{"id":34336,"date":"2015-04-28T00:02:00","date_gmt":"2015-04-28T07:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=34336"},"modified":"2021-02-05T10:34:15","modified_gmt":"2021-02-05T17:34:15","slug":"intermezzo-a-love-story-1939","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=34336","title":{"rendered":"Intermezzo: A Love Story (1939)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>NOTE: I&#8217;m posting this review and the next one as part of the <a href=\"http:\/\/clamba.blogspot.com\/2015\/03\/announcing-cmba-spring-blogathon.html\">Classic Movie Blog Association&#8217;s &#8220;Fabulous Films of the 30s&#8221; spring blogathon<\/a>. When I committed to writing about &#8220;Intermezzo&#8221; (both versions), I honestly didn&#8217;t know whether they would classify as &#8216;fabulous&#8217; or not, since I hadn&#8217;t watched the 1939 version in many years, and had never seen the original. While both unfortunately failed the test of fabulous-ness (they&#8217;re not &#8220;must-see&#8221; classics of the decade), their luminous star &#8212; the inimitable Ingrid Bergman &#8212; is as classic and fabulous as they come! So, I&#8217;m happy to introduce you to both Bergman&#8217;s first Hollywood film, and the film responsible for bringing her to English-speaking audiences.<\/em> <\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;I wonder if anyone has ever built happiness on the unhappiness of others?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Intermezzo-1939-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Intermezzo-1939-Poster-202x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"202\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-34337\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Intermezzo-1939-Poster-202x300.jpg 202w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Intermezzo-1939-Poster-86x128.jpg 86w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Intermezzo-1939-Poster.jpg 615w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 202px) 100vw, 202px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA talented pianist (Ingrid Bergman) giving lessons to a young girl (Ann E. Todd) falls in love with Todd&#8217;s father (Leslie Howard), a famous violinist whose long-suffering wife (Edna Best) realizes their marriage is at risk.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cecil Kellaway Films<\/li>\n<li>Ingrid Bergman Films<\/li>\n<li>Leslie Howard Films<\/li>\n<li>Musicians<\/li>\n<li>Romance<\/li>\n<li>Star-Crossed Lovers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nIngrid Bergman was wooed to Hollywood by David Selznick after he witnessed her stunning presence in the 1936 Swedish romance <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=34344\"><em>Intermezzo<\/em> (1936)<\/a>, which was remade in English nearly scene-for-scene several years later. In both films, Bergman&#8217;s star-struck young beauty harbors an enormous crush on the famous father (Howard) of her pupil, and ultimately can&#8217;t resist her romantic longings. Will things end well for the sinning couple &#8212; especially given how sympathetic Howard&#8217;s wife (Best) remains? Not likely. The entire affair is presented in an overly tasteful fashion, with characters solemnly making comments such as &#8220;Love isn&#8217;t sensible&#8221; while gazing into each other&#8217;s eyes and spending time in beautiful locales. A zither appears at one point, adding a bit of musical distinction and presenting a young girl (Marie Flynn) meant to evoke Howard&#8217;s sense of paternal obligation and love. There is ultimately little here to hold onto in terms of narrative; <em>Intermezzo<\/em> only remains distinctive at this point for its visual classiness (Gregg Toland&#8217;s cinematography is impeccable) and for Bergman&#8217;s luminous beauty. She&#8217;s a delight to watch no matter what material she&#8217;s given. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ingrid Bergman as Anita<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Intermezzo-1939-Bergman.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Intermezzo-1939-Bergman.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"541\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-34340\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Intermezzo-1939-Bergman.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Intermezzo-1939-Bergman-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Intermezzo-1939-Bergman-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Gregg Toland&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Intermezzo-1939-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Intermezzo-1939-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"541\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-34341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Intermezzo-1939-Cinematography.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Intermezzo-1939-Cinematography-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Intermezzo-1939-Cinematography-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Intermezzo-1939-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Intermezzo-1939-Cinematography2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"541\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-34342\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Intermezzo-1939-Cinematography2.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Intermezzo-1939-Cinematography2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Intermezzo-1939-Cinematography2-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo; like its predecessor, this one is only must-see for Bergman fans. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0031491\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1939\/10\/06\/archives\/the-screen-four-films-in-review-ingrid-bergman-of-sweden-makes-her.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s1381mezz.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/79302\/intermezzo-a-love-story#articles-reviews?articleId=537\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.chicagoreader.com\/chicago\/intermezzo\/Film?oid=1150343\">Chicago Reader Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/london\/film\/intermezzo\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NOTE: I&#8217;m posting this review and the next one as part of the Classic Movie Blog Association&#8217;s &#8220;Fabulous Films of the 30s&#8221; spring blogathon. When I committed to writing about &#8220;Intermezzo&#8221; (both versions), I honestly didn&#8217;t know whether they would classify as &#8216;fabulous&#8217; or not, since I hadn&#8217;t watched the 1939 version in many years, and had never seen the original. While both unfortunately failed the test of fabulous-ness (they&#8217;re not &#8220;must-see&#8221; classics of the decade), their luminous star &#8212;&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=34336\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34336"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34336\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68913,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34336\/revisions\/68913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}