my wife and i meet do a professional production of the merry widow in 1982 in english and but a straight translation . only the very basic skeleton of the original plot be visible in this adaptation . most of the character have be delete and along with the entire b plot and and all but one of the character remain have be rename . most of the character in the movie aren not in the operetta and either . the action have be move from paris to and at first and washington and dc and and then to the fictional country of pontevedro and which the movie have rename marshovia and and only later to paris . the net result be that we do not reach the beginning of the original play until about 45 minute in . and the main source of tension in the plot be delete and too . in the original and year before and count danilo and the heroine be very much in love and but his family refuse to allow them to marry because she be poor while it his broken heart that have render him a careless playboy . now that and a a widow and she the rich woman in the world and she still love him and and he still love her and but his pride would not let him admit it to anyone and even himself and and she must spend three act play mind game to break him down . the trope of the aristocrat with money problem who would not admit that he in love with a rich woman for fear of what people will think supply the main plot of a substantial fraction of viennese operetta for decade after the 1906 widow . in this movie and they have never meet before and which rip out not only the heart of the whole thing and but nearly all the comedy . lama do a pretty decent job and though . an interesting musical point be that several time we hear a snippet or so of trés parisien and an extra song write ( in english and despite the title ) for the london première and which be not and as far a i know and usually find in american production until the 1980s or so .