As soon as Douglas Sirk's "Interlude" opened to a theme sung by the MacGuire Sisters, I knew that we were not in typical Sirk territory anymore. Usually, the pairing of director Sirk and producer Ross Hunter brought forth brooding melodrama and biting social commentary. However, somewhere here things go sour. June Allyson fails in her efforts to bring epic emotion to the screen and the entire film lacks any real sense of heart and soul. The romantic leading man, Rossano Brazzi, thankfully brings some continental sophistication and feeling to the proceedings. But nothing really saves this movie from becoming a flaccid piece of 1950s celluloid.
Allyson stars as an American visiting Munich, Germany. She happens to meet a bad-tempered conductor(Brazzi), with an even more poorly-tempered wife. His wife suffers from mental illness which drives Brazzi away from her and into Allyson's arms. Allyson, meanwhile, is also being courted by an American doctor without all of the extra baggage. Allyson is torn between the two men and must make a decision before she heads back home to the U.S.
June Allyson was a poor choice as a leading lady for Sirk. Any number of his other female stars would have been great for the role. But, Allyson? I just don't get it. Besides that, she and Brazzi have absolutely no chemistry. There is not one moment in the film where I wanted to see them end up together. The highlights of this film are the lovely scenes shot against the backdrop of a post-war Europe. Also of note for Sirk fans is the heavy use of reflective surfaces and shadows - common imagery in Sirk movies. In the end, however, Sirk, Hunter and the music of Frank Skinner fail to produce anything of substance. Forgettable and slightly disappointing. The 1968 British version of "Interlude" is far superior and highly recommended.
