Reviews (3)

black and white, not technicolor
This movie was not redone in technicolor. The Black and white takes some time to get used to.

ENGAGING LITTLE MUSICAL.
Boxer Victor Mature lands a role in a Broadway play and quickly makes a move on dancer Betty Grable, who is secretly married to another of the actors. John Payne plays the elusive husband, and he isn't content with watching his wife be fawned over. As fate would have it, the play calls for both the lead male characters - as played by Payne and Mature - to get into a rousing brawl...The cinematography by Lee Garmes is striking, but the score is unfortunately a bit lacklustre. The supporting cast is terrific, though: Jane Wyman, James Gleason, Phil Silvers, June Lang and Irving Bacon. The 7 songs include such classics (just kidding!) as ARE YOU KIDDING? - no pun intended - LIVING HIGH & I'M STEPPING OUT WITH A MEMORY TONIGHT. The latter actually made a minor dent on the Hit Parade back in 1942.

Grable is a knockout in musical boxing story
Very authentic backstage feel about this showbiz story of two young chorines, Grable and Jane Wyman, trying to reach the big time. Story concerns show-off boxing champ, Victor Mature who is about to star in his own show on Broadway.Grable gets work as a chorus girl. Mature takes a shine to her, but she is already in love with John Payne. Complicated? A little, but it all works out in the end. This b/w musical was just crying out for Technicolor. And studio head Zanuck vowed, on viewing the rushes, that Grable would only be featured in Technicolor in future, even though it added a third to the production costs. Thus she became the first-ever star to have a "colour clause" in her contract. Great musical numbers with Grable partnered by Hermes Pan. And her solo, 'I Heard the Birdies Sing' in which she boxes with her shadow is - if you'll pardon the expression - a knockout! Trivia note: In one scene, a despondent Grable asks Jane Wyman if she would ever become a star. Consulting the cards, Jane replies: "You have as much chance of that as I have of being first lady." ... which is what Miss Wyman would have become had she stayed married to Ronald Reagan! Phil Silvers is very good in an early comedy role. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Excellent sophmore effort by Ingrid Bergman
*** Possible Spoilers***
When Adam needs a new governess for his four sons, he and his wife hire a French governess to take care of them. The wife soon dies and over the years she becomes the mainstay of the home, in spite of a stock market crash, World War I and the straying wife of one of the boys. A good effort by all, including a young and manipulative Susan Hayward. Given the era, some of the content was surprising and the story was by no means a conventional epic.

A good classic family drama...
Emilie (Ingrid Bergman), a french governess, is hired by wealthy Adam Stoppard (Warner Baxter) and his wife Molly to look after their four sons. Following the untimely death of their mother, the boys grow to depend on Emilie more.

When the boys are older they join the army. When they return home one of them brings home a beautiful wife Hester (Susan Hayward). It soon becomes clear that Hester is trouble. She's a heartless gold-digger that nearly splits the family apart. Can Emilie hold the family together with Hester around causing trouble?

Over the years Emilie's feelings for Adam grow deeper and she falls in love with him. Even the though the boys are now men at this point, Adam insists that she come and live with them again as part of the family....

Please enter a title for your review? I'll skip it.
I don't understand why this film doesn't get better ratings than it does. Everyone seems to think it an overly saccharine piece of cinema. Personally, I find it very nice - tasteful, romantic, and not too heavy. Sure, maybe it was weird to have Emilie come back after the boys were grown up. But if I remember correctly, they wanted her to come back and she had promised she would. Anything wrong with keeping a promise?

That aside... The only complaints that I have is that the end IS a bit abrupt - suddenly everything is cleared up, Adam proposes and before they even kiss the words "The End" appear. And Susan Hayward's character is really annoying. Hester. Who in their right mind would name their girl Hester? Anyway. Helen Westley is a minor character here, Aunt Phillipa. June Lockhart is the neighbour girl who falls in love with Adam's youngest son. I liked her better as the Praslin daughter in All This and Heaven Too, but she fit the part finely here all the same.

My favourite scene is the one when Emilie decides that Hester is going to leave. Very rarely do you ever get to see sweet, pretty Ingrid taking command like she does in that scene.

My recommendation is to give this movie a chance at least and make a rational judgement about it before believing that it's only second-rate sugar.

GOOD CAST...SO SO MOVIE
This is a family saga of a huband (Warren Baxter) and wife (Fay Wray) who have four sons. As they are quite well to do, they hire a French governess (Ingrid Bergman) for the boys. Several years later, the wife falls ill and dies. The governess becomes the mother figure. Shortly after, the stock market crashes and the father loses everything and is forced to send the governess away with a promise to send for her as soon as he can.

