Stolen Holiday *** (1937, Claude Rains, Kay Francis, Ian Hunter) – Classic Movie Review 7419

Director Michael Curtiz’s impeccably presented, impressively played and well scripted 1937 romantic crime drama Stolen Holiday is based on a fictionalised version of the exploits of real-life Russian Jewish financier and conman Serge Alexandre alias Stavisky. However, it carefully states at the beginning of the film that all characters, events, and names are entirely fictitious.

Claude Rains stars as crooked fraudster Stefan Orloff and Kay Francis plays French dress-shop mannequin Nicole Picot who set up in business together, and become partners in crime. Eventually Nicole agrees to marry Orloff to protect him from the police as his fraud schemes threaten to land him in jail.

The results are perhaps nothing too special, but Stolen Holiday is involving and agreeable, it looks pretty and Rains gives another highly agreeable, expert performance, while Francis impresses too.

Also in the cast are Ian Hunter, Alison Skipworth, Charles Halton, Alexander D’Arcy, Betty Lawford, Walter Kingsford, Frank Reicher, Frank Conroy, Egon Brecher, Robert Strange, Kathleen Howard and Wedgwood [Wedgewood] Nowell.

Stolen Holiday is directed by Michael Curtiz, runs 80 minutes, is made and released by Warner Bros, is written by Casey Robinson, based on an original story by Warren Duff, Virginia Kellogg, is shot in black and white by Sidney Hickox, is produced by Hal B Wallis and Harry Joe Brown, is scored by Heinz Roemheld and Werner R Heymann, with music by Al Dubin and Harry Warren, and designed by Anton Grot.

See also Alain Resnais’s 1974 French film, Stavisky…, for another take on the story.

Curtiz went on to direct Rains in Casablanca (1942).

I’m guessing Rains must have been truly fed up with his billing on the poster. The film is entirely sold on Francis’s face and name!

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7419

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