The Guardsman is a 1931 romantic comedy-drama film directed by Sidney Franklin and written by Ernest Vajda, Claudine West, and Walter Reisch, based on a play by Ferenc Molnár. The film stars Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, who were a real-life husband-and-wife acting team.
The story takes place in early 20th-century Vienna, where the fashionable and wealthy actress Maria (Fontanne) has just married her fellow actor and adoring husband, known only as The Actor (Lunt). However, The Actor is plagued by insecurities and jealousy, and he becomes convinced that Maria will eventually cheat on him. To test his theory, he decides to disguise himself as a Russian guardsman, a type of man he imagines Maria will find irresistible.
Maria is indeed attracted to the guardsman, and they spend an evening together at her apartment. The Actor, watching the whole scene from a nearby hiding spot, is torn between hoping that Maria will resist the guardsman's advances, and fearing that she won't. The next morning, when the guardsman has left, Maria reflects on her feelings and realizes that she is still deeply in love with her husband.
The Actor, meanwhile, is uncertain whether Maria actually betrayed him or not. He tries to coax her into admitting what happened, but she refuses to play his game. Finally, in a scene reminiscent of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, Maria and The Actor's mutual friend, a playwright named Hollander, comes up with a theatrical scheme to trick The Actor into thinking that Maria has been unfaithful. The scheme works, but it also brings the couple closer together, as they realize that they must trust and forgive each other.
Throughout the film, Lunt and Fontanne demonstrate their amazing chemistry as actors, and their performances are both nuanced and hilarious. The film was a box office hit and received Academy Award nominations for Best Actor (Lunt), Best Art Direction, and Best Picture. It remains a classic example of the romantic comedy genre, and a testament to the enduring appeal of the Lunt-Fontanne partnership.