Spoonixel
Amateur movie with Big budget
Merolliv
I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.
Sharkflei
Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.
JohnHowardReid
Without any preliminary fanfare, Columbia launched one of 1940's most delightful entertainments. Once you overcame the manifold implications of a title like The Lady in Question, you were rewarded with an hour and twenty minutes of delectable domestic fare that was by turn droll, downright funny and slightly dramatic, but always irresistibly humorous. Director Charles Vidor has not only managed to keep his characters in situations that are plausible, but has imparted to the whole an infectious atmosphere of home and hearth. The screenplay by Lewis Meltzer represents an adroit translation of the French film by Marcel Achard which was released in New York in 1939 as Heart of Paris.Not the least of the film's virtues are its players. Brian Aherne contributes one of his finest impersonations as the blustering, good-natured owner of a Parisian bicycle shop who, upon being called as a juror, is so touched by the pathetic girl accused of murdering her lover that he holds out for her acquittal, then takes her into his family on the pretext that she is the daughter of an old classmate. His efforts to hide the girl's true identity from his wife, and then to thwart the romance which develops between her and his son, lead to many amusing (and touching) domestic complications. To attempt to give further details of the plot would be to do the film an injustice, for it springs to life out of situations of a sort which invariably seem frightfully dull in print.
MartinHafer
Back in 1937, there was a French film ("Heart of Paris") and it starred the great actor, Raimu. Now, three years later Hollywood released a remake--and I can only assume the remake wasn't as good-- partly because Raimu was a wonderful actor and because this American version just wasn't particularly inspired nor did it make a lot of sense.When the film begins, Natalie (Rita Hayworth) is on trial for murder. Although many on the jury think she's guilty, Andre (Brian Aherne) insists for no real logical reason other than his gut feeling that she's innocent. Because he's so vehement, she is acquitted. Then, Andre invites her home to work for him and he gives her a place to live! None of this makes any sense, nor does it make any sense when inexplicably, Andre turns on his new protégé.The film didn't make a lot of sense and I found it all a bit tedious after a while. Not a terrible film but certainly one that's easy to skip.
Spikeopath
Andre Morestan is delighted to get called up for jury service, determined to take the job seriously he is very upset when he is merely put on the reserve list. However one of the other jurors falls ill and Andre grasps the opportunity with gusto and honour, the case is a tricky one, a pretty woman named Natalie Roguin is accused of murdering her partner. Andre asks some probing questions and manages to sway the outcome to earn Natalie an acquittal, this in spite of the other jurors not being totally convinced as regards Natalie's reputation. taking things further, Andre gives Natalie a job at his bicycle shop. Andre's son, Pierre is quite taken with Natalie, and this coupled with the nagging doubt over her innocence from other quarters puts a major strain on the Morestan household.This is a remake of the French film Gibouille, it's an interesting piece that never quite gets out of first gear. Rita Hayworth looks lovely and plays off well with Glen Ford's Pierre, whilst Brian Aherne is very entertaining as Andre, but one never gets any sense of feeling with the characters. In a film that purports to be a comedy drama, you find that the picture is caught between both genres, the comedy is sporadically interesting but the drama then comes across as staid. I personally haven't seen the French original but i wouldn't be at all surprised if Gibouille is a bit more daring and close to the knuckle with its execution?. This is a decent picture and one that certainly has a watch-ability factor for cast and outcome of story, it just really should have been so much more one feels. 5.2/10
pitzerclan
Having seen (and commented on for IMDb) the more recent movie by the same title with Gene Wilder, I wanted to watch the 1940 movie to see if there was any resemblance between the two. There was none. Although I am less qualified to evaluate this movie, considering it was made eight years before I was born, I must say it seemed to me that this court-room mystery could not make up its mind whether it wanted to be a comedy or a serious drama. There were alternating comedic and serious touches which I believe detracted from the overall enjoyment of the film. However, the story was enjoyable for a one-time viewing. Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford were familiar to me. Brian Aherne was unfamiliar to me in name, but I believe I recognized him from other movies. He reminded me a little of blustering William Powell in "Life with Father," a movie I cannot stand. It seemed to me the wife could have seen through the father's stories a lot sooner, the silliness of the daughter was overdone, and the scenes with Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth could have been more revealing as to their true feelings for each other. The pairing of the daughter with the fat boy was predictable. And I don't know that the real truth about Rita Hayworth's character really made all that much difference in the end. But these are just my opinions, and I'm glad to say I was able to view the film this once.
