Intermezzo
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Movie Reviews of Intermezzo
Movie Review: A slight detachment of character makes this a less than complete picture...
Summary: 4 Stars
I just want to thank David O. Selznick for introducing the world to Ingrid Bergman, one of the greatest actresses to ever grace the big screen. In her American debut, Bergman lights up the screen (thank god every director seems to understand that her face deserves to be framed by the camera) with her luminous presence.
She is a goddess.
Now, while I do consider `Intermezzo' to be a fine film, it is not without its detractors, and so I cannot call this a great movie. The performances across the board are stellar, but the script feels a little too light for the subject matter. We are given a healthy dose of puppydog affections, but the film skips over the most important facets of the film in order to keep a brisk running time and delve into the meatier (more heart tugging) portions of the story.
What I mean is...
The biggest issue I have with this film is that it doesn't really expose the heart of the relationship between Holger and Anita. Because of this, Holger especially comes across VERY unlikable. We never really get a true idea of why this man would leave his wife and his two children for a woman who he only seems to admire for her piano skills (I admit that watching her play is completely mesmerizing). Instead, we are handed halfbaked romance that doesn't really engross us. Howard and Bergman play their respective roles beautifully, but we cannot sympathize of relate to them, especially Howard. Holger Brandt may have his charms and his talents, but he becomes very detached from the audience (and his reluctance to be there for his daughter is disturbing), which in the end causes the film to suffer.
Edna Best is marvelous here, and while her character (the betrayed wife) is not really given a lot of screen time, she has enough to really sink her teeth into the part, and she becomes the most relatable and memorable character in the film. Her final descent from the staircase, those words, just hit you in all the right places.
The film does try and establish its moral stance, and I appreciate it for that. The cautionary phrase delivered by Cecil Kellaway ("can two people find happiness built on the unhappiness of others?") shines brightly in the films final act and really tugs at the heartstrings of the audience. I only wish that the entirety of the film had been as intricately woven so as to create a truly well rounded and fully realized tale.
So, it is a good film, and it delivers on many fronts, especially in the acting categories (you really believe these characters, even if you don't necessarily fully understand them), but it lacks enough character development to make it truly relatable.
Movie Review: Small-Scale Love Story Offers Fresh-Faced Bergman in Her American Debut
Summary: 4 Stars
The familiar David O. Selznick gloss is all over this minor 1939 soap opera, most noteworthy as the American film debut of 24-year old Ingrid Bergman. She was brought over from Sweden by Selznick for this melodramatic remake of the 1936 film which brought her great acclaim in her homeland. Her fresh-faced beauty and natural manner are intoxicating as she plays Anita Hoffman, first a piano teacher to the young daughter of renowned violinist Holger Brandt and then his accompanist on a world tour. It's a brief movie, only seventy minutes long, directed by Gregory Ratoff (more famous as the ulcer-ridden producer Max in "All About Eve") focusing on the illicit affair that develops between Anita and Holger.
Much of the story has to do with the guilt they both experience in terms of the familial repercussions, and the ending reflects as much. A role away from his Ashley Wilkes in "Gone With the Wind", obviously the more important Selznick movie in production a the time, Leslie Howard plays Holger in his familiar erudite manner. Veteran character actor Cecil Kellaway (later the monsignor in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner") plays the sage maestro who acts as the film's conscience. Scenes often seem strangely truncated to move the story briskly along. Beyond Bergman, the most accomplished aspects of the film are Gregg Toland's lush cinematography, Lyle Wheeler's art direction (making Monterey, California look very much like the Italian Riviera) and Max Steiner's romantic music (oddly uncredited). But the impossibly striking Bergman is the primary reason to see this predictably developed film. The 2004 DVD offers no extras.
Movie Review: Pleasant but Unremarkable Love Story that Introduced Ingrid Bergman to America.
