The Cat and the Fiddle
The Cat and the Fiddle
| 16 February 1934 (USA)
The Cat and the Fiddle Trailers

A romance between a struggling composer and an American singer.

Reviews
Titreenp SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?
Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?
Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
marcslope Jeanette MacDonald's first for Metro is a loose adaptation of the hit Kern-Harbach operetta co- starring Ramon Novarro and Frank Morgan, and alas, she's already becoming MGM Jeanette. A smart, suggestive comedienne at Paramount in things like "One Hour With You" and "Love Me Tonight" (to these eyes, the greatest movie musical ever), she really became a household word at Metro, in operettas, usually opposite Nelson Eddy, that increasingly encouraged her diva- hood. Here, as an American pop composer in Brussels, she's already losing her deliciously risqué sense of humor and indulging in great-lady sentimentality. Fun Jeanette isn't entirely gone, though, and she works well with Ramon, who has an attractive tenor and a good deal more acting skill than some of MacDonald's subsequent leading men. The screenplay, by the Spewacks, runs far afield of the Broadway original but makes room for most of the sublime score. And there's also a good glimpse of Vivienne Segal, a legendary Broadway soprano who'd been playing Jeanette-style leads just a few years back, at the dawn of sound. Charles Butterworth--no stranger to Kern, having supported Helen Morgan on Broadway in "Sweet Adeline"--has some funny bits, and there's a pleasing finale in early three-strip Technicolor. Jeanette followed this one up with "The Merry Widow," where, aided by Chevalier and Lubitsch, she was more her old self. Witness this one for some lovely Kern and for Novarro, but watching Jeanette trade comic finesse for prima donna respectability isn't pretty.
jfarms1956 The Cat and The Fiddle is a movie best enjoyed by the baby boomer generation. The best things about this movie is the surprise ending and Jeanette MacDonald. I found the movie to have a lack-luster plot. The beautiful scenery and costumes aid in the enjoyment of the film. I always enjoy watching Frank Morgan. Jeanette MacDonald always has a beautiful voice. I think that the film would be best enjoyed as a late night film to relax one from the stresses of the day. A glass of wine is a perfect to accompany the viewing of this film. If the producer could do the ending of the film the way he did, then why didn't he do the rest of the film the same way. It would have been more enjoyable to watch like that. It was too long, too late. I give it three thumbs up.
mark.waltz There's little chemistry to be felt between Ramon Novarro as a broke songwriter out to get his operetta produced and Jeanette MacDonald as a singer who is obviously the right choice for the lead. They seem more like arguing siblings than a passion-driven couple, lacking what worked with MGM's then rising team of Myrna Loy and William Powell. Still, the MGM gloss is working overtime here, even if MacDonald isn't in possession of someone like Maurice Chevalier, her oft co-star at Paramount with whom she would make her MGM debut opposite in the huge smash "The Merry Widow". I have mixed feelings about her chemistry with Nelson Eddy; It was obviously present in some yet sorely lacking in a few of their co-starring roles, but never was it as flaccid as the pairing here.No matter how masculine and virile Novarro tries to be, he's never convincing, and a rather high-pitched voice defiles his attempts at masculine wooing of the leading lady. When producer Frank Morgan, in agreement to produce the operetta, takes an interest in Jeanette, you know he could swat Novarro out of the way instantly, so no amount of script tinkering can make the pairing work. Charles Butterworth gives his typically droll performance, coming off like Stan Laurel's slightly more sophisticated uncle, while Jean Hersholt is his usual wise, kindly adviser. Henry Armetta is very amusing as the horn-tooting taxi driver, while Broadway musical veteran Vivienne Segal (in one of her few film appearances) is seen briefly as a diva who threatens to take on the lead before MacDonald finally steps in.An out-of-the-blue color finale comes on just minutes before the film ends which is rather jarring the way it suddenly appears. There seems no real purpose to it other than to get some easy publicity for its inclusion.
Al Rodbell We often record old films from TCM, and usually can watch them for ten minutes or so before we realize that it doesn't translate after eighty years. From the first scenes of this amazing film, I knew we were in for a treat. The framing of the shots, the timing and direction, the pitch perfect representation of "love at first sight" took us into that world, as I imagined it did to those who saw it at the movies in those struggling years.Janet McDonald was working on her own composition, when Navarone happens into her studio. He listens and then makes a minor suggestion, that one phrase should go up, rather than down. Janet sang it that way, and I swear, the song became exquisitely lovely. This fit into the plot as the song made her rich and although she was willing to share with her new love....well, no spoilers here; even though the plot, while perfectly crafted, is not the essential element.This deserves to be enjoyed by all, and to be studied by students of the cinema. It shows what can be achieved when all the elements come together, that we willingly suspend disbelief to be treated to such intelligent memorable fantasy.