His Glorious Night
| His Glorious Night | |
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| Directed by | Lionel Barrymore |
| Produced by | Irving Thalberg (uncredited) |
| Written by |
Ferenc Molnár (play) Willard Mack |
| Starring |
John Gilbert Catherine Dale Owen |
| Music by | Lionel Barrymore |
| Cinematography | Percy Hilburn |
| Edited by | William LeVanway |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Release date
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Running time
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80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
His Glorious Night is a 1929 Pre-Code American romance film directed by Lionel Barrymore and starring John Gilbert in his first released talkie. It has gained notoriety as the film that reputedly ended the career of John Gilbert by revealing that he had a voice unsuitable for sound.
More recent research suggests that an old fashioned script that clung too closely to the conventions of silent film was a more likely culprit.The film is based on the 1928 play Olympia by Ferenc Molnár.
Although being engaged against her will with a wealthy man, Princess Orsolini (Catherine Dale Owen) is in love with Captain Kovacs (John Gilbert), a cavalry officer she is secretly meeting. Her mother Eugenie (Nance O'Neil), who has found out about the affair forces her to dump Kovacs and take part in the arranged marriage. Though not believing her own words, Orsolini reluctantly tells Kovacs she cannot ever fall in love with a man with his social position, being the son of a peasant.
Feeling deeply hurt, Kovacs decides to take revenge by indulging in blackmail, spreading a rumor that he is an imposter and a swindler. The queen fears a scandal and invites herself over to his apartment to retrieve any proof of Orsolini and Kovacs' affair, including love letters. In the end, Kovacs agrees on remaining quiet by having Orsolini spend the night with him. True love is finally reconciled.
Although His Glorious Night was John Gilbert's first sound film to be released, it was not his first talkie to be filmed. He previously filmed Redemption (1930), which was released a year later.
The suggestion that Gilbert's vocal performance was so dreadful that it prompted laughter in the audience has long been held as an article of faith in the film world. The tale is thought to have inspired `The Duelling Cavalier', the film at the centre of Singin' in the Rain (1952).
In fact, while reviews of the film itself ranged from tepid to cautiously supportive, Gilbert himself received generally good notices and his voice was judged perfectly adequate, if somewhat studied in tone. Mordaunt Hall, the New York Times' film critic, wrote of him:
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