And of course Ameche is in top form as the fashionable socialite Duarte and the crooner Holmes. CZ Sakail and the standard gold digger Leonid Kinsky and the old imitator of perceived accents of Latins J. Carroll Nash are on hand for laughs and dirty tricks. And if 'Chica, Chica Boom Chic' does set the toe taping there 'I Yi Yi Yi (I like you very very much) to set the body swaying or Cai Cai and Faye's plaintive song Boa Noite 'good night'. Like 'Down Argentine Way', in our age of incessant war and dumb down political despair, 'That Night in Rio' is a good temporary breath of mirth and merry making.

Poor Don Ameche must have felt like something of a doormat. In her first film Carmen Miranda stole the film from him and Betty Grable in Down Argentina Way. Now Ameche with new co-star Alice Faye got upended again by Miranda in That Night In Rio. Don Ameche if nothing else was a gentleman and one of the classiest men in Hollywood. He got his licks in That Night In Rio playing a dual role.If this plot seems familiar it was previously done as Folies Bergere with Maurice Chevalier and afterward by Danny Kaye in On The Double. Ameche is a prominent Brazilian financier who is married to Alice Faye and something of a cold fish. He's also a visiting American entertainer who is going out with Carmen Miranda and as part of his act does a dead on impersonation of the financier with a little more pizazz.Circumstances have Curt Bois and S.Z. Sakall come to the entertainer to have him impersonate the financier for 24 hours while the financier goes out of town for some really delicate business negotiations. The entertainer succeeds in arousing the sleeping woman in Faye and the sleeping tiger in Miranda with the impersonation. I think you can figure the rest out.Harry Warren and Mack Gordon wrote the score, but the songs that Faye and Ameche sing are barely noticeable. But I Yi Yi Yi I Like You Very Much and Chica-Boom-Chic became a staple of Carmen Miranda's nightclub act for the rest of her life. And the way she sings them, hey no one else has ever even tried to do those numbers, you can't possibly imitate that style.For Carmen Miranda fans who are still legion, the world over.

MGM musicals may have been more extravagant, but 20th Century Fox musicals are the most fun. In "That Night in Rio," in order to save a business deal, a look-alike actor (Don Ameche) is hired to impersonate a baron (Don Ameche) who is out of town trying to raise money. The Baron is married to Cecilia (Alice Faye) but in name only; they go their separate ways. When the actor takes over, with Faye's knowledge, he is extremely attentive, to the consternation of his girlfriend (Carmen Miranda).This is a cute story, nothing new about it, but it is done in an amusing way. At one point, the Baron returns from his trip early, and the two Barons are in a room at the same time. They keep switching back and forth while talking to a businessman. The businessman, convinced someone else is in the room after hearing noises behind a screen and seeing the screen move, decides to continue the conversation in French. The actor, of course, can't speak it, so has to say oui, oui throughout. It's very funny. Also, the businessman searches behind the screen - the actor walks from behind the screen and into the room while the Baron goes the opposite way meets the businessman behind the screen and says, "See?" indicating there is no one there.The cast is the typical Fox musical cast - by 1941, Tyrone Power was no longer doing musicals, so it's Ameche, Faye, and Carmen Miranda. Miranda is very funny and outlandishly dressed as usual; Faye sings well and looks lovely, although she seems stuffed into a gold gown.There is plenty of music - in fact, the whole beginning is one number after another. Miranda sings a couple of her standards: "I, Yi, Yi, Yi, Yi (I Like You Very Much)," and "Chica Chica Boom Chic." Ameche and Faye sing "Boa Noite" and "They Met in Rio" - and there are plenty of production numbers.Wonderfully entertaining.