This film is a grand melodrama about a very talented young woman who is a musician. She has lost her love during World War 2 (and there were many women who could relate to that scenario at the time of the film's release in 1946).
The film is set in the world of classical music and the concert hall. It's eccentrics, it's frustrated musicians, it's protégé's. yet above it all, the love, passion and respect these people have for their art. Unfortunately, it's a world rarely touched in cinema, and this film is one of the most entertaining and dramatic ones made on that theme.
With an absolutely magnificent score by legendary composer of "real" classical music "Erich Wolfgang Korngold", we are also treated to a haunting, brilliant and difficult-to-play cello concerto composed especially for this film and "played" in the film by Paul Henreid's character. According to a good friend of mine, who plays the cello in a symphony orchestra, the "fingering" movements on the instrument achieved by Paul Henreid are convincing and appear logical. He does a brilliant job in a difficult part. The concerto itself is so well-written, it has become a favorite of cellists in concert halls to this day.
Be aware that although Davis normally "steals" the show in her films, this one clearly allows the heights of Claude Rains' talent to rein supreme. He plays the controlling and egocentric composer/conductor "Hollenius". It appears his character is based on the composer "Richard Wagner" who is said to have been both genius yet utterly arrogant at the same time. Rains is marvelous to watch in nearly every scene he appears in.
I recommend this film as a stand-out to any classic film buff, but I think those interested in classical music, Claude Rains as an actor, and those who enjoy the magnificent music of Korngold will be especially fascinated and entertained.
The film is set in the world of classical music and the concert hall. It's eccentrics, it's frustrated musicians, it's protégé's. yet above it all, the love, passion and respect these people have for their art. Unfortunately, it's a world rarely touched in cinema, and this film is one of the most entertaining and dramatic ones made on that theme.
With an absolutely magnificent score by legendary composer of "real" classical music "Erich Wolfgang Korngold", we are also treated to a haunting, brilliant and difficult-to-play cello concerto composed especially for this film and "played" in the film by Paul Henreid's character. According to a good friend of mine, who plays the cello in a symphony orchestra, the "fingering" movements on the instrument achieved by Paul Henreid are convincing and appear logical. He does a brilliant job in a difficult part. The concerto itself is so well-written, it has become a favorite of cellists in concert halls to this day.
Be aware that although Davis normally "steals" the show in her films, this one clearly allows the heights of Claude Rains' talent to rein supreme. He plays the controlling and egocentric composer/conductor "Hollenius". It appears his character is based on the composer "Richard Wagner" who is said to have been both genius yet utterly arrogant at the same time. Rains is marvelous to watch in nearly every scene he appears in.
I recommend this film as a stand-out to any classic film buff, but I think those interested in classical music, Claude Rains as an actor, and those who enjoy the magnificent music of Korngold will be especially fascinated and entertained.