Mayerling
Director: Anatole Litvak
Year Released: 1936
Rating: 3.0
A playboy prince (Charles Boyer), fond of parties and women and himself, falls hard for a "commoner" (Danielle Darrieux) that Daddy doesn't approve of: like all stories about love that can never be, this one ends in hope that the Hereafter is more welcoming of their love than the Here. It's a simple and familiar tale told elegantly by Litvak: Boyer does 'smug' to perfection while Darrieux puckers her lips and widens her eyes - surprisingly, it works. I don't necessarily find comfort in thinking suicide is a solution to handling the kinks of an awkward love affair, but like Shakespeare I have to acknowledge there is a certain poetry (in a fictional sense) to the concept (kids: don't try this at home ... or at the very least, try less tragic solutions first before breaking out the pistol).