This is where the movie becomes somewhat implausible. The father sends for her years later, but the boys are fully grown young men. They obviously do not need a governess. Yet, she lives with them. It is obvious to all that the father and the governess are in love, but nary a word of such passes between them.

Out of the clear blue, one of the sons marries a beautiful, but loose woman (Susan Hayward). The governess does not like this son's wife and with good reason. The wife soon commences an affair with one of her husband's brothers. Soon, this serene household become a hot bed of angst. After her husband discovers the affair with his brother, who has since repudiated this vixen, she is ordered to leave the house. She does so, and the father finally asks the long suffering governess to marry him.

The performances by the cast are strong, but the screenplay falters. This is a predictable, though somewhat mediocre film that one may find mildly enjoyable, if one loves old films in general. If not, skip it.

Well, Here's an Argument for Population Control!
I rented "Adam Had Four Sons" because of its promising cast: Ingrid Bergman, Warner Baxter, Fay Wray, and Susan Hayward. How could it miss? Ah, but it does. Ingrid is very implausible as the servant/mother figure to Warner's sons after Fay's untimely death. Ingrid and Warner learn to love each other. Then, because of gossip, she leaves him and the sons in the lurch. Enter some years later, Susan as a vixen engaged to one son but making her play for another. Enter Ingrid again to put a stop to this shameful behavior. Enter me to turn it off. Just too ridiculously played, not even good enough for camp. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Heat's On is the last film Mae West made before essentially being forced out of Hollywood by censorship, and she wouldn't make another movie for 27 years. As actress Fay Lawrence, she opens the film singing "I'm Just a Stranger in Town," but her famous saucy smirk seems dimmed. Fed up with performing in a dying Broadway show, Fay gives notice, announcing, "I have a tradition of success to live up to." The film's plot actually involves censorship: the show is raided and Fay is blacklisted by a watchdog group. It's all poignantly close to West's real life. Unfortunately, the film never comes together and Mae West is not at the center of it. She didn't write the screenplay, as she did for most of her other films, and it's obvious. For one thing, there are no handsome hombres for her to romance. Only excruciatingly pitiful Hubert Bainbridge (Victor Moore) woos Fay, his toupee falling off. She lets him down gently but firmly: "Don't look now, honey, but your hair's skiddin'." West must have been miserable. Still, there are some bright spots in this musical revue. Xavier Cugat appears with his band, and the superb singer and pianist Hazel Scott does some fabulous boogie-woogie numbers. Scott is the picture's unsung highlight. --Laura Mirsky ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Mae looks younger and slimmer than in her 1930's movies.
Mae looks and dances the Rumba (even showcasing a little Xavier Cugat). She is excellent and beautiful. Unfortunately the non-Mae West 'musical numbers' - especially the victory garden music number should have been cut. They make the picture drag. When Mae is on she sparkles and there is never a dull moment. Just when she starts getting really hot doing the Copa Cabana number the movie ends.... leaving you wanting more of Mae... ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A Soap Well Done
Ingrid Bergman and Leslie Howard have made their careers playing exactly the kind of star-crossed lovers who find each other as in INTERMEZZO. Howard had just finished filming GONE WITH THE WIND when director Gregory Ratoff tapped him to play Holger Brandt, a concert violinist who seems to have it all: a loving wife (well played by Edna Best), two happy children, and a successful career touring the opera circuit. Yet, behind the surface happiness, Holger sends out subtle signals that all is not well both in his life and in his marriage. His touring takes him away from home for long stretches. His wife and daughter miss him, and his growing absences begin to nettle all concerned. He seems to be a man ready for a too-soon mid life crisis. Enter Anita (Ingrid Bergman) as a piano teacher for his daughter. Anita is far more than just a child's tutor; she is a gifted concert pianist in her own right. It does not take long for sparks to fly between them, as each soon has to face the unavoidable question that all adulterers cannot avoid: how can they build happiness on the unhappiness of others?

Ingrid Bergman had earlier played the same role in a Swedish version of the same film with an identical title. Since she did not know English, she had to learn her lines with the help of language tutors who wisely decided to leave untouched her lilting Swedish accent that had since become her trademark. Both Bergman and Howard bounce off each other in all the right ways and at just the right moments as their characters are basically deeply sensitive to the realization that their new-found love must collide painfully with the near-extinguished love of Howard and Best. Miss Best, who as Holger's infinitely understanding wife, is not pushed into the background by her far better known actor leads. In fact, she steals more than a few scenes with an acting style that emits a wealth of emotion with the merest of glances. Early in the affair between Holger and Anita, Mrs. Brandt sees Anita casually fondling Holger's violin case, and her stifled gasp tells the audience all it needs to know that she knows of the affair but chooses to give Holger a chance to sort out his feelings. INTERMEZZO is the rarest of soaps. You learn to care for the characters even as they tread down a path that a legion of other less able films headed. Good acting will usually do that.

