The original version of this Swedish melodrama by Gustaf Molander is short (the American remake is even shorter) and to the point. A famous and not very young violinist (Gösta Ekman) meets a pretty and fresh-as-a-daisy pianist (Ingrid Bergman), he believes he met his match and she falls for him or something he has. Although the final solution tries to make us believe that the violinist is a fervent family man who will return to the loving arms of his abandoned but addict-to-marriage wife (Inga Tidblad), we know better: even if Hollywood insists in pairing ageing male stars with girls who could be their great-granddaughters, the truth is that age does count. On the pianist's side, it is obvious that his fame and talent impressed her, but when she wins a "stipend" to study, she takes the right decision. Interestingly, Hans Ekman who plays Åke, the son (to his real-life father) turned into filmmaking and was Ingmar Bergman's rival for a while.
14 Reviews
early star-making performance for Bergman
didi-511 January 2009
The original version of 'Intermezzo', starring Ingrid Bergman - who later recreated the role in Hollywood opposite Leslie Howard - and Gosta Ekman, is an involving story of a mid-life crisis, an intermezzo, a passion driven by music.
Tired, bored, and a stranger to his family, Holger Brandt (Ekman) is searching for a new accompanist but when he finds his daughter's music teacher, Anita Hoffmann (Bergman) events begin to move in quite a different direction. Of course we don't see any romantic involvements beyond a bit of friendly kissing and heightened dialogue between Brandt and Hoffmann which pinpoints their relationship - and the film is all the better for it.
As good as the version with Bergman/Howard, this version is rarely seen but well worth catching. Ekman - who has more than a passing resemblance to the great German actor Conrad Veidt - is the perfect suffering artist, looking for excitement and a new definition of love; while Bergman makes the character of Hoffmann believable in her infatuation with Brandt without seeing ridiculous.
Tired, bored, and a stranger to his family, Holger Brandt (Ekman) is searching for a new accompanist but when he finds his daughter's music teacher, Anita Hoffmann (Bergman) events begin to move in quite a different direction. Of course we don't see any romantic involvements beyond a bit of friendly kissing and heightened dialogue between Brandt and Hoffmann which pinpoints their relationship - and the film is all the better for it.
As good as the version with Bergman/Howard, this version is rarely seen but well worth catching. Ekman - who has more than a passing resemblance to the great German actor Conrad Veidt - is the perfect suffering artist, looking for excitement and a new definition of love; while Bergman makes the character of Hoffmann believable in her infatuation with Brandt without seeing ridiculous.
A touching and pleasant love story
ackstasis20 January 2008
Warning: Spoilers
In musical terms, an intermezzo is typically a short composition that fits between two main movements of a larger musical work. For professional violinist Holger Brandt (Gösta Ekman), his romance with Anita Hoffman (the irreplaceable Ingrid Bergman) is exactly that, a brief interlude from his wife and children. Though he may have convinced himself that his love for Anita will last forever, it is inevitable that the older man will eventually return to where his heart truly lies, with his grown son Åke (Hasse Ekman) and precocious daughter Ann-Marie (Britt Hagman). His temporary liaison with a younger woman, as shameful as it might seem, does represent something akin to true love, since it had the power to draw him from his family. However, Anita's selfless decision to leave finally persuades Holger to return home, to recognise that there is a more important love waiting for him in Sweden.
Gustaf Molander's 'Intermezzo' is a film that seemingly has everything going for it: Åke Dahlqvist's cinematography is absolutely beautiful; the acting performances are natural and sincere; Ingrid Bergman is perhaps the greatest beauty ever to grace the silver screen. However, despite a relatively brief running time, the film moved so slowly that it was difficult to hold my attention. A story as simple as that of 'Intermezzo' did not require 90 minutes to unfold, and several scenes could easily have been trimmed without any detrimental effect on the overall quality of the film. Though she had starred in numerous Swedish films previously, it was 'Intermezzo' that proved Ingrid Bergman's breakthrough role, and its success led to her migration to Hollywood in 1939, where she revived her role for an American remake, 'Intermezzo: A Love Story (1939),' opposite Leslie Howard {a version that I am yet to see}.
