User Reviews

This is one of my favourite films. It has everything - stunning scenery, great songs, and the beautiful pairing of Nelson Eddy and Jeanette Macdonald.

The plot scenario is Jeanette as a spoilt, self-centred prima donna who cares only for her brother but no other man (as shown by her constantly rejecting a very early David Niven!). When this brother (James Stewart) gets into trouble, she leaves her operatic life to go and help him meeting a manly mountie on the way (Nelson Eddy).

Although Jeanette originally is not impressed with Eddy, she starts to thaw to him amongst the Canadian Rockies and the classic Indian Love Call. And who could not fall for Eddy when he sings Rose-Marie whilst canoeing to an Indian reservation? Or when he is the hero of the hour and a gentleman when a very wet Jeanette needs food and a tent for the night? Having seen all of the Eddy/Macdonald films, this rates as one of the best. Eddy's acting talents may not be great but they work in this role perfectly. Jeanette is beautiful with a wonderful sense of humour that shows in her every scene but especially when singing in a rough canteen! Yes - this film is unbelievably corny. Eddy's trousers are terrible and would you really forgive him for arresting your brother? However, it doesn't matter. It is two hours of sheer enjoyment and escapism that has stood, and will continue to stand, the test of time. Watch and enjoy.

The movie/show "Dudley Do Right" was based on this, and unfortunately I saw those before this movie, so I was cracking up during the parts "When I'm calling you!" I can't say whether it ruined it for me or not. But I still liked it, despite of this, so it was all good.This movie is so cool! It wasn't as much as the singing (which was pretty), as the funny little things that they said! This movie is hilarious! What's his name isn't very good looking, but he's funny! Jimmy Stewart doesn't have a very big part, but he's still good looking! Jeanette McDonald's hair is really pretty, in fact, I think that her hair-style is the best she ever had it. Lovely movie, good plot, funny, very funny!

Jeanette MacDonald is Marie de Flor, a temperamental opera singer who's just completed a performance playing Juliet in the fated lover classic from Shakespeare (note the theme); Allan Jones played Romeo. When she returns to her dressing room, she is angered when she smells that her suitor (David Niven) has been smoking in there, something she doesn't tolerate. In fact, she pretty much "rules the roost" and is the "toast of the town" in Montreal, Canada.

After throwing the suitor out, Marie fusses with her attendant (Una O'Connor), who gives her a letter from her brother in prison. His parole has just been denied again. Enter her agent (Reginald Owen), who insists that Marie sees some people after the show, which she refuses, until she finds out that one of them is the Premier (Alan Mowbray). Marie then becomes the epitome of graciousness, inviting the Premier and his party to her hotel room, one which even impresses him with its lavishness. Marie's staff is terrified of her, and used to her nature ("close the window quickly before she notices"), but is surprised as Marie charms the Premier, presumably working up to asking him to pardon her brother.

After she sings a song chosen by the Premier, however, she receives a ring, her brother's, from a messenger he has sent to her hotel. Upon meeting with the messenger, an Indian, in her room, Marie learns that her brother has escaped from prison, killing a Canadian Mountie in the attempt. She immediately changes clothes, packs her bags, and heads into the wilderness territory with the Indian guide to rendezvous with her brother.

About this time, "we" are introduced to the Canadian Mounties, doing maneuvers and singing songs, and one of their best "trackers", who's never failed to "get his man" before, Sergeant Bruce (Nelson Eddy). Of course, Marie and Sgt. Bruce are headed to the same place, a lake lakeside community which serves as a "jumping off" point for travels into the wilderness. There are wanted posters offering $10,000 for John Flowers (James Stewart) plastered everywhere.

The Indian guide made off with Marie's money so she tries singing for room and board at a local, rowdy establishment, where the men are more used to poor impressions of Mae West than a ruby-throated opera singer such as herself. Though Marie fails at this, she catches Sgt. Bruce's eye; he has already learned of the robbery and offers to assist her.

Since the Indian is Marie's only link to her brother, she is intentionally vague and uncooperative. When Sgt. Bruce reveals that he knows she is Rose Marie de Flor, she tells him that she's just trying to get away from the press, and he believes her. It just so happens that tonight is the annual Indian gathering, so he rows her across the lake to the festivities, giving him a chance to "audition" his tenor skills and otherwise woo her with song. "We" are then treated to an elaborate Indian ceremony.

Later, Marie is able to find the Indian alone and threatens that she'll turn him into the Mountie if he doesn't take her to her brother. Secretly, they agree to rendezvous later.

