Next, I watched the first of the Lubitsch musicals: THE LOVE PARADE.
This film was released in 1929. When I think of 1929 musicals, I naturally think of that year's Oscar winner THE BROADWAY MELODY along with the Marx Bros. in THE COCOANUTS, and RKO's RIO RITA.
This film is MILES ahead of them in every way in terms of production values and presentation. Somehow Lubitsch found a way to work around that massive camera in a booth that made those other films so static. This movie movies vertically and horizontally and has tremendous depth of field in the photography, something alien to all of those other 1929 musicals.
With the name of the Queen of Sylvania being Louise, you'd think Chevalier's trademark "Louise" came from this movie, but it doesn't. It's from INNOCENTS OF PARIS.