(Mitchell Leisen, US 1939, 94 min., 35mm nitrate, sound, b/w)
Print source: UCLA Film & Television Archive, Los Angeles, CA
In Hollywood Director, David Chierichetti’s 1973 biography of Mitchell Leisen, the author posits that the filmmaker and his filmography have been nearly forgotten. Leisen had once been quite successful: after a brief stint as an actor, he designed costumes and sets for Cecil B. DeMille before moving on to direct more than forty films of his own. And while dissatisfied collaborators, such as Billy Wilder and Preston Sturges, disparaged both Leisen’s craft and his bisexuality (which Leisen never hid), his work was often met with acclaim. Nevertheless, today Mitchell Leisen is barely discussed outside of cinephile circles. Hollywood Director was published one year after Leisen’s death, and over half a century later we are still undoing his erasure.
A lighthearted screwball comedy about love, class, and hidden identities, Midnight displays Leisen’s many talents while hinting at his complicated personal life. Wilder and Charles Brackett’s screenplay pokes fun at the ridiculousness of high society and the falsity and fluidity of relationships; characters are willing to drop one partner for another at the drop of a hat. The title, however, derived from the line “Every Cinderella has her midnight,” implies the time for pretending will inevitably run out.
When Midnight opened to favorable reviews in 1939, critics had already reported on its tumultuous production. Leisen and Wilder clashed over the screenplay, with Wilder insisting it be filmed exactly as written and Brackett coming in to cool the temperature. (After this experience Wilder began directing his own films.) Claudette Colbert, meanwhile, seized control of her wardrobe and refused to allow the right side of her face filmed, claiming she had a crooked nose (Colbert’s face is seldom seen in full). Mary Astor was pregnant, which was hidden using costumes and clever blocking, and John Barrymore, who had trouble staying sober, read all his lines from cue cards. Despite the circumstances, Leisen would speak of his cast with kindness and amusement. Colbert would work with Leisen three more times and remember him fondly as both a director and a person.
In 1971, Paramount donated 637 nitrate prints to the UCLA Film & Television Archive, including this original release print of Midnight. It has a high shrinkage of up to 1.20%, but it required minimal repair work, and the image quality is excellent.
– Kirk Stevens
This screening is free for passholders of the sold-out 10th Nitrate Picture Show. A limited number of single-screening tickets may be available for purchase in person at the Dryden Theatre box office on a rush-line basis. Rush tickets will be sold only if seats remain after the film’s spoken introduction has begun.