Tonight Is Ours

I'm convinced the only reason Claudette Colbert won an Oscar for It Happened One Night is because Hollywood was so used to seeing her as a serious dramatic actress, they were shocked that she could also perform in a silly comedy. And, since the Academy so often rewards against-type performances, she won the statue. Tonight is Ours is another of her classic dramas, even though the premise is quite simple: a princess falls for a commoner.

Claudette Colbert and Fredric March meet at a masked ball, each expecting another person in a similar costume. They start their acquaintance with an unintentional kiss, and before long, they've fallen in love. When Claudette's royal duties potentially interfere with her love life, will she follow her heart or her family?

This movie isn't really spectacular, and there are far better romances out there, but if you want to see Claudette in her younger, dramatic days, you can rent it. Then again, she made tons of dramas before her Oscar, so you can rent a different one, like Imitation of Life, Manslaughter, or Cleopatra.