Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Wordiezett So much average

Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Michael_Elliott Thirty Day Princess (1934) *** (out of 4) A banker (Edward Arnold) talks Princess Catterina (Sylvia Sidney) into visiting America so that she can get a loan for the poor people of her country. Once there she falls ill so the banker comes up with a scheme to find a look-a-like to take her place. He finds actress Nancy Lane (Sidney) who is told of the job and one thing she must do is pull the job over on a newspaper owner (Cary Grant).THIRTY DAY PRINCESS isn't a masterpiece but it's certainly a very fun and very entertaining little gem that should probably be better known among film buffs than it actually is. You'd think with Sidney and Grant as well as the screenplay being co-written by Preston Sturges that it would be better remembered today but for some reason it has pretty much slipped away.That's really too bad because there are some pretty good moments throughout the film including a wonderful performance by Sidney. She basically plays two different roles here and I thought she did a great job with both of them. I really loved the charm she brought to her characters and especially that innocence laugh she has as the Princess. I really thought she did a fabulous job at making the Grant character fall in love with her because the viewer too falls in love! The supporting cast is good too with Arnold playing a the bad guy with ease and Grant is also fun in a somewhat fast-talking role. Henry Stephenson doesn't appear in too much of the film but when he's on the screen he's great too.There are some logical issues with the film but that there is to be expected in this type of spoof. Director Marion Gering does a nice job at keeping the film running at a nice pace and he manages to get some nice laughs throughout. With that said, there's no question that it's the cast and especially Sidney that make this film so memorable and fans of her will really want to check it out.

SimonJack The plot for "Thirty Day Princess" may have been fairly new or unusual in its day. And, even though the idea of a double to replace a character has been used in any number of movies since, this is still an interesting and entertaining plot. Perhaps the players have as much to do with that as anything else. In this case, that's mostly Sylvia Sidney, who plays Princess Catterina and her double, Nancy Lane. Cary Grant is Porter Madison III, a newspaper publisher. He's always looking for a scam or hot story to blow in his publication, especially if it has anything to do with Richard Gresham. Edward Arnold plays him. He has visited the mythical kingdom that is headed by the father of the princess. He is trying to get backing for a $50 million bond issue to help the small country update its infrastructure (plumbing, heating, etc.) for the poor (most of the population) who can't afford such luxuries. The king dare not leave the kingdom, but the princess goes to represent the country in a visit to the U.S. That enables Gresham to lock up the bond backing. The day of her arrival, the princess comes down with the mumps and is quarantined for a month. Gresham swears the doctor and staff to secrecy, and while the princess is sequestered, he sends his men out to find a look-alike for the princess. Naturally, they stumble onto Nancy Lane who just happens to be a very hungry actress looking for work. She adopts the accent of the princess instantly. When Porter meets the princess at a formal outing, arranged by Gresham, he is smitten by her. Her job is to "vamp" Porter to keep him from nixing the bond effort. Gresham will stand to make money on the deal, but it is above board. Madison just doesn't like him or trust him – possibly from something in the past that we never learn about. Some very amusing and good comedy ensues as Porter courts the princess around the city and social circuit. One can imagine how it comes out – and it does. Sidney's performance is very striking. Her countenance, sincerity, and beauty is very convincing of innocence and a good person. Arnold's Gresham gets tough at times, but he's OK, even with his own personal grudge against Madison. In the end, Nancy and the princess hatch a plan to cool the cold war between the two. And the movie has a happy ending. Grant plays his character as somewhat impetuous, flamboyant and overly confident at times. He knows a real princess when he sees one – so he says. A couple of comedic lines occur between him and his staff. Madison comes to the office with a shiner he got in an argument. He tells the managing editor (played by Robert McWade) it was from a door. The editor says, "Things are sure getting' tough. You can't go anywhere nowadays without a door walking up and bust you in the eye."Later, Madison wants the paper staff to investigate the claim of a phony princess. He says, "How many reporters are working here?" The editor replies, "About a quarter of 'em."This is an early Cary Grant film that has some other very good actors of the day. The plot is good and the comedy and romance work nicely. Most should enjoy this movie.

mark.waltz Those who know veteran actress Sylvia Sidney mainly for her pathetic waifs ("An American Tragedy", "Dead End") or crotchety old ladies ("Damian: The Omen II", "Beetlejuice") will find her uniquely different here in a dual role-as a European princess in America on a good will tour and her American actress look-alike, asked to understudy the princess on the tour when she gets the mumps. The actress character is close enough to Sidney's characters in the sense that she is down on her luck, seen early on manipulating the doors of an auto-mat window containing a turkey dinner which ends up going to the dogs anyway. As she takes on the life of the princess, she falls in love with reporter Cary Grant while a missing person's report is filed for the actress. Will she manage to continue to fool the press as the lisping suitor of the real princess is manipulated to question her validity as the noble royal?Rarely cast in comedy during her leading lady era, Sidney stands out in two key comic scenes: first breaking the champagne glasses in continuous toasts while posing as the princess, and later acting all tough when detectives pick her up while searching for the missing actress. It's nice to see her in something other than slum clothing, and at times, she is photographed very exotically, almost appearing to be Asian. Grant is amusing in romantic support, while Edward Arnold is delightfully befuddled, in total shock when his guests follow Sidney's lead in tossing his prized champagne glasses over their shoulders as she toasts everything but the royal cattle. Henry Stephenson, as the King of the struggling country, is wisely droll, and Vince Barnett steals every moment he is on screen as the doomed to be dumped suitor. An early writing assignment for future director Preston Sturges, at times this seems more appropriate for Paramount's other leading ladies, but Sidney does a fine job, making this a somewhat delightful surprise.

robb_772 A thoroughly winning little depression-era romantic comedy, THIRTY DAY PRINCESS manages to turn it's fairly routine storyline into a fresh and engaging picture that entertains throughout it's entire runtime. The plot has the Princess of the imaginary country Taronia (Sylvia Sidney) touring the US as an ambassador for her financially struggling country, with the hope of securing a major loan from the US. Upon arrival, our unfortunate Princess is stricken with the mumps, and is replaced by a look-alike actress (also played by Sidney), who doubles the ill Princess until she filly recovers. Complicating matters, however, is an ambitious news executive (Cary Grant), who is skeptical of the US approving such a large loan and wants to get to know out titular princess first hand.As evidenced by the summary above, the film's plot was flimsy and formulaic even by the standards of the mid-thirties, but the picture manages to surprise viewers by using such an overly-familiar plot device as a springboard for sharp dialogue and delightful, fully-realized performances. Any film of this nature is almost entirely dependent upon its lead performer, and Sylvia Sidney handles her dual role with utter conviction, truly convincing viewers that she is two completely different characters. There is also an irresistible chemistry between Sidney and the young Cary Grant, who offers flashes of the brilliant actor he would soon become. In the end, the film manages to escape its well-worn premise and emerge as a genuine delight as one of the more underrated comedies of the thirties.