The Firefly (1937) DVD5 - Musical - Donkey Serenade [DDR]

The Firefly is a 1937 musical film starring Jeanette MacDonald and Allan Jones. The film is an adaptation of the operetta of the same name by composer Rudolf Friml and librettist Otto A. Harbach that premiered on Broadway in 1912. The film used nearly all of the music from the operetta but jettisoned the plot in favor of a new storyline set in Spain during the time of the Emperor Napoleon I. It added a new song, "The Donkey Serenade", which became popular, as was one of the Friml songs, "Giannina Mia", both of which were released on 78 r.p.m. gramophone records.

    CAST:-
    Jeanette MacDonald as Nina Maria Azara
    Allan Jones as Don Diego / Captain Andre
    Warren William as Colonel de Rouchemont
    Billy Gilbert as Inn Keeper
    Douglass Dumbrille as Marquis de Melito (as Douglas Dumbrille)
    Henry Daniell as General Savary
    Leonard Penn as Etienne DuBois
    Tom Rutherford as King Ferdinard (as Tom Rutherfurd)
    Belle Mitchell as Lola
    George Zucco as St. Clair, Secret Service Chief
    Corbet Morris as Duvall (as Corbett Morris)
    Matthew Boulton as Duke of Wellington

Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
Produced by Robert Z. Leonard, Hunt Stromberg
Written by Otto A. Harbach (play)
Music by 	Herbert Stothart, Rudolf Friml

MUSICAL NUMBERS:-
LOVE IS LIKE A FIREFLY, Jeanette MacDonald
DANSE JEANETTE, Jeanette MacDonald
THE DONKEY SERENADE, Allan Jones
SYMPATHY, Jeanette MacDonald
 A WOMAN'S KISS, Allan Jones, Jeanette MacDonald
GIANNINA MIA, Allan Jones
He Who Loves And Runs Away,  Jeanette MacDonald
WHEN A MAID COMES KNOCKING AT YOUR HEART, Jeanette MacDonald
I LOVE YOU DON DIEGO, Jeanette MacDonald
OJOS ROJOS, Argentine Folk Song
PARA LA SALUD, Danced by Jeanette MacDonald
THE DONKEY SERENADE, Jeanette MacDonald and Allan Jones
FINALE: "GIANNINA MIA", Jeanette MacDonald and Allan Jones
ENGLISH MARCH, Sung by Chorus

SYNOPSIS:- The Firefly (1937)
Secret agent Nina Maria Azara (Jeanette MacDonald) is working undercover for the King of Spain (Tom Rutherford) as a singer known as the "Mosca del Fuego" or "Firefly.". Despite her love for Captain Andre (Allan Jones), she tricks him so that his general will change the French defensive positions, thus allowing the Duke of Wellington to win the Battle of Vitoria. In the end Nina and Andre leave together for a new life in peace.

Nina Maria Azara is the beautiful and alluring singing spy for Spain during the Napoleonic Wars. Her mission is to seduce French Officers, in order for them to reveal Napolean's intentions toward Spain. She is sent to Bayonne, France to gather military secrets. Prior to this, she meets, Don Diego while performing at a club. Unknown to her, Don Diego is actually Captain Andre, who is sent to Spain to spy on her. While in France, Nina discovers Diego's true identity, only after she has fallen in love with him. Nina Maria outwits her potential captors and returns to Spain, and goes into hiding. Napoleon's troops invade Spain, resulting in Nina's capture. In a strange twist of fate, Nina and Captain Andre are reunited, but, the 2 nations are now at war... 

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:-
Video Codec: MPEG-2
Video Bitrate: 5947 kbps
Video Resolution: 720x480
Video Aspect Ratio:1.333:1
Frames Per Second:29.970
Audio Codec:  AC3
Audio Bitrate: 192kb/s CBR 48000 Hz
Audio Streams:  2
Audio Languages: English
Subtitles: None
Ripped by: Trinidad [DDR]
Duration: 2:09:59