De amor también se muere

So violin prodigy John Garfield's mother scolds him. And indeed, he has taken up with a married woman. And a pretty neurotic one, at that.

The woman is chic and wears glasses. And she is Joan Crawford. This is one of Crawford's best roles. And Garfield is extremely good in it, too. The play well off each other.

This was made in the days when being Jewish was still pretty much unacceptable in big-budget movies. Garfield's father, a shopkeeper, says "Saturday is always my busiest day" -- just in case anybody was getting suspicious. It's too bad, because that would be fine today and would have added to the story of ill-fated lovers.

Warner Brothers did more movies about and including classical music than any of the other studios. Or so I feel. Garfield's playing is well known as having been provided, very beautifully, by the great Isaac Stern.

Just off the top of my head, two other movies about classical music from Warner are the extremely charming "My Love Came Back" and the fabulous "Deception." To me, that is, along with "All About Eve," one of Bette Davis's absolute best movies. And within more recent times, the "Hollenius" Cello Concerto by Korngold is being played by symphony orchestras as part of their regular fare.

This movie is a must for anyone with an interest in Joan Crawford, John Garfield, or music in the movies. Not to mention anyone who likes Oscar Levant! (And who possibly could not?) He is delightful in it and plays piano beautifully.)

Jean Negulescu, a director of Rumanian origin based in Hollywood since 1930s was responsible for several good films and "Humoresque" is one of them.

It's a good drama starring Joan Crawford who gives here one of her finest performances as Helen Wright, a cynical and selfish society woman who set her sight at a young talented violinist Paul Boray (John Garfield), offers help in making his carrier and later becomes concerned with his love, almost an obsession with his work - music, that comes to the point of neglecting (as she thinks) their relationship and herself personally - "I'm tired of playing the second fiddle!"

Significant part of the film has to do with New York, that is "all full with all kinds of animals, and not all of them are born here" as says the most cynical character in the film Sid Jeffers played by Oscar Levant. It's there that we witness several tribulations in Helen - Paul's relationship resulting in a tragic ending.

Wittiness of the script is probably the most important ingredient of "Humoresque" (besides Joan Crawford's performance) which turns it into a good classic film that stands repeated viewing. 8/10

Joan Crawford, (Helen Wright) plays the role of a very rich woman who is married and loves to entertain all kinds of actors, and musicians and she happens to meet a violin player named Paul Boray,(John Garfield). Paul came from a medium income family and his father, Rudy Boray, (J.Carrol Naish) is a Deli owner in New York City and finds that his son wants to play the violin. Helen Wright decides to introduce Paul into a world of famous musicians and agents who are very impressed by Paul's outstanding talent and he begins to climb up the ladder of success in the world of concert music. Helen is a rather wild woman who loves to drink and is involved with quite a few men, however, she falls madly in love with Paul and finally gets a divorce in order to marry Paul. This story has a very strange ending and you will never guess just how it really ends.

I was astounded by the virtuoso performance on the violin by John Garfield. I truly believed he was a multi talented man. I looked up IMDb and found out that they were using two doubles to actually play the violin. I am even more amazed that the two actual violinists by his side each played the bow and the strings separately. The effect was perfect to the viewers. The pieces selected were also of the type that could easily appeal to those whose knowledge and experience with western classical music is limited. Bravo Isaac Stern for this music. I am reminded of Fiddler on the Roof which also had this great violinist give us the pleasure of his performance. Oscar Levant is of course a pianist also and it is he who turned out to be multi talented.

It opens with a close up of John Garfield and that, already, gets you going. The intensity and power of the man. A from rags to riches tale with an extra something. The extra something here is Clifford Odetts, the language is as pungent as its pace. The truth in John Garfield's face rises everything several notches but, perhaps, the biggest surprise from a 2007's standpoint, is Joan Crawford's performance. She's never been one of my favorites, I always thought impossible to warm up to her and her tough lady from the wrong side of the tracks left me cold but here, she's rounded and brilliant, torn between who she is and who she would like to be. Great lines, fantastic close ups - wearing eye glasses, removing the glasses and squinting - At moments you feel the camera devours her. The director, Jean Negulesco - Three Coins In The Fountain, How To Marry a Millionaire - never flown this high. This 1946 Warners melodrama has the stuff that great works of art are made of. Thrilling