The next morning, Marie and the Indian guide head off into the wilderness towards the cabin where her brother is hiding. About this time, Sgt. Bruce figures out that de Flor is Spanish for flower and "puts two and two" together. He picks up their trail and follows at a distance until, her guide leads them across the lake on horseback and, he has to rescue her from drowning. It is then that their romance begins and they sing the famous "Indian Love Call".

There is more to the story, but it's 90 minutes into the film before (actor) James Stewart makes his appearance.

There were three movie versions of "Rose-Marie", a late twenties silent version with Joan Crawford, with, of course, just the story and a 1954 version which was the first musical in Cinemascope, but this is definitely the best and most famous version and Jeanette and Nelson's second film together. The music is just out of this world as is the singing again of this duo. Their famous duet "Indian Love Call" is actually sung four times during the course the film. People have often maligned their movies as corn, but as far as I'm concerned, bring it on. It's always been one of my favourite movies of theirs and is the first in a contemporary setting (although many insist that "Sweethearts" was).Jeanette's acting is perfect and, although Nelson may appear wooden, it's actually a good underplayed performance which was rare at the time and their comedy is very well done. The scene at the camp fire, for instance, gives them a chance at some great repartee. They just seem made for each other both musically and romantically. Interesting to note what a big star Jeanette was at the time at MGM as this movie and "San Francisco" accounted for half the box office profits for 1936, when MGM was releasing a movie every week, and that's really saying something.Next to Fred and Ginger, Jeanette and Nelson were definitely the best musical duo in the history of cinema. Someone said that Jeanette has a voice like an angel and I couldn't agree more and, along with Nelson's rich baritone voice, they just are just beyond belief when they sing. Great story line too for those not interested in the music. Allan Jones appears with Jeanette in the opera scenes at the beginning and end of the film (and in 1937 co-starred with her in "The Firefly"), James Stewart, in a very early role, plays the part of Jeanette's brother very well and even David Niven (billed as "Nivens"in the credits)appears as a playboy at the beginning of the movie in a brief walk-on, long before becoming a star. For all those, though, who love musicals of any kind, this is a must.

For the first quarter of this deliciously silly but romantic operetta, Jeanette Macdonald is a shrewish diva who needs taming desperately. Tough Mountie Nelson Eddy is just the one to do it, suddenly aware that she's the sister of the Mountie murderer that he's searching for. Even then, he leads her along slowly, and pretty soon, their own Indian Love Song will be calling them.

This comes from a style of musical that people either love OE despise, and surprisingly, there is a cult following for the team that dominated musicals for the remainder of the 1930's, if not as down to earth as the two other big musical teams, Fred and Ginger, and Dick and Ruby.

The outdoor setting is beautifully filmed, with plenty of comedy and innuendo to balance the few remaining songs from Rudolf Friml's 1924 popular Broadway era. Eddy is commanding singing the "Mountie" song and humorously serenades Jeanette with the light hearted title song. For song and dance, there's a fabulous "Tom Tom" number that may be offensive to some today.

Along with Nelson and Jeanette is a young James Stewart in a small role as MacDonald's brother. Una O'Connor, Reginald Iwen, Herman Bing and Jimmy Conlin with Allan Jones in a minor singing role. This may strike some people as corn, but Indian corn is an all American favorite past time.

An adaptation of the 1924 stage production of the same name, with music by Rudolf Friml, and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein and Otto Harbach. The intricately crafted, though highly contrived, screenplay is quite different in details from the play. Thank goodness, the complicated romantic entanglements of the play were pitched in favor of a simple triangle between prima dona opera singer Marie de Flor(Jeanette), Mountie Bruce(Eddy), and Marie's escaped convict brother, Jack(James Stewart)(Before she becomes acquainted with Bruce, Marie confided that the only man she loved was her 'kid' brother Jack). The setting moves from high society opera Montreal, to the Canadian wilderness, briefly back to city opera, then back to a wilderness retreat.