Aside from Bergman, who is lovely as always, Gösta Ekman {in one of his final roles} gives a solid performance as Professor Brandt, whose infatuation with new love has led him to neglect those who are most important to him. Though I had not initially recognised his name, Ekman is, of course, the actor whose performance I had enthusiastically commended in my review of F.W. Murnau's 'Faust - Eine deutsche Volkssage (1926).' Also noteworthy are Inga Tidblad as Holger's knowing wife, Margit, and a delightful Britt Hagman as young Ann-Marie Brandt. While I must admit that I found the film very slow-going, perhaps this sluggishness served a very important purpose. In one of the film's final scenes, concerning the incident outside the school, I suspect that what transpired could never have been as shocking or jarring as it was, if not for the long period of sedateness that had preceded it.
Gustaf Molander's 'Intermezzo' is a film that seemingly has everything going for it: Åke Dahlqvist's cinematography is absolutely beautiful; the acting performances are natural and sincere; Ingrid Bergman is perhaps the greatest beauty ever to grace the silver screen. However, despite a relatively brief running time, the film moved so slowly that it was difficult to hold my attention. A story as simple as that of 'Intermezzo' did not require 90 minutes to unfold, and several scenes could easily have been trimmed without any detrimental effect on the overall quality of the film. Though she had starred in numerous Swedish films previously, it was 'Intermezzo' that proved Ingrid Bergman's breakthrough role, and its success led to her migration to Hollywood in 1939, where she revived her role for an American remake, 'Intermezzo: A Love Story (1939),' opposite Leslie Howard {a version that I am yet to see}.
Aside from Bergman, who is lovely as always, Gösta Ekman {in one of his final roles} gives a solid performance as Professor Brandt, whose infatuation with new love has led him to neglect those who are most important to him. Though I had not initially recognised his name, Ekman is, of course, the actor whose performance I had enthusiastically commended in my review of F.W. Murnau's 'Faust - Eine deutsche Volkssage (1926).' Also noteworthy are Inga Tidblad as Holger's knowing wife, Margit, and a delightful Britt Hagman as young Ann-Marie Brandt. While I must admit that I found the film very slow-going, perhaps this sluggishness served a very important purpose. In one of the film's final scenes, concerning the incident outside the school, I suspect that what transpired could never have been as shocking or jarring as it was, if not for the long period of sedateness that had preceded it.
interesting morality tale
planktonrules22 February 2006
This is the Swedish version of INTERMEZZO. The film was remade for English-speaking audiences just 3 years later with a mostly non-Swedish cast, except for Ingrid Bergman who reprized her role from the original.
While this Swedish version isn't quite as polished as the other, it is the original and seems a little less polished--and this ISN'T necessarily a bad thing. Because of the lack of polish, the film seems more like it was filmed with real people and the problems seemed more universal. Also, while I didn't approve of the lead running around on his family, it sure brought up a lot of moral questions and made me think. A decent, though not great, film.
While this Swedish version isn't quite as polished as the other, it is the original and seems a little less polished--and this ISN'T necessarily a bad thing. Because of the lack of polish, the film seems more like it was filmed with real people and the problems seemed more universal. Also, while I didn't approve of the lead running around on his family, it sure brought up a lot of moral questions and made me think. A decent, though not great, film.
It Must Be True!!
postmanwhoalwaysringstwice19 February 2003
The Swedish version of "Intermezzo" is so heartwrenching that it must be true. Okay, so maybe that's an exaggeration, but this film is certainly one of the greatest screen romance films. It's definitely a film for artists, who need to always attempt to balance their lives between the home fires and the passion of one's creative calling. Watching this one will certainly remind the viewer to not take for granted what their love life offers them.
The Swedish version
HotToastyRag11 February 2023
What's the difference between the 1936 and 1939 Intermezzo films? Not much, except that one's in English and the other's in Swedish. Both are exactly the same story, and both star Ingrid Bergman as the alluring other woman who makes a decent family man stray. Basically, you just have to make the choice of whether you want to read subtitles or not.
