User Reviews

The angel in question of course being Gaby Morlay - and if you don't believe me check out her performance in Le Voile bleu, a copy of which should be wending its way to me even as we speak, courtesy of my more than generous French friend - a rock of thirties and forties French cinema who, like other standout performers, fell out of favour with fickle audiences when she formed a close relationship with a Minister in Petain's puppet government during the Occupation. The fact that they later married cut little ice with ticket-buyers but eventually, just like Gabin, Arletty, Darrieux, Morgan etc, her talent could not be denied. She's more or less the only reason for watching this creaking War Horse which was dated even in 1932. Paul Czinner was one of the 'old' school inasmuch as he loved nothing better than a wallow through schmaltz and had a penchant for directing his wife, Elizabeth Bergner. You'd be justified in dismissing this as total ephemera but for me it represents yet another tile in the rich mosaic that was French Cinema in the thirties.

When picking up French films of 1932 over the New Year (as you do!) this was the one which stood out to me, due to not recognising anyone in the credits! Recently seeing fellow IMDber jdidaco praise the film during ICM's French Viewing challenge,I got set to hear the melo melody.

View on the film:

Filling his heart with a love of performing music and a love for Gaby, Pierre Blanchar gives a very theatrical performance as Pierre, whose over flamboyance for his loves Blanchar makes grating,and when despair hits,avoiding any subtle touch for loud agonising screams and moans. Joined by a fittingly world-weary Victor Francen as Marcel,Gaby Morlay carries the film with her wonderful performance as Gaby, thanks to Morlay initial keeping Gaby in a light-hearted, playful state, which Morlay turns to down-cast melodrama as the tune fades.

Based upon Henri Bernstein's play, co-writer/(with Carl Mayer) director Paul Czinner disappointingly never fully breaks away from the foundation, as brush strokes of style in overhead shots of Gaby embracing her lover and side angles of the music performances, which are wiped by dead-end pans into black, and stilted wide-shots as the romantic entanglements are twisted. Composing the Gaby/ Pierre's relationship, the writers give the first half a merry line in light comedy, via the interplay in the couple trying to balance romance with Pierre's music. Falling into Melodrama for the final, the writers attempt to use various passages of time to give this the impression of a tragic, epic romance, but miss the mark due to having failed to develop the bond between the couple beyond the lightly comedic, as the melody plays out.