Bluebeard's Eighth Wife

Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The film, Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife (1938), is an adapted work for sure:  it is based on the English translation of a play.  And it’s made pleasant by director Ernst Lubitsch, surefooted and keeping the charm flowing, and actors Claudette Colbert, Gary Cooper and David Niven.

Curiously, it deals with a married couple devoid of, well, relations—of any kind.  They aren’t even kissing.  This is because, not long after marrying him, Nicole (Colbert) wishes to divorce millionaire Michael (Cooper) and get from him a lot of prenup money.  Wow, you say.  She must be depraved.  Er, no.  Not quite.  Watch the flick to the end.  One thing which is certain is that the plot action is not obvious.

Both enjoyable, Colbert and Cooper do everything they can to flesh out their characters, but they’re a bit hamstrung because no real psychology exists here.  Still, it’s diverting—for a long time, a happy-go-unlucky movie, which keeps it interesting.