In this Swedish version, Gosta Ekman is a respected violinist who has two children and a devoted wife. Ingrid is a pianist, and when she starts teaching his little girl how to play, they both start fantasizing about playing duets together. This is a very 1930s plot line, where the woman is the great temptress and the man is practically possessed by his feelings for her. Like in The Blue Angel, the man is not an active participant, but is instead the victim. Sometimes that is the case in real life, when homewreckers really go out their way to seduce a married man. But most of the time, as in the immortal words from French Kiss, they don't "steal anything that doesn't want to be stolen", so a lot of these 1930s movies aren't that realistic. However, if you want to see a very, very young Ingrid Bergman speaking in her native tongue, you can rent it. She doesn't play a femme fatale; in fact, her character is quite sweet, but just keep in mind the blame doesn't rest solely on her shoulders.
In this Swedish version, Gosta Ekman is a respected violinist who has two children and a devoted wife. Ingrid is a pianist, and when she starts teaching his little girl how to play, they both start fantasizing about playing duets together. This is a very 1930s plot line, where the woman is the great temptress and the man is practically possessed by his feelings for her. Like in The Blue Angel, the man is not an active participant, but is instead the victim. Sometimes that is the case in real life, when homewreckers really go out their way to seduce a married man. But most of the time, as in the immortal words from French Kiss, they don't "steal anything that doesn't want to be stolen", so a lot of these 1930s movies aren't that realistic. However, if you want to see a very, very young Ingrid Bergman speaking in her native tongue, you can rent it. She doesn't play a femme fatale; in fact, her character is quite sweet, but just keep in mind the blame doesn't rest solely on her shoulders.
Ingrid Bergman's First Lead in the Movie David O. Selznick Noticed Her
springfieldrental2 September 2023
Before becoming one of the most popular stars in Hollywood, young Ingrid Bergman gained acting experience in Swedish movies. Appearing in eleven films in her native Sweden, Bergman was spotted by film producer David O. Selznick in November 1936 "Intermezzo." The independent studio owner was so impressed by Bergman's acting in her first motion picture as a lead, he immediately made her an offer for her to come to Hollywood. She accepted. Her relocation to America to play in English-speaking roles made Bergman the fourth most legendary movie actress in cinematic history, according to the American Film Institute ranking.
Bergman's biographer Charlotte Chandler called her "arguably the most international star in the history of entertainment." Life magazine described her as having "greater versatility than any actress on the American screen. Her roles have demanded an adaptability and sensitiveness of characterization to which few actresses could rise."
Selznick was swayed with her acting in "Intermezzo" by her "natural sweetness." It was quite a complement for the young Swedish actress since her Anita Hoffman, the piano teacher for the daughter of a master violinist, was basically a home wrecker who falls for family man musician Holger Brandt (Gosta Ekman). Bergman was 22 when she played Anita, yet her on-screen talent was years ahead of other actresses her age. Named after Princess Ingrid of Sweden, Bergman had an attentive father who dreamed of his only surviving daughter to be an opera star (his wife died when Ingrid was two). She embraced acting at an early age, whom her father documented freely with his camera. "I was perhaps the most photographed child in Scandinavia," Bergman recalls. She was an orphan at 14 when her father died, but her acting ambitions never wavered. "I knew from the beginning I wanted to be an actress," Ingrid claimed.
Bergman earned a scholarship at the Royal Dramatic Theatre School, the same school Greta Garbo attended. With just one year under her belt in a three-year program, she was hired by a Swedish film studio in 1932 at 17, launching her long acting career. Six credited movies later, Bergman received her first major role as the reluctant mistress to the habitually touring violinist who was happily married to his wife. "Intermezzo" was her third movie under director Gustaf Molander, who was a former scriptwriter for Victor Sjostrom and Mauritz Stiller, Sweden's top silent movie directors. The actress credits Molander for his instructive insights, but the director who co-wrote "Intermezzo," noted "I created Intermezzo for her, but I was not responsible for its success. Ingrid herself made it successful."