The plot has Marie(who dubs herself Rose Marie, to Bruce), and Bruce working cross purposes in regard to the fate of brother Jack, without realizing it for most of their time together. Marie wants to find him to provide him with some money to hopefully escape to another country, while Bruce has orders to recapture the escaped convict, now with a murder charge added to his previous conviction of robbery. When the 3 unexpectedly meet in a cabin deep in the forest, Marie and Bruce are forced to confront their conflicting purposes regarding Jack. Bruce feels, despite his love for Marie, that he must take Jack in, probably to be executed. Stewart's Jack seems remarkably cooperative and laconic about the consequences of his recapture. Perhaps this sways Marie to unexpectedly not blame Bruce too much for having used her as an unwitting guide to her brother's whereabouts and refusal to ignore his duty as a Mountie, for the sake of their love. Consequently, as the two men ride off, leaving Marie behind, she unexpectedly again sings "Indian Love Call", which Bruce had previously composed on the spot, and sang to Marie, they then both singing it later. Bruce, however, doesn't believe that her love for him can survive this emotional insult, and doesn't seek her out after depositing Jack.

Marie returns to opera singing in the limelight. However, during her singing in "La Tosca", she imagines she hears bits of "Indian Love Call", and essentially has a panic attack, eventually fainting. Apparently, her agent, played by Reginald Owen, arranged for a long period of rest for her, in a wilderness cabin. Apparently, he also learned of her relationship with Bruce, as he eventually arranged for Bruce to visit her. Wouldn't you know, Bruce arrives just as Marie is reprising "Indian Love Call", and chimes in as he enters, for a dramatic ending. A similar ending is seen in the later film "Holiday Inn", when Bing Crosby's character unexpectedly arrives to reclaim his runaway girlfriend, and he chimes in, while she is singing "White Christmas".

The details of the screenplay had to be very carefully thought out to prevent Marie and Bruce from realizing they were searching for the same man for cross purposes, while finding excuses for their periodic rejoining each other, after a period of separation. Finally, Bruce finds out that Marie's professional name is Marie de flor, and remembers that flor means flower in Spanish(I thought she was French?), and jumps to the correct conclusion that she must be the sister of Jim Flowers: the man he is hunting. From that time on, he is even more keen not to lose track of her.

Of course, "Indian Love Call" is the 'signature' song of this operetta, just as "ah, Sweet Mystery of Life" was the signature song in their previous hit "Naughty Marietta". However, several other songs were retained from the original play. Eddy sings his "The Mounties", while at the head of a detachment of mounties. Eddy later sings "Rose Marie" to denote his growing infatuation with her. The Indians sing "Totem Tom Tom", as in the play. Two new, less important songs were added. Marie sings "Pardon Me, Madam" before she leaves for the wilderness. Later, Eddy serenades Marie from outside her cabin window, with "Just For You". Between, poor Jeanette has to try to imitate Gilda Gray, as a hoochi coochi-like girl in a raucous frontier tavern, to try to earn a few coins, after her money was stolen by her half-breed guide Boniface.

Two operas are partially performed: "Romeo and Juliet", in the beginning, and "Tosca', during Marie's brief return to city life. She looks especially elegant, and her singing is especially impressive in the later, until she becomes distressed. In both operas, Alan Jones was the lead male, Eddy insisting that his solo in the later be cut. Jones would replace Eddy as the male lead , with Jeanette, in "The Firefly": another adaptation of a Friml play.

The original play featured a simple French girl of the Canadian prairie and Rockies, not an eastern prima dona. It's never clear in this film what region of Canada the wilderness journeys supposedly take place in. Just the fictional Lake Shibuga is mentioned, nestled in a mountainous region... In the later(1954) remake, in CinemaScope, the screenplay would return to a closer adaptation of the original play. Whether sited in the Rockies or eastern Canada, the real resident Native Americans there didn't make totem poles, as abundantly displayed in the native village. Such were only made by tribes along the Pacific coast.

Spoilers. Opinions. Observations.

Gowns by Adrian. Jeanette had on some beautiful gowns. The Native American tribal dance had some beautiful costumes. Did Adrian design these, too? I hope so.

Only an 8, because of no color, and:

Took almost the whole film to see Jimmy Stewart, the object of Marie's quest. Jimmy is a mediocre bad guy here, who looks at prison as an exciting new life (not).

Nelson was a good singer, and I am noticing that his voice went down, as jeanette's went higher. They did do wonderful duets, however.

This was filmed in the middle years of the Great Depression, which didn't totally end until the "big economic boom" of the upcoming World War Two. Did people pay a dime to see these movies, a scarce, hard-earned dime? This must have been truly a luxury.

I did not see Allan Jones enough in this film, although I have seen him in the same release year of 1936 in the film, "Show Boat", singing with that other diva, Irene Dunne.

I am a university graduate from its department of history, and still study film criticism and filmmaking at that same school. I have also taken theatrical coursework there in acting, dance , singing and stage makeup. I love fashion design and theatrical costume construction.