Invitation to the Waltz (film)
Invitation to the Waltz is a 1935 British black-and-white musical film directed by Paul Merzbach and starring Lilian Harvey, Wendy Toye, Carl Esmond and Ronald Shiner as the Street Vendor.[1] It was based on a play by Eric Maschwitz. It was presented by British International Pictures and produced by Associated British Picture Corporation.
Synopsis
Lilian Harvey, the toast of two continents, is her usual radiant self in Invitation to the Waltz. Harvey plays Jenny Peachey (honest!), a Drury Lane ballerina during the Napoleonic Wars. Swept off her slippers by the handsome Duke of Wurtemberg (Harold Warrender), Jenny gives up her dancing career to become the Duke's mistress. As the war between England and France intensifies, our heroine uses her influence to persuade the Duke to sign a treaty with England, thereby helping to bring about the downfall of Napoleon (Esme Percy). Through it all, Jenny is worshipped from afar by handsome Lieutenant Carl (Carl Esmond). Magnificently produced, Invitation to the Waltz was a lighthearted follow-up to Lillian Harvey's more serious "ballerina sacrifices all" opus, Schwartze Rosen.[2]
Cast
- Lilian Harvey ... Jenny Peachey
- Wendy Toye ... Signora Picci
- Carl Esmond ... Carl
- Harold Warrender ... Duke of Wurtemburg
- Richard Bird ... Weber
- Esme Percy ... Napoleon Bonaparte
- Eric Stanley ... Sir Francis
- Alexander Field ... George Peachey
- Anton Dolin ... Chief Dancer
- Hay Petrie ... Periteau
- Charles Carson ... Lombardi
- Hal Gordon ... Sergeant
- Gus McNaughton ... Valet
- Ronald Shiner ... the Street Vendor
References
External links
- Invitation to the Waltz at AllMovie
- Invitation to the Waltz at the British Film Institute's Film and TV Database
- Invitation to the Waltz at the Internet Movie Database