History Is Made at Night
1937 · Movie · 97 min · ★ 6.7 · 95% critics
An American woman sparks a romance with a charming Parisian head waiter. Their happiness is threatened by her wealthy, possessive ex-husband, who will go to extreme lengths to control her, pushing the lovers into danger and escalating conflict in high-stakes places.
Where to watch
Streaming on Kanopy and The Criterion Channel.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 1937
- Release date
- 1937-03-05
- Language
- English
- Runtime
- 97 min
- Critic score
- 95/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.7/10 (55 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this sweeping 1930s romance if you like intense love triangles and dramatic pressure; Not for you if you want a steady genre tone or prefer conflict that feels clearly earned without outlandish turns.
Pros: passionate central romance; strong lead chemistry; memorable dramatic tension | Cons: twists feel excessive; melodrama can drag; some visuals disliked
Themes
- paris, france
- blackmail
- iceberg
- restaurant
- ocean liner
- divorce
- chef
- headwaiter
Cast & crew
Charles Boyer
as Paul Dumond
Jean Arthur
as Irene Vail
Leo Carrillo
as "The Great Cesare"
Colin Clive
as Bruce Vail
Ivan Lebedeff
as Michael Browsky
George Meeker
as Mr. Norton
Lucien Prival
as Private Detective
George Davis
as Maestro
Bobby Barber
as Paul - Waiter at Victor's (uncredited)
Adrienne D'Ambricourt
as French Woman (uncredited)
Directed by Frank Borzage