The Turner Classic Movie channel is one of my favorites. Saturday night, the channel ran the 1946 version of "Humoresque" starring Joan Crawford and John Garfield. The film was a remake of the silent film by the same name (I have a hard time thinking of this film as a silent movie due to all the music).

The film is in black and white and contains as much music as almost any music that I've seen but the performances of the main characters makes this a truly great film.

THE PLOT

Paul Boray is a young boy who lives above a small New York City grocery store. His father is a nice man, if a bit authoritarian, and his mother is a caring parent for the shy boy. On his eighth birthday, Paul wants a violin which his father refuses to buy for him due to its cost. However, Paul's mom comes to the rescue and forks up the eitht bucks for the fiddle. Young Robert Blake (of "In Cold Blood" fame) plays the young Paul. His father is played by character actor J. Carol Maish while his mom is portrayed by Ruth Nelson.

The host of TCM points out that the focus in the 1920 version was on Paul and his mother with a less prominent role for the rich benefactor in Paul's life. In the later version, those last two roles are reversed. We're shown young Paul playing the violin for a few scenes and then we find him grown up and playing at the Institute for Music in New York. Portrayed by John Garfield ("Body and Soul"; "The Postman Always Rings Twice"), Boray is a driven, talented (albeit raw talent) musician who lacks one thing to become a famous violinist--money. Boray's first music teacher and friend Sid Jeffers (Oscar Levant) talks Paul into going to the party of some rich patrons of the arts in order to meet someone who can help him.

Enter Helen Wright (Joan Crawford) who is not only rich but equally driven to help young "starving" musicians, especially good-looking young men. Wright is several years older than Boray but when she first hears his playing at her party and then sees him, it's one of those "desires at first sight" movie moments. Helen and Paul meet and instantly clash due to their strong personalities but eventually Boray "allows" Helen to hire an agent for him and pay for his debut New York concert.

With the financial backing by Helen, there are, of course, strings attached. Helen becomes a possessive lover of Boray to the point that she is even jealous of his love of music. Paul's mother seems to be the only person who finds problems with this relationship. As the movie progresses, we find Paul becoming more famous and less motivated by his relation to Helen.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE MOVIE

First of all, the acting by the main characters is tremendous. Crawford, who won the Oscar for her performance in "Mildred Pierce" the year before, was at the height of her acting powers at this time. She portrays a woman who has everything: money, beauty, intelligence and a loving, if weak husband. With all this, she is miserable. Crawford's performance is stunning in its realistic portrayal of a woman that we never really like but ultimately feel sorry for. Some critics have said that this performance was even greater than in "Mildred." I'm not sure about that but she is great here.

John Garfield never won as Oscar but he was nominated a couple of years after this film for his role as a boxer in "Body and Soul." To me, Garfield was a "method actor" before that acting technique became famous with actors such as Brando and James Dean. While he really doesn't look like a concert violinist, he pulls it off here with a fierce determination. One line that I thought was ironic occurs at the first party scene when a young lady tells him he looks more like a boxer than a violinist. While Garfield is convincing in his role as a musician, we never really like him as a person either. He takes without really giving anything back.

The only comic relief in the film comes from master concert pianist and witty wisecrack artist Oscar Levant who practically plays himself in the film. As Boray's teacher and friend, Jeffers sees both the benefits and dangers for Paul in his relationship with Helen. The directer and screenwriter let Levant write his own lines for the film and it works.

The second major reason I like the movie is the music. I really don't think this film could be made today. Classical music is heard from beginning to end and takes up roughly half of the screentime. There is original music and also the title song by Antonin Dvorak plus Richard Wagner music. We see Boray practicing, playing at parties and concerts throughout the film and Levant's playing is also featured. The music is gorgeous.

The cinematography reminds me of some of the best noir films of the 40's and 50's with unusual angles and an amazing bit of trick photography. While viewing the film, I was amazed at Garfield's "ability" to simulate the violin playing. But the TCM host explained after the film that Garfield stood with his arms to his side while two professional musicians made the actual motions of playing. The actual playing was by virtuoso violinist Isaac Stern.

While the film is a bit too melodramatic at times, it still deserves FIVE STARS because of the tremendous acting.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12