Bergman excelled in the Swedish (and one German) films she appeared before accepting Selznick's invitation to America. The only hesitation by the producer was, according to his son Danny, "She didn't speak English, she was too tall, her name sounded too German, and her eyebrows were too thick." To make her feel comfortable, Selznick invited Bergman to stay with him and his wife. Also, he wanted her to be comfortable before the American camera and film crew by placing her in the same role as Anita she played in her Swedish film in the 1939 remake of "Intermezzo" opposite Leslie Howard .
Bergman's biographer Charlotte Chandler called her "arguably the most international star in the history of entertainment." Life magazine described her as having "greater versatility than any actress on the American screen. Her roles have demanded an adaptability and sensitiveness of characterization to which few actresses could rise."
Selznick was swayed with her acting in "Intermezzo" by her "natural sweetness." It was quite a complement for the young Swedish actress since her Anita Hoffman, the piano teacher for the daughter of a master violinist, was basically a home wrecker who falls for family man musician Holger Brandt (Gosta Ekman). Bergman was 22 when she played Anita, yet her on-screen talent was years ahead of other actresses her age. Named after Princess Ingrid of Sweden, Bergman had an attentive father who dreamed of his only surviving daughter to be an opera star (his wife died when Ingrid was two). She embraced acting at an early age, whom her father documented freely with his camera. "I was perhaps the most photographed child in Scandinavia," Bergman recalls. She was an orphan at 14 when her father died, but her acting ambitions never wavered. "I knew from the beginning I wanted to be an actress," Ingrid claimed.
Bergman earned a scholarship at the Royal Dramatic Theatre School, the same school Greta Garbo attended. With just one year under her belt in a three-year program, she was hired by a Swedish film studio in 1932 at 17, launching her long acting career. Six credited movies later, Bergman received her first major role as the reluctant mistress to the habitually touring violinist who was happily married to his wife. "Intermezzo" was her third movie under director Gustaf Molander, who was a former scriptwriter for Victor Sjostrom and Mauritz Stiller, Sweden's top silent movie directors. The actress credits Molander for his instructive insights, but the director who co-wrote "Intermezzo," noted "I created Intermezzo for her, but I was not responsible for its success. Ingrid herself made it successful."
Bergman excelled in the Swedish (and one German) films she appeared before accepting Selznick's invitation to America. The only hesitation by the producer was, according to his son Danny, "She didn't speak English, she was too tall, her name sounded too German, and her eyebrows were too thick." To make her feel comfortable, Selznick invited Bergman to stay with him and his wife. Also, he wanted her to be comfortable before the American camera and film crew by placing her in the same role as Anita she played in her Swedish film in the 1939 remake of "Intermezzo" opposite Leslie Howard .
May-December romance
jotix1008 June 2005
The original Swedish version of "Intermezzo" was shown on cable recently. Having seen the American treatment, we felt curious to see how it compared. This film directed by a legend of the Swedish cinema, Gusfaf Molander, is a joy to watch. Mr. Molander also wrote the screen treatment with Gosta Stevens.
The Swedish version shows American audiences a different style of acting. The idea of an older man with a loving family, falling in love with a prettier young woman is the basis of the story. In this version, the difference is more notable because Holger, the famous violinist, looks much older than in the American version. This seems to make a better case for making a case about how ultimately Holger comes back to the family. Also it makes it easier for us to accept the fact that Anita, the young pianist, realizes how deep Holger love for his family, and especially his young daughter, Anne Marie, weighed in her decision to leave him.
The performances are strong. Gosta Elman, one of the best Swedish actors makes a formidable Holger. The young Ingrid Bergman is perfect as the young Anita. Inga Tidblat, the abandoned wife Magrit gives an understated reading to her part. She understands perfectly one day this would happen. Erik Berglund and Hugo Bjorne play Charles and Thomas, Holger's friends who never make any judgment to him, yet one can watch how much they disapprove of this liaison.
The film is as effective as the American remake, although, the latter version seems to have been more fully realized and easy to take than its Swedish one. At any rate, this is a film to witness Gustaf Molander at his best!
The Swedish version shows American audiences a different style of acting. The idea of an older man with a loving family, falling in love with a prettier young woman is the basis of the story. In this version, the difference is more notable because Holger, the famous violinist, looks much older than in the American version. This seems to make a better case for making a case about how ultimately Holger comes back to the family. Also it makes it easier for us to accept the fact that Anita, the young pianist, realizes how deep Holger love for his family, and especially his young daughter, Anne Marie, weighed in her decision to leave him.
The performances are strong. Gosta Elman, one of the best Swedish actors makes a formidable Holger. The young Ingrid Bergman is perfect as the young Anita. Inga Tidblat, the abandoned wife Magrit gives an understated reading to her part. She understands perfectly one day this would happen. Erik Berglund and Hugo Bjorne play Charles and Thomas, Holger's friends who never make any judgment to him, yet one can watch how much they disapprove of this liaison.
The film is as effective as the American remake, although, the latter version seems to have been more fully realized and easy to take than its Swedish one. At any rate, this is a film to witness Gustaf Molander at his best!
Better than the remake, but still not very good
xan-the-crawford-fan28 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
A concert violinist, stripped of an accompanying piano player, returns home to his wife and children, who he never sees. He sees accompaniment in his daughter's young piano teacher, and despite a twenty-five year (!) age difference, the two start an affair, too in love to see what they're hurting- their families and their lives.
It isn't easy to like the two main characters of this film.
The man, Holger, is a pompous arse who is more than eager to leave his wife Margit and start an affair with his daughter's piano teacher Anita, going on tour with her and not really caring whoever he hurts- his wife, his daughter, his son. I'm not sure why his wife accepted him back at the end. She should have given him an old fashioned Joan Crawford-style smack around the head. With an axe.
The daughter's piano teacher isn't much better- she keeps going on and on about how what they're doing is wrong, yet she doesn't seem very eager to break off the affair. Ingrid Bergman was just twenty-one years old here, and had only been in films for a couple of years...it shows. She has more chemistry with the gut in this one than Leslie Howard, but that's not really hard to do.
With her dark red lipstick, penciled eyebrows and silent-movie eyeshadow, she doesn't look much like Ingrid Bergman to begin with. Thank goodness Bergman had adopted a more natural look within a couple of years.
The guy who plays Holger () actually sort of looks like Leslie Howard if Leslie Howard had dark circles under his eyes and looked like he was always drunk. The actor who played Holger's son was pretty good too, although he was merely window decoration. The child actress who played Anne Marie was WAY better than the one in the American remake. As well, the actress who played Holger's wife was quite a bit better than the one in the remake as well...the rest of the cast was just the same in both the original and the remake.
In terms of production values, this film doesn't have much going for it. All of the actors are shot in soft focus, with shadows over one side of their faces, even more soft focus close-ups, and some scenes where there is so little lighting that the actors appear to be in silhouette. The whole film looks like a dream sequence, and I do not mean that politely. For such a serious story, a hazy, dreamy atmosphere just doesn't fit. And thank goodness for subtitles, because not only are the actors talking quietly, the background noises and music are recorded really loudly, louder than most of the dialogue.
Overall, it's better than the remake, but it still isn't good. I'd love to, but I can't give this film a rating above mediocre.
It isn't easy to like the two main characters of this film.
The man, Holger, is a pompous arse who is more than eager to leave his wife Margit and start an affair with his daughter's piano teacher Anita, going on tour with her and not really caring whoever he hurts- his wife, his daughter, his son. I'm not sure why his wife accepted him back at the end. She should have given him an old fashioned Joan Crawford-style smack around the head. With an axe.
The daughter's piano teacher isn't much better- she keeps going on and on about how what they're doing is wrong, yet she doesn't seem very eager to break off the affair. Ingrid Bergman was just twenty-one years old here, and had only been in films for a couple of years...it shows. She has more chemistry with the gut in this one than Leslie Howard, but that's not really hard to do.
With her dark red lipstick, penciled eyebrows and silent-movie eyeshadow, she doesn't look much like Ingrid Bergman to begin with. Thank goodness Bergman had adopted a more natural look within a couple of years.
The guy who plays Holger () actually sort of looks like Leslie Howard if Leslie Howard had dark circles under his eyes and looked like he was always drunk. The actor who played Holger's son was pretty good too, although he was merely window decoration. The child actress who played Anne Marie was WAY better than the one in the American remake. As well, the actress who played Holger's wife was quite a bit better than the one in the remake as well...the rest of the cast was just the same in both the original and the remake.
In terms of production values, this film doesn't have much going for it. All of the actors are shot in soft focus, with shadows over one side of their faces, even more soft focus close-ups, and some scenes where there is so little lighting that the actors appear to be in silhouette. The whole film looks like a dream sequence, and I do not mean that politely. For such a serious story, a hazy, dreamy atmosphere just doesn't fit. And thank goodness for subtitles, because not only are the actors talking quietly, the background noises and music are recorded really loudly, louder than most of the dialogue.
Overall, it's better than the remake, but it still isn't good. I'd love to, but I can't give this film a rating above mediocre.
Terrific Movie!!
timmauk2 April 2001
"Intermezzo"(1939) was Ingrid Bergman's first American film, but it wasn't the first film she made. She had made 6 Swedish films before this original version of "Intermezzo"(1936). This made her a star in her native country. The American remake would make her a star around the world.
It's a unique story of a brilliant violinist, with a sweet loving family, who falls for his accompanist, and the pain it brings to all involved. I haven't seen the American version, but the original is great. The acting is just so natural, just like they were actually living these lives. It's strange to hear Ingrid speaking Swedish, but she laughs and looks like she always did. The best things about this movie is the beautiful soundtrack, the intelligent script, terrific acting, and that cute little girl who played the daughter(I forgot kids were like that). I lucked out finding this video at a lumber store(?), but what a find. If you get the chance to see the original, see it. It's that good!!
It's a unique story of a brilliant violinist, with a sweet loving family, who falls for his accompanist, and the pain it brings to all involved. I haven't seen the American version, but the original is great. The acting is just so natural, just like they were actually living these lives. It's strange to hear Ingrid speaking Swedish, but she laughs and looks like she always did. The best things about this movie is the beautiful soundtrack, the intelligent script, terrific acting, and that cute little girl who played the daughter(I forgot kids were like that). I lucked out finding this video at a lumber store(?), but what a find. If you get the chance to see the original, see it. It's that good!!
Is Intermezzo Swedish for naptime?
ArtVandelayImporterExporter3 January 2022
When I read a movie synopsis that suggests a young piano teacher runs off with her student's dad, I expect them to, you know, go somewhere.
Here I am nearly an hour into my nap - I mean, this movie - and they don't appear to have gone anywhere. Just a bunch of talk, talk, talk. Who cares. It's all so stagebound and inert, set to a repetitive violin soundtrack.
As for the principals. Bergman was still stuck in Sweden, which is to say she hadn't been glammed up by Hollywood yet. That's fine. She got better looking the older she got, but she's not exactly an ugly duckling as a younger woman, either. But holy h3ll, the guy she runs off with is a mess. Gosta Ekman has sickly dark circles around his eyes, and it's not due to the makeup department. He was a cokehead who was knocking on death's door, as it turned out. The makers of this movie might have been better off had they exploited that look and made this a gothic horror film.
As released, it's a talky, dull melodrama that offers little dramatic tension and even less insight. It survives today as a curiousity piece within the Bergman ouevre.
Here I am nearly an hour into my nap - I mean, this movie - and they don't appear to have gone anywhere. Just a bunch of talk, talk, talk. Who cares. It's all so stagebound and inert, set to a repetitive violin soundtrack.
As for the principals. Bergman was still stuck in Sweden, which is to say she hadn't been glammed up by Hollywood yet. That's fine. She got better looking the older she got, but she's not exactly an ugly duckling as a younger woman, either. But holy h3ll, the guy she runs off with is a mess. Gosta Ekman has sickly dark circles around his eyes, and it's not due to the makeup department. He was a cokehead who was knocking on death's door, as it turned out. The makers of this movie might have been better off had they exploited that look and made this a gothic horror film.
As released, it's a talky, dull melodrama that offers little dramatic tension and even less insight. It survives today as a curiousity piece within the Bergman ouevre.
An Opportunity Worth Seizing
woodford-231 August 2008
I was lucky enough to catch this at Melbourne's wonderful Astor Cinema and was astonished to re-read the external review that panned it. This was the first pre ww2 Swedish movie I'd seen and I'd have to say that I'm yet to see any Hollywood films of its vintage that are any better. I thought that the principal cast, Gosta Ekman, Inga Tidblad (who yes does look strikingly like Kristen Scott Thomas), Ingrid Bergman, Eric "Bullen" Berglund, and Britt Hegman were terrific and the telling and pacing of the story was faultless. The poor matching of sets and trite dialogue that often marred films that were coming out of the UK and USA at the time was mercifully missing and the film was a delight. Yes its great to see Ingrid Bergman looking radiant (and at times more than a little like Gretta Garbo) but all the other components that make up this film aren't too shabby either. If you get the opportunity to see this film, I don't think you'll regret seizing it.
The overrated Mr Howard
marydm-434701 August 2021
Never saw the attraction of the foppish Mr Leslie Howard, here, in Gone with Wind, The Scarlet Pimpernel, etc etc. That Scarlett O'Hara would pine for such a wuss for a lifetime always made me laugh. He has no screen presence at all, no vibe, nothing cinematically special.
As for the much vaunted Ms Ingrid Bergman, another totally ordinary screen presence, and her perennial "continental" accent grating to boot.
Neither would have achieved much "stardom" today, in a field so utterly crowded with real gifted natural actors.
The story of the "love story" here is also pretty silly. Totally predictable in the first 10 minutes of the thing.
Perhaps in its time it was considered scandalous, now I say: big deal.
What IS a big deal is the much put upon wife welcoming the cad "home" at the end. A home he was perfectly happy to abandon with such wanton abandon.
The old Hollywood trope of women either as saints or femmes fatales. And not a real convincing complex woman in sight.
Five stars for the sheer historical curiosity value and for the best thing in this mediocrity: the luminous child Anne Todd. Now there's a girl worth watching on the screen.
As for the much vaunted Ms Ingrid Bergman, another totally ordinary screen presence, and her perennial "continental" accent grating to boot.
Neither would have achieved much "stardom" today, in a field so utterly crowded with real gifted natural actors.
The story of the "love story" here is also pretty silly. Totally predictable in the first 10 minutes of the thing.
Perhaps in its time it was considered scandalous, now I say: big deal.
What IS a big deal is the much put upon wife welcoming the cad "home" at the end. A home he was perfectly happy to abandon with such wanton abandon.
The old Hollywood trope of women either as saints or femmes fatales. And not a real convincing complex woman in sight.
Five stars for the sheer historical curiosity value and for the best thing in this mediocrity: the luminous child Anne Todd. Now there's a girl worth watching on the screen.
You Can't Hurry Love
Dlepool7 June 2005
This is coming from someone who is neither an Ingrid Bergman fan nor a fan of subtitled movies. I was surfing my cable channels, when this movie just popped up from nowhere. As you can tell my overwhelming joy in watching subtitled movies is pretty negative. The movie description said it was about a TORRID love triangle. Of course this peaked my curiosity. Peaking my curiosity and watching the movie until the end are totally two different things but to my surprise I watched the movie until the credits rolled and was not disappointed. I am still in shock that I actually enjoyed this movie. As soon as I come out of shock, which has to be soon if I plan to stay employed, I will be searching for more movies with subtitles. ENJOY!
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
