that’s false sentimentality
December 3rd, 2005 at 16:30 (1930s)
If you want to have a romantic dinner at home then send your butler to bed to be alone with your guest. That is, of course, if you have enough money to afford a butler. Just send him to bed with the words go to bed, little father. Then have a little chitchat and wait for the clock to strike twelve.
Then go ahead with this dialogue (only works if you’re in Paris though):
“Do you hear that?”
“It’s twelve o’clock.”
“It’s midnight. Look at the clock. One hand has met the other hand. They kiss. Isn’t that wonderful?”
“That’s the way a clock works. What’s wonderful about it?”
“It’s midnight. One half of Paris is making love to the other half.”
“You merely feel you must put yourself in a romantic mood to add to your exhilaration.”
“I can’t possibly think of any better reason.”
“That’s false sentimentality.”
So, from which movie is this very romantic extract?
“Your general appearance is not distasteful”
That was “Ninotchka” - hope I’ve spelt it correctly - setting the standard for playing hard to get. Many have followed suit since then!
Yes, it’s spelled correctly…Ninotchka is actually the only Garbo movie I really like. Maybe it’s the because Ernst Lubitsch directed it or maybe because of remarks like The last mass trials have been a great success. There are going to be fewer but better Russians. Or because of the scene with the silly, cone-shaped hat. When Ninotchka first sees it she says How can such a civilization survive which permits their women to put things like that on their heads? It won’t be long now comrades. But later when she gets corrupted by capitalism she buys this very hat and wears it in her hotel room. Well, actually there are quite a few memorable scenes in this movie.