Summary: 4 Stars
"Intermezzo" is a tale of forbidden love, running only 70 minutes, that introduced Ingrid Bergman to American audiences in 1939. It's a remake of a 1936 Swedish film that also starred Bergman in the role of a young woman who falls in love with a married man. Holger Brandt (Leslie Howard) is a concert violinist who spends most of his time away from his family, touring with his accompanist Thomas Stenborg (John Halliday). But Stenborg plans to retire, so Brandt retreats to his country home to be with his family for a while. There, he is introduced to his young daughter's piano teacher, Anita Hoffman (Ingrid Bergman). Holger is taken with Anita's playing and then with her charm, but their illicit affair threatens to come between Holger and the family he holds dear.
The film feels like a vignette. It captures the brief interlude that Anita and Holger share between the greater acts of their lives: the intermezzo. It is sentimental, not only about their affair, but in particular in regards to Holger's family. It isn't quite sappy, though. We never know much about the emotional lives of the characters beyond their feelings for each other, but "Intermezzo" is entertaining enough, and Ingrid Bergman is radiant. Anita doesn't have the glamour or worldliness of some of the characters that would later make Bergman famous, but it's easy to see what made her a movie star. "Intermezzo" looks good and sounds good, thanks to a musical score by Max Steiner. The MGM 2004 DVD has no bonus features, but the print is good. Subtitles are available in English, French, Spanish.
Movie Review: Classy Classic - Forever Fresh and Vital
Summary: 4 Stars
Intermezzo (1939)is the brilliant American adaptation of the Swedish film by the same name. Enamored by her on screen presence in that film, producer David O. Selznick imported Ingrid Bergman to Hollywood; a rare an ever-lasting find that audiences the world over should be eternally grateful for. As in the Swedish version, Bergman plays Anita Hoffman, a gifted piano teacher who comes in contact with violin virtuoso, Holger Brandt (Leslie Howard). Though Selznick wanted Howard in the film, Howard only agreed after Selznick acquiesced to giving him co-producer screen credit for his efforts. Brandt's world tours keep in away from his committed wife, Margit (Edna Best) and children. The realization that his own life is passing him by is spurred on when Brandt discovers that he is falling in love with Anita. A bittersweet Riviera tryst reforms the illicit lovers to their separate destinies. Selznick's impenetrable commitment to top of the line production values and his way of concocting dreamy gloss from human stories, make "Intermezzo" a viscerally moving poignant experience. Bring Kleenex. MGM's DVD is rather impressive. The B&W picture exhibits a very nicely balanced gray scale with smooth, solid blacks and very clean whites. Age related artifacts are present throughout but do not distract. Some minor edge enhancement crops up but pixelization is kept to a minimum. Overall the picture will surely not disappoint. The audio is mono but more than adequate for a film of this vintage. There are no extras.
Movie Review: POIGNANT, BITTERSWEET AND UTTERLY CHARMING
Summary: 4 Stars
Intermezzo is the brilliant American adaptation of the Swedish film by the same name. Enamored by her on screen presence in that film, producer David O. Selznick imported Ingrid Bergman to Hollywood; a rare an ever-lasting find that audiences the world over should be eternally grateful for. As in the Swedish version, Bergman plays Anita Hoffman, a gifted piano teacher who comes in contact with violin virtuoso, Holger Brandt (Leslie Howard). Though Selznick wanted Howard in the film, Howard only agreed after Selznick acquiesced to giving him co-producer screen credit for his efforts. Brandt's world tours keep in away from his committed wife, Margit (Edna Best) and children. The realization that his own life is passing him by is spurred on when Brandt discovers that he is falling in love with Anita. A bittersweet Riviera tryst reforms the illicit lovers to their separate destinies. Selznick's impenetrable commitment to top of the line production values and his way of concocting dreamy gloss from human stories, make "Intermezzo" a viscerally moving poignant experience. Bring Kleenex.
MGM's DVD is rather impressive. The B&W picture exhibits a very nicely balanced gray scale with smooth, solid blacks and very clean whites. Age related artifacts are present throughout but do not distract. Some minor edge enhancement crops up but pixelization is kept to a minimum. Overall the picture will surely not disappoint. The audio is mono but more than adequate for a film of this vintage. There are no extras.