Review of Humoresque (1947) by Alexandra W — 17 Mar 2011
The script oscillates from atrocious to clever to absurd full circle back to atrocious again. I can't quite decide how the 1800 pointless montages fit into that cycle, but the disjointed scene changes and sometimes bizarre dialogue certainly should be filed under all of the above.
Add to that the underdeveloped nice-girl-back-home trope that could have turned into a dramatic girl fight, the often woodenly stagey line delivery, and the uncomfortable close-ups of John Garfield's 3 main girls (including Mom) getting hot and bothered watching him play violin, and you're probably wondering why this deserved 3 stars.
Well, beautiful camera work; glorious music; and the drunk, wind-blown Joan Crawford ballet climax contribute to the high marks. Final assessment: A risible, beat-you-over-the-head-with-symbolism-and-angst melodrama that I remembered being better than it actually is.
But worthy of a watch or two, if only to see Joan Crawford looking so much like Julia Sugarbaker that you'll expect her to burst into a feminist rant.
This review of Humoresque (1947) was written by Alexandra W on 17 Mar 2011.
Humoresque has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
