But when is Bob ever a loser? Not in this film, that's for sure; he's at his comic best as a barber in the court of Louis XV (Reginald Owen), who ends up impersonating Duc le Chandre (Patric Knowles), while trying to convince his wayward girlfriend, Mimi (Joan Caulfield) that her social climbing ambitions will not make her happy. He nearly ends up marrying a Spanish princess (Marjorie Reynolds), whose arranged marriage to the actual Duc is against her will, having fallen for a mere commoner (the Duc incognito) while she herself hid her own identity. Meanwhile, there's plots, treachery, and a very entertaining swordfight (as Bob shows off how skilled he's NOT) to add to it all.
Everyone does a great job of it, including Hillary Brooke as Madame Pompadour, Constance Collier as the Queen of France and Cecil Kellaway as Count D'Armand.
Watch and have fun!
Monsieur Beaucaire
1946
Action / Adventure / Comedy / History / Romance
Monsieur Beaucaire
1946
Action / Adventure / Comedy / History / Romance
Plot summary
A bumbling barber in the court of King Louis XV becomes engaged in political intrigue when he masquerades as a dashing nobleman engaged to the princess of Spain.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
April 12, 2022 at 10:03 PM
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
Another Bob Hope Winner
Hope and cast love those costumes
Bob Hope traipses up the palace gallery to be presented to the king—he is posing as a duke. Using a lorgnette, he can't see where he's going, and he gradually veers off to one side and stumbles into a lady kneeling on the floor and tumbles over her, knocking down about three other people
.It's a ridiculously funny sequence.
Hope is Beaucaire, a court barber in costume-era France. He gets mixed up in court politics and intrigue; poses as the Duc le Chandre, renowned lover and duelist; and chases after his girlfriend Mimi—who may or may not reciprocate his romantic feelings but certainly has adventures of her own.
The entire cast is lively and beautiful in this very funny picture. Joan Caulfield as Mimi is bright, charming and silly; Marjorie Reynolds as a Spanish princess is lovely. Patric Knowles is dashing enough as the notorious duke—he is the perfect choice (King Louis thinks) to be shipped off to marry said Spanish princess, not only for political reasons but because all the "young bloods" in Paris will be happy to be rid of him. Cecil Kellaway is the harried count whose difficult duty it is to transport the reluctant duke to the arranged wedding site.
Reginald Owen is hilariously un-regal as King Louis, and owns every scene he is in. Other highlights include a goofy palace swordfight between Hope and villain Joseph Schildkraut that involves a harp, a bass fiddle, and a harpsichord.
Funny and fast-paced
.A couple of decent songs and the usual assortment of Hope one-liners add up to a very enjoyable picture.
One Of Hope's Better Outings
Loosely based on the Booth Tarkington novel, the story is about how the King of Spain offers his daughter's hand in marriage to a noble in the King of France's court, and the French king accepts. Problem: a general in Spain hopes to sabotage this marriage and usurp the Spanish throne.
Hope is a bumbling royal barber who pursues an uninterested royal scullery maid, and his bumbling eventually gets both into serious trouble. The French noble who is due to go to Spain and marry the princess, however, rescues the barber with the idea of counteracting the plot against him, and the barber bumbles his way through that.
Hope makes his wisecracks and does physical comedy without being too silly. Costumes and settings are exquisite, though the sword fighting scenes are disappointing. Still very funny entertainment.