Romance in Manhattan (1935)

the audience applauded

Good concept, poorly executed.

Admirable film.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Francis Lederer came as close as he would ever get to being a genuine star with his touching performance in ROMANCE IN MANHATTAN. Ginger Rogers, after taking a long weekend off following completion of THE GAY Divorcée, was about to become world famous as a musical comedy star to an extent that has yet entirely to die out. Her role as Sylvia was fairly uncharacteristic for her: entirely sympathetic, straightforward, lovable without any edges. There was no antagonism turning into affection this time around. Such conflict wasn't needed. The plot was about Karel Novak (Lederer) and his struggles to make a life in America. The Depression is all over the movie. So is human charity. It's a combination common to 1930s Hollywood and inevitably described as 'Capra-esque'. Had he been involved, this sweet, lovely film would have gone down as one of Capra's better efforts.Steven Roberts was the actual director. If he hadn't died very young (not long after this film though it wasn't his last. It wasn't even his last with Ginger Rogers) I believe he would have been better remembered. He keeps ROMANCE IN MANHATTAN moving, keeps it simple and fresh, and except for the usual sloppy rear view projection shots so common to the era provides ROMANCE with a form to match its subject without ever drawing undue attention towards his efforts.Given a raw deal, a would-be immigrant jumps ship rather than allowing himself to be deported, is befriended by a chorus girl who has plenty of problems of her own, and tries to build a life with her. That provides plenty of scope for a 73 minute programmer that remains unburdened by any real subplots (the custody battle for Sylvia's brother might qualify as a subplot, but it's so integrated into the main proceedings that I resist describing it as such) and is far less about law or injustice than it is about pure love, and you won't find depictions of love much more pure than that between Karel and Sylvia, or between Sylvia and her brother, relationships completely unburdened by any selfishness whatsoever. The title invokes something more along the lines of a fairy tale than a realistic drama, and while their struggles are almost hyper-realistic in a manner rarely seen in films today, their spirits are positively transcendent, object lessons in how ideally to meet our problems even when afflicted by the most difficult of circumstances.After a really wonderful first hour the ending of ROMANCE IN MANHATTAN is rather rushed, and I'm not sure what accuracy there is to its depiction of contemporary immigration laws (there's never any hint that Karel's marrying Sylvia would enable him to stay in the United States, but only a few years later HOLD BACK THE DAWN would completely revolve around that facet of the law). Also, is Karel really supposed to still be living on the roof of Sylvia's apartment building (as he tells the judge, perhaps untruthfully?) months after working steadily at his various jobs? It hints at censorship concerns for a movie released in 1935. But those things are beside the point. Lederer and Rogers (and the other actors: J. Farrell MacDonald playing his inevitable Irish cop, and Sylvia's brother whose name I don't recall, are just as perfect as the leads) make the film a lovely experience to see. It qualifies as one of those hidden gems that scream to be rediscovered, but somehow rarely are.

Wonderful heartfelt and humane, this superb RKO programmer from 1935 shows just how far America and its political friends have strayed from what it fair and decent. Probably a B+ feature in its day (I personally hope it was more) ROMANCE IN MANHATTAN as made by what possibly was craftsman Euro escapees keen to work in the US film industry, clearly shows that with a reasonable RKO budget, anyone deserves a break and a true chance at love in a new country. A lovely mature film with great ideals and kindness with excellent production values and genuine affection for one man's plight, this truly great (small) film has its heart exactly right and is a mini major on the RKO schedule that might have affected the senses of millions in its day. A depression romance with a good mind to show the masses what is genuinely 'right' ROMANCE IN MANHATTAN shows what good manners and commonsense can prove, simply. The RKO cinema chain of its day with 3000 seat movie palaces across the USA and elsewhere would have allowed this simple but effective genuine film to reach it's intended good mannered suburban and country audiences, thus genuinely allowing the very Man this film is about to be a contributing cog in the great wheel of American capitalism and success so fouled today. In Australia where I live, we now have a nationwide TV channel that shows these RKO films in pristine DVD clarity...in every meaning of that statement. This is a good film: in every imaginable way. This film is actually about how real people feel. A real find and unjustly neglected...except in Australia!

This gem should rightly be considered one of the era's best comedies. It's touching, funny, and filled with hope. Lederer is perfect as the young immigrant, in love with the ideals of America during the Great Depression. Rogers, only one year out of the chorus, is outstanding. While the sets are a bit too phony, and the traveling in traffic scenes are too obviously fake, the story, the acting, and the directing are uniformly outstanding.

This delightful work details the struggle of a Czech illegal immigrant, Karel Novak (Francis Lederer), to remain in the United States during the Depression, with a sparkling script limning the cultural impact of New York City upon the newcomer. Stephen Roberts directs with his customary skill in one of his final films (he died shortly after at the age of 40) and avoids both the hyperbolic and hypocritical, particularly significant when we are given the insincerity which marks the current immigration debate with its rough moral equivalence. The Bohemian-born Lederer's strong performance is quite probably his best, with an excellent and witty scenario providing the cast, which includes many of RKO's many contract players, an opportunity to create characterizations that are well-defined. Ginger Rogers nicely portrays Lederer's love interest and there is excellent acting from Sidney Toler and J. Farrell MacDonald as two of a contingent of New York's Finest (all Irish, of course) whose assistance is crucial to the process of bringing the complicated events to a suitable climax. Superlative editing by Jack Hively must be recognized as must the top-flight camera-work of Nick Musuraca, each contributing mightily to a film which should be better known.