[Tango-L] Film tango: "History Is Made At Night" (1937)

[Michael Knowles]

I just saw a beautifully restored print of "History Is Made At Night" at 
Pacific Film Archive and was surprised and pleased to see Charles Boyer 
and Jean Arthur dance a few tangos in a quietly romantic and intimate 
manner in a Parisian nightclub after hours alone with the chef and the 
dance band. The first tango finds Jean Arthur bizarrely dressed in a fur 
coat, nightgown, peignoir and bedroom slippers. She kicks off the 
slippers and dances barefoot after her feet twist out of the slippers a 
couple of times in dance. She drops the fur coat a bit later. Charles is 
in tuxedo. The dancing is powered by live musicians who are in turn 
powered by free champagne. The musos are filmed as they make the 
music--the story line has some of the musicians dropping off to sleep 
which means their contribution to the music becomes absent. Bassist in a 
stupor? No bass part in the song. Finally, dawn arrives and the last 
musician standing is a grinning white-haired violinist who appears as if 
he could continue all the next day as well. The songs we hear are 
"Adios, muchachos", "Jalousie" and "El Choclo". "El Choclo" is the final 
tune played by solo violin.

Later in the film, the leading romantic couple are in their stateroom on 
an ocean liner and they tango briefly to "Adios, muchachos" from a 78rpm 
record played on a portable player. Jean kicks her shoes off once again 
for memory's sake.

Interestingly, the film refers to the Titanic and the Hindenburg but 
only the Titanic is seen as a tragic disaster. The Hindenburg is 
portrayed as a reasonable way to cross the Atlantic when you're rich and 
in a hurry. This film was released in 1937 just prior to the 
Hindenburg's burning on May 6th that year.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029002/

-Michael Knowles