She was an intermezzo in his life.
The story is basic and told in many ways. A famous violinist (Leslie Howard) falls in love with his daughter's piano teacher (Ingrid Bergman). Unlike many movies where the pare cause each other trouble and force the other to beg their way back into good graces, the situations are real enough that you feel that you are part of the story. You will have to watch to find out how they deal with feelings and act on them.

If you find this movie as intriguing as I do, your next one should be Brief Encounter - Criterion Collection (1945). See my review When you feel like British, no other film will do as well. May 6, 2001

INCANDESCENT BERGMAN
The story of of a romantic affair between a pianist and a married violinist. David O. Selznick had second thoughts about casting Bergman in this film; at one point he was considering replacing her with Loretta Young (!). However, as filming proceeded, Bergman's proficientcy improved dramatically, as did her stock with Selznick. The producer was pleased and impressed by her total and unselfish commitment to the success of the picture and her willingness to invest many long, hard days to achieve that goal. Under the tutelage of Ruth Roberts, MGM's language coach - who had trained Hedy Lamarr - she learned English quickly and fluently, proving herself to have a natural flair for languages. As sweet and lilting as the violins which permeate the film, INTERMEZZO premiered in October of 1939, and it was a resounding success; Ingrid Bergman became an international star overnight. David O. Selznick rewarded her with a 7 year contract and she enjoyed a flourishing career as one of Hollywood's leading actresses until 1948, when she bore an illegitimate child by Italian director Roberto Rossellini. It wasn't until 1956 that Hollywood welcomed her back; that year she won her AA for ANASTASIA.

The Days of Innocent Ingrid
This movie is a perfect example of Ingrid in her pre-hollywood innocent days. I love her Swedish movies because she's always the innocent little girl that everyone loves. She is a young piano podigy who supports herself by teaching piano lessons. She falls in love with her student's father who is a famous violin player. She runs away with him, but being sweet, moral Ingrid, leaves because she can't have an affair with a married man. She actually plays the piano in this movie, and quite beautifully. I've seen the English version as well and I prefer the Swedish one. A must-see for any Bergman fan.

Great love story!
This is yet another masterpiece from that magical movie year of l939. And it was produced by none other than David Selznick, who just happened to be involved in another little film that very year. Let's see, what was the name? Oh, yes. Gone with the Wind. Intermezzo is mesmerizing because of the thick gloss of glamor, the shimmering photography, costumes and of course the musical score which is threaded throughout with classical motifs. The score, in fact, was supposedly composed by the overworked Max Steiner although his name doesn't appear in the credits. Although a short movie, just barely over an hour, the dreamy, ravishing lighting, shadowing, glowing photography makes this such a super-production you'll want to see it repeatedly. Oh, yes, it does star the radiant Ingrid Bergman making her American movie debut. Leslie Howard, believe it or not, does come alive in this one, a lot more than his wooden Ashely Wilkes of GWTW. For lovers of all ages, and movie buffs of every nationality, Intermezzo, should definitely be on your movie shelf. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Ingrid Bergman made her radiant Hollywood debut in this David O. Selznick-produced remake of a 1936 Swedish film, in which she played the same role, a gifted piano teacher. Leslie Howard costars as the brilliant violinist whose world tours often take him from the flow of life within his own family. Married to a fine woman (Edna Best) and blessed with two wonderful children, Howard's character only begins to realize that so much is passing by him when he falls for his concert pianist (Bergman). During a Riviera holiday, the two illicit lovers bask in passion while privately agonizing over the collapse of their separate destinies. Can two people find happiness built on the unhappiness of others? That's the question asked by the sage friend (Cecil Kellaway) whom they both share. In the same year Selznick cast Howard in Gone with the Wind, the sophisticated actor did a fine, sympathetic job penetrating the lost and tormented heart of his character in Intermezzo. But it is Bergman--the very picture of spring and a magnificent avatar of the perpetual conflict between mind and heart--who ultimately gives this film its soul. The Selznick machine, with its top-drawer production values and the dreamy gloss of its human stories, makes this film a more poignant experience than the average weepie.--Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A Soap Well Done
Ingrid Bergman and Leslie Howard have made their careers playing exactly the kind of star-crossed lovers who find each other as in INTERMEZZO. Howard had just finished filming GONE WITH THE WIND when director Gregory Ratoff tapped him to play Holger Brandt, a concert violinist who seems to have it all: a loving wife (well played by Edna Best), two happy children, and a successful career touring the opera circuit. Yet, behind the surface happiness, Holger sends out subtle signals that all is not well both in his life and in his marriage. His touring takes him away from home for long stretches. His wife and daughter miss him, and his growing absences begin to nettle all concerned. He seems to be a man ready for a too-soon mid life crisis. Enter Anita (Ingrid Bergman) as a piano teacher for his daughter. Anita is far more than just a child's tutor; she is a gifted concert pianist in her own right. It does not take long for sparks to fly between them, as each soon has to face the unavoidable question that all adulterers cannot avoid: how can they build happiness on the unhappiness of others?

