I was a little surprised at my past self for selecting another early Maurice Chevalier musical, after I'd found Love Me Tonight forgettable and The Smiling Lieutenant, well, questionable in character behavior. To me, Chevalier was like Fred Astaire exchanging his dancing for a thick French accent, which makes him sound more distinctive but not more mellifluous. Nevertheless, The Love Parade called to me with its historical value: In an era full of musicals about music (e.g., The Broadway Melody), it was the first to have songs woven into the story, with characters basically singing some of their dialog to each other. I think all modern fans of musicals appreciate this shift.
It's something of a precursor to TSL in terms of plot, so it figures that Ernst Lubitsch directed both. Here Chevalier plays Count Alfred Renard of the fictitious nation of Sylvania. After playing homewrecker too many times in Paris, he must report to Queen Louise (Jeanette MacDonald in her film debut) for punishment. Tired of her staff's pressure to find a prince consort, Louise quickly warms to his suggestion of keeping a close watch on him at the palace. Guess she likes suave bad boys, because the two marry before long. But just as the ministers had feared, Alfred resents having no authority and basically nothing to do outside the bedroom, except make an occasional smiley appearance for the sake of Louise's reputation -- and, by overblown extension, the good of the country, which seems to matter less to him.
There is a beta romance in the form of Alfred's manservant Jacques and Louise's maid Lulu. I use "romance" a bit loosely, because they're just as likely to insult or strike each other as show tenderness. It would be difficult to shape a main plot around them, but they do offer something over Alfred and Louise: dancing and slapstick, typically at the same time. (Too bad early talkies skimped on a lot of sound effects; it's odd to see a man hit the floor silently after talking.)
On the plus side, the pre-Code racy humor is in full swing. On the minus side, it sometimes appears to highlight relationship values, if not gender-based values, that haven't aged well. One scene may just pass the Bechdel test, but no modern feminist would be satisfied overall.
I consider TLP slightly more enjoyable than LMT or TSL, partly for the songs and their sequences. But if I see Chevalier again, it'll be closer to his Gigi elder years.
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