A master thief and a lady pickpocket find love in a world of deception
In short: Ernst Lubitsch’s 1932 romantic comedy Trouble in Paradise follows two con artists who team up to rob a wealthy perfume heiress. This pre-Code masterpiece, celebrated for its wit and sophistication, was later deemed culturally significant by the Library of Congress and remains a touchstone for modern filmmakers like Wes Anderson.
Produced and directed by Ernst Lubitsch, the film stars Herbert Marshall as Gaston Monescu, a thief posing as a baron, and Miriam Hopkins as Lily, a pickpocket masquerading as a countess. The pair meet in Venice and decide to join forces, eventually targeting Madame Mariette Colet, a Parisian perfume magnate. The plot hinges on Gaston infiltrating Mariette’s life as her private secretary, only to find himself genuinely torn between his criminal partner and his wealthy mark.
The film is a quintessential example of pre-Code cinema, characterized by adult themes and sexual innuendo that would soon be prohibited by the strict enforcement of the Production Code. Because of this, the film was denied reissue in 1935 and remained largely unseen until 1968. Even in 1943, Paramount’s attempt to adapt the story into a musical was rejected by censors. Its eventual preservation by the Library of Congress in 1991 solidified its status as a landmark of aesthetic and historical significance.
Behind the scenes, the production was marked by unique creative dynamics. While Grover Jones received a screenwriting credit due to contractual obligations, he contributed little; the script was a collaboration between Lubitsch and Samson Raphaelson. Lubitsch famously instructed Raphaelson to ignore the source play, The Honest Finder by Aladár László, instead basing the lead character on the real-life Romanian con man George Manolescu. The film’s visual elegance was bolstered by Hans Dreier’s Art Deco sets and Travis Banton’s costume designs.
Trouble in Paradise is often cited as the definitive example of the Lubitsch touch—a style of sophisticated, light-handed direction that critic Dwight Macdonald once called as close to perfection as anything he had ever seen. Its influence persists today, with Ralph Fiennes and Wes Anderson citing it as a direct inspiration for The Grand Budapest Hotel. In 2017, the UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation restored the film, ensuring that its legacy as one of the finest comedies of the 1930s endures.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Trouble in Paradise (1932 film)
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