Ingrid Bergman had earlier played the same role in a Swedish version of the same film with an identical title. Since she did not know English, she had to learn her lines with the help of language tutors who wisely decided to leave untouched her lilting Swedish accent that had since become her trademark. Both Bergman and Howard bounce off each other in all the right ways and at just the right moments as their characters are basically deeply sensitive to the realization that their new-found love must collide painfully with the near-extinguished love of Howard and Best. Miss Best, who as Holger's infinitely understanding wife, is not pushed into the background by her far better known actor leads. In fact, she steals more than a few scenes with an acting style that emits a wealth of emotion with the merest of glances. Early in the affair between Holger and Anita, Mrs. Brandt sees Anita casually fondling Holger's violin case, and her stifled gasp tells the audience all it needs to know that she knows of the affair but chooses to give Holger a chance to sort out his feelings. INTERMEZZO is the rarest of soaps. You learn to care for the characters even as they tread down a path that a legion of other less able films headed. Good acting will usually do that.

She was an intermezzo in his life.
The story is basic and told in many ways. A famous violinist (Leslie Howard) falls in love with his daughter's piano teacher (Ingrid Bergman). Unlike many movies where the pare cause each other trouble and force the other to beg their way back into good graces, the situations are real enough that you feel that you are part of the story. You will have to watch to find out how they deal with feelings and act on them.

If you find this movie as intriguing as I do, your next one should be Brief Encounter - Criterion Collection (1945). See my review When you feel like British, no other film will do as well. May 6, 2001

INCANDESCENT BERGMAN
The story of of a romantic affair between a pianist and a married violinist. David O. Selznick had second thoughts about casting Bergman in this film; at one point he was considering replacing her with Loretta Young (!). However, as filming proceeded, Bergman's proficientcy improved dramatically, as did her stock with Selznick. The producer was pleased and impressed by her total and unselfish commitment to the success of the picture and her willingness to invest many long, hard days to achieve that goal. Under the tutelage of Ruth Roberts, MGM's language coach - who had trained Hedy Lamarr - she learned English quickly and fluently, proving herself to have a natural flair for languages. As sweet and lilting as the violins which permeate the film, INTERMEZZO premiered in October of 1939, and it was a resounding success; Ingrid Bergman became an international star overnight. David O. Selznick rewarded her with a 7 year contract and she enjoyed a flourishing career as one of Hollywood's leading actresses until 1948, when she bore an illegitimate child by Italian director Roberto Rossellini. It wasn't until 1956 that Hollywood welcomed her back; that year she won her AA for ANASTASIA.

The Days of Innocent Ingrid
This movie is a perfect example of Ingrid in her pre-hollywood innocent days. I love her Swedish movies because she's always the innocent little girl that everyone loves. She is a young piano podigy who supports herself by teaching piano lessons. She falls in love with her student's father who is a famous violin player. She runs away with him, but being sweet, moral Ingrid, leaves because she can't have an affair with a married man. She actually plays the piano in this movie, and quite beautifully. I've seen the English version as well and I prefer the Swedish one. A must-see for any Bergman fan.

Great love story!
This is yet another masterpiece from that magical movie year of l939. And it was produced by none other than David Selznick, who just happened to be involved in another little film that very year. Let's see, what was the name? Oh, yes. Gone with the Wind. Intermezzo is mesmerizing because of the thick gloss of glamor, the shimmering photography, costumes and of course the musical score which is threaded throughout with classical motifs. The score, in fact, was supposedly composed by the overworked Max Steiner although his name doesn't appear in the credits. Although a short movie, just barely over an hour, the dreamy, ravishing lighting, shadowing, glowing photography makes this such a super-production you'll want to see it repeatedly. Oh, yes, it does star the radiant Ingrid Bergman making her American movie debut. Leslie Howard, believe it or not, does come alive in this one, a lot more than his wooden Ashely Wilkes of GWTW. For lovers of all ages, and movie buffs of every nationality, Intermezzo, should definitely be on your movie shelf. ... Read more