A Song to Remember [70th Anniversary]

Director: Charles Vidor Charles Vidor

Overview

One of the most successful filmed biographies of the 1940s, A Song to Remember alleges to be the true story of Polish composer Frederick Chopin. Actually, it has about as much relation to truth as a Heckle and Jeckle cartoon, but with such gorgeous creatures as Cornel Wilde and Merle Oberon in the leads, who cared? Though Wilde, as Chopin, is the nominal lead, top billing goes to Paul Muni, hamming his way through the role of Chopin's mentor Professor Joseph Elsner. Reportedly, Muni developed his characterization long before shooting started, refusing to allow the performances of the other actors to alter his interpretation in the slightest. This may explain why Muni seems to be acting in a vacuum, frequently completely out of rhythm with the film and its characters. Otherwise, Cornel Wilde does a nice job as the tempestuous Chopin, whose patriotic fervency frequently takes priority over his music. Merle Oberon plays novelist George Sand, who despite her preference for male clothing proves to be "all woman" during her torrid, decade-long affair with Chopin. The film's money scene--the one that everyone talked about, keeping the picture "alive" long after its original release--occurs towards the end, when the tubercular Chopin begins hemorrhaging as he performs his "Polonaise" for the first time (Jose Iturbi is heard on the soundtrack, "doubling" for Wilde's ivory-tickling). Sumptuously photographed in Technicolor by Tony Gaudio and Allen M. Davey, A Song to Remember was the usually penurious Columbia Pictures' top production of 1945. Fifteen years later, the studio hoped to make lightning strike twice with its Franz Liszt biopic Song Without End, but the magic just wasn't there.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/02/2015
UPC:	0683904541550
Original Release:	1945
Rating:	NR
Source:	Sony Pictures Home
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:53:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Cornel Wilde	Frédéric Chopin
Paul Muni	Józef Elsner
Merle Oberon	George Sand
Nina Foch	Constantia
Stephen Bekassy	Franz Liszt
George Coulouris	Louis Pleyel
Sig Arno	Henri Dupont
Howard Freeman	Kalbrenner
George Macready	Alfred DeMusset
Claire DuBrey	Mme. Mercier
Frank Puglia	M. Jollet
Fern Emmett	Mme. Lambert
Sybil Merritt	Isabelle Chopin
Ivan Triesault	M. Chopin
Fay Helm	Mme. Chopin
Dawn Bender	Isabelle Chopin
Maurice Tauzin	Chopin (age 10)
Roxy Roth	Paganini
Peter Cusanelli	Balzac
William Challee	Titus
William Richardson	Jan
Alfred Paix	Headwaiter
Charles Wagenheim	Waiter
Paul Zaremba	Waiter
Charles La Torre	Postman
Earl Easton	Albert
Maurice R. Tauzin	Chopin, age 10
Gregory Gaye	Young Russian
Walter Bonn	Major Domo
Henry Sharp	Russian Count
Zoya Karabanova	Countess
Michael Visaroff	Russian Governor
John George	Servant
Ian Wolfe	Pleyel's Clerk
Lucy von Boden	Window Washer
Norma Drury	Duchess of Orleans
Alfred Allegro	Lackey
Cosmo Sardo	Lackey
Al Luttringer	De La Croux
Darren McGavin	Man
Eugene Borden	Duc of Orleans
Miklos Rozsa	Composer

Technical Credits

Louis F. Edelman	Producer
Charles Vidor	Director

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- A Song to Remember
1. Chapter 1 [9:30]
2. Chapter 2 [14:23]
3. Chapter 3 [12:53]
4. Chapter 4 [8:08]
5. Chapter 5 [9:54]
6. Chapter 6 [7:42]
7. Chapter 7 [7:26]
8. Chapter 8 [11:22]
9. Chapter 9 [13:42]
10. Chapter 10 [10:07]
11. Chapter 11 [6:58]

Menu

Disc #1 -- A Song to Remember
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Editorial Reviews

Like almost every Hollywood biopic of a musical figure, A Song to Remember raises the question, "Why did they bother to claim it was based on a real person?" Even by Hollywood standards, the liberties taken with reality are excessive. Audiences at the time didn't care, flocking to see a picture with a love story tinged with patriotism (albeit of a foreign sort). Modern viewers may not be so willing to forgive, not because they resent the historical inaccuracies, but because the newly created story is dreary, cliché, and unconvincing -- and is not helped by the dialogue containing its share of unintentional howlers. Still, A Song to Remember has its delights, chief among them is the gorgeous Chopin music, which is presented in easily accessible but still enjoyable doses. The hardy Cornel Wilde never comes across as sickly, but he turns in a surprisingly good performance, especially considering the quality of the material with which he must frequently work. He and Merle Oberon also make an especially attractive pair, and they are set off in a glorious production that doesn't stint on color or design. Paul Muni's performance is a bit strange, but also somehow endearing, and Charles Vidor's direction is smooth and efficient. Indeed, if the viewer is willing to set aside the screenplay, there's a great deal to enjoy in A Song to Remember.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler