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New York Sun
(1928):
Miss
Crawford was not directed as well as usual, and as a result was not at her best,
but Dream of Love is probably not the right material for such a fresh
and vital actress as she customarily is. Any coming American star is liable
to wither in Graustark.
Irene Thirer
in the New York News (1928):
There
are some really interesting things in Dream of Love. Too bad that bad editing
and a set of ludicrous titles should send it down into the two-star class when
it might easily have made a three-star rating if more care had been taken. For
instance, photography is altogether lovely. Fred Niblo's productions always
boast a rare charm on that score, and this is no exception.
Mordaunt
Hall
in the
New York Times
(December 24, 1928):
Various phases of palpitation
of the heart are paraded during the screening of "Dream of Love," a
Rurutanian romance inspired by the old French stage offering,
"AdrienneLecouvreur." Prince Mauritz, the central figure in these love
escapades, for purely patriotic reasons, not only flirts with the
Dictator's wife, but he occasionally basks in the glimmering presence
of a gold-digging blonde and falls in love with a singer.
Fred Niblo, who directed this picture, has given to it much more
reason and sparkle than he did to "Two Lovers." In fact, in many
respects it is not only an amusing picture, but one that reveals true
skill in its direction. Mr. Niblo has elicited from his principals
competent work, and he has had the temerity to let the story run
without flashing uselessly to the journeying heroine while the more
interesting action of the narrative is holding forth. There are toward
the end some scenes of great crowds, but whether they were made
especially for this production is not known. Their inclusion, is,
however, quite effective.
Prince Mauritz, impersonated by Nils Asther, is a most immaculately
uniformed young man. The Dictator, played by Warner Oland, is wont to
refer to the handsome fellow as the "long-legged Prince." This kingdom
is evidently in a wretched state, for Prince Mauritz has nothing
whatever to say about finance or other matters. The Dictator has a
pretty wife, acted by Aileen Pringle, who, either to bring about the
downfall of Prince Mauritz or to teach her husband a lesson, frequently
visits the Prince. The Prince is in love with Adrienne, a singer with a
traveling show. He is, however, eminently successful in casting her
from his mind when the Duchess, as the Dictator's wife is known,
reports at his apartment.
The Dictator finds his attention riveted on a Countess (Carmel
Myers), but while she apparently appreciates the elderly person's
declaration, of affection in public, she is not opposed to receiving in
her abode a Baron. When the Dictator calls her on the telephone she
insists that she is all alone, waiting for him to come to see her, and
then one perceives the Baron enjoying the Countess's little joke.
The Prince, in his eagerness to break up the more or less happy home
of the Dictator so as to put that individual out of power, very nearly
loses Adrienne, his real love, who latterly appears as a successful
actress with a glistening dress.
The settings for this production are lavish and so are the costumes.
There are dozens of men in smart officers' uniforms and Miss Pringle
does well with the Duchess's gowns and sparkling skull caps.
Mr. Niblo makes excellent use of the mobile cameras. He follows his
characters all over the place and in some scenes he singles out the
heroine in a crowd and brings her, as if from a distance, to a close-up.
Mr. Asther is capital as the romantic Prince. Mr. Oland leaves no
stone unturned to show the pomp and power of the Dictator. Harry Myers,
who will be remembered in the now long ago for his clever portrayal in
"A Connecticut Yankee at the Court of King Arthur," once again proves
himself to be an intelligent and pleasing player.
Joan Crawford is charming as the humble singer, who wins stage laurels and subsequently admits her love for the Prince.
No sound issued from the screen at the first performance yesterday.
Even the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lion refused to roar. It was rather nice,
this silence, and one did not object to the organist supplying the
accompaniment for the picture.
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MGM silent. 65 minutes
(6 reels).
