Marianne is a 1929 film directed by Robert Z. Leonard, starring Marion Davies. Davies starrs as Marianne, a peasant farmgirl in a little village in France. The film opens on August 3, 1914, as Marianne says goodbye to her boyfriend Andre, who is going off to fight in World War I. The film skips ahead four years, to after the war, when an American platoon is occupying the bombed-out ruins of Marianne's village. Marianne is hosting the soldiers while desperately trying to fend off their amorous advances. One of them, Private Stagg (Lawrence Gray) is particularly persistent, and eventually Marianne finds herself falling in love with him. Their blooming romance is complicated when Andre, who was blinded during the war, comes home from a German POW camp.
Marianne was made twice in 1929, once as a silent and once as a talkie. The casts were completely different except for Davies, who starred in both versions. This page is based off of the talkie version.
Tropes:
- Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder: After four years being alone, with her boyfriend in a prison camp, Marianne falls for Stagg.
- Crowd Song / Spontaneous Choreography: Done in true musical fashion, as the soldiers break out into song and dance on mutiple occasions.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Discussed Trope, as Marianne says "you have the green eye" when Stagg is jealous of her talking to an officer.
- Happy Ending: Marianne sails to America to be with Stagg.
- Heartwarming Orphan: Marianne is looking after some war orphans.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Andre, realizing that Marianne is in love with the American soldier and will only stay with him out of pity, joins the priesthood.
- The Musical: One of the first musical films ever made, as Hollywood was quick to seize on one of the possibilities opened up by talking films.
- Not What It Looks Like: Marianne has accepted cash from an officer in return for preparing her pig for dinner. Pvt. Stagg thinks that she's prostituted herself.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Marianne is not very convincing when dressed up as a man.
- Running Gag: Marianne's somewhat stilted English.
- Sweet Polly Oliver: Marianne dresses up as a French officer to gain an audience with the general, after Stagg is arrested by military police.
- The Smurfette Principle: Davies is the only woman with a speaking part in the movie.
- Time Skip: Over four years, from the beginning of the war until after it ended.
- Victoria's Secret Compartment: Where Marianne puts the money she's given for slaugtering and cooking her pig.
