Review of Humoresque (1947) by Tom B — 25 Sep 2010

"And here's to the time when we were little girls and no one asked us to marry.".

We watched this tonight and were impressed. Crawford is the heart and soul of the picture. I'm guessing she chose this for emphasis, portraying the dillema of a woman in a marriage of stifled emotions who yearns to be free, drawn to the energy of a passionate violinist, only to go from one trap to another. This is the inverse of a romantic comedy. In this instance the battle results in a kind of tragedy. The first half seems to be his story, the second half hers. Crawford is possibly my favorite classic A-list actress. She navigates the waters of noir, skims the surface of B-pictures, but resolutely strives to bring the lower-depth stories to light for fair and truthful treatment. Her performance speaks much that the words of the sript can't tell. Her conflict is given remarkable care, considering the era and the general attitudes one might expect towards this kind of drama being played out in reality (easy to judge such a woman!). The dirty pawprints of the production code are visible here and there, but the meaning comes through loud and clear. It's a story that feels real and still speaks to public mores and attitudes. Things we liked about the film include the direction, the dark noirish cinematography, all the performances, but especially the always funny Oscar Levant, the incredibly tight script and scenes, much I think by Clifford Odets, and of course the music. For those who love virtuoso performances this is chopped by none other than a young Issac Stern. The Carmen Fantasia is especially thrilling. The film is a bit long, probably because several musical performances go on for several minutes. I saw this with my father when I was a boy. I didn't remember any of the story, but I remembered we gave special attention to the film because I was playing the violin at the time and anything to do with classical music took precedent. I know now that whatever film I saw, one with lots of fun violin playing, my father saw a different film, understanding more about the story than I could possibly grasp at such an age. When I see it now I see a much fuller story, more depth, more meaning. Much more at stake. And of course, Joan Crawford.