Trouble in Paradise Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Trouble in Paradise Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 21, 2026

Ernst Lubitsch's "Trouble in Paradise" (1932) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include archival introduction by Peter Bogdanovich, visual essay by critic David Cairns, and achival audio commentary by film historian and Ernst Lubitsch biographer Scott Eyman. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The professionals

Ernst Lubitsch once declared that his best work was in Trouble in Paradise. It is very difficult to agree with him because The Merry Widow and To Be or Not to Be are both superior films. The latter in particular gloriously demonstrates everything that was, and remains, great about The Lubitsch Touch, which many have rightfully described as a form of lost art. In To Be or Not to Be, every single scene is brilliant, often in ways that are surprising as well. Trouble in Paradise is a wonderful film, but it lacks this consistency.

There is one other, very important detail about Trouble in Paradise that must be mentioned whenever one considers its placement in Lubitsch’s body of work. Trouble in Paradise is dominated by three stars: Herbert Marshall, Kay Francis, and Miriam Hopkins. Other very fine actors are in their orbit, doing good work, but Trouble in Paradise runs on the quality of everything that the three stars do, which is a lot. To Be or Not to Be has a larger pool of stars, works with far more diverse material, and does even more to impress. This is an undeniable fact.

In Trouble in Paradise, the catalyst for all the excitement is a straightforward con job. In a posh hotel in Venice, professional thief Gaston Monescu (Marshall) bumps into professional pickpocket Lily Vautier (Hopkins) and the two instantly fall in love. Shortly after, they become partners and travel to Paris to steal a small fortune from Mariette Colet (Francis), the owner of a very successful perfume company. At the right time, Monescu returns to Colet an enormously expensive diamond-studded handbag, conveniently stolen by him earlier, and earns a job as her personal assistant. Not too long after that, Monescu hires Vautier to be his stenographer and assistant, and the two begin preparing to bag the small fortune and disappear without a trace. However, while interacting with Colet, Monescu unexpectedly falls in love with her.

The Lubitsch Touch is easily recognizable in several areas. However, it is the terrific dialogue that leaves a lasting impression. It is suggestive in very clever ways, channeling adult wit that frequently feels risqué for the era. Additionally, the leads and even some of the supporting actors are not simply delivering their lines with precision. There is proper energy and intonation to go along with them, giving the ongoing developments an unusual degree of authenticity as well.

The final act is where Trouble in Paradise begins stuttering a bit. The adult wit is significantly toned down, and conventional melodrama becomes prominent. Given the evolution of the two key relationships, it is an unavoidable development because the masks must fall off and truths have to be stated. However, considering that it is all happening under Lubitsch’s direction, more of the adult wit should have been preserved. (Many of the films that Preston Sturges scripted and directed shortly after maintain this crucial balance very well).

*Criterion's release presents an exclusive new 4K restoration of Trouble in Paradise, sourced from a 35mm nitrate print from the collection of the UCLA Film & Television Archive and a 35mm composite duplicate negative provided by Universal Pictures.

Trouble in Paradise Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Trouble in Paradise arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet included with this release:

"This new 4K restoration was created from a 35mm nitrate print from the collection of the UCLA Film & Television Archive and a 35mm composite duplicate negative provided by Universal Pictures. The restoration of the original monaural soundtrack, undertaken by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation, with funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation, was created from a 35mm bitrate print at Audio Mechanics.

Mastering supervisors: Lee Kline, Giles Sherwood.
Colorist: Anthony Raffaele/Resilion, New York.
Image restoration: Prasad Corporation, Burbank, CA.
Audio restoration: Audio Mechanics, Burbank."

I viewed the 4K restoration in its entirety on 4K Blu-ray and later spent plenty of time with the 1080p presentation of it on this Blu-ray release. I performed various comparisons as well. I liked the 4K restoration a lot. Despite some small but unmissable fluctuations in terms of density, all visuals boast very good or excellent delineation and clarity. The grayscale is managed very well, too. You can see from the screencaptures we have provided that darker and brighter visuals maintain the same nicely balanced blacks, grays, and whites. There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections. I tend to like how grain exposure looks on the Blu-ray better because in native 4K some areas of the film reveal more pronounced fluctuations. However, the strength of the 4K restoration is such that both presentations of it are enormously satisfying. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Trouble in Paradise Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is clear and stable, and it does not take long to conclude that it has been carefully cleaned up and enhanced to be as healthy as possible. However, in several places, it almost feels a bit compressed. It is not. It just feels like some of the high frequencies may have been touched up a tad too much while removing hiss and other imperfections. The dynamic range of the track is very modest, but at the same time, given the age of the film, surprisingly nice.

Trouble in Paradise Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by film historian and Ernst Lubitsch biographer Scott Eyman.

• Introduction - presented here is an archival introduction by Peter Bogdanovich. The introduction was filmed in 2002 for Criterion. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• 10 Touches in Trouble - presented here is a visual essay by critic David Cairns. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Farran Smith Nehme and technical credits.

Trouble in Paradise Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The final act should have had more of the adult wit that gives the film its identity and less of the melodrama that prepares for the resolution. However, following the professionals as they prepare to rob their wealthy target and disappear without a trace is still a lot of fun. Criterion's Blu-ray release presents a very nice new 4K restoration of Trouble in Paradise, which is also made available on 4K Blu-ray in this combo pack release. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.