HUMORESQUE Review – Joan Crawford, John Garfield d: Jean Negulesco

HUMORESQUE (1946)

Direction: Jean Negulesco

Cast: Joan Crawford, John Garfield, Oscar Levant, J. Carrol Naish, Joan Chandler, Ruth Nelson, Tom D'Andrea, Craig Stevens, Paul Cavanagh

Screenplay: Clifford Odets and Zachary Gold; from Fannie Hurst's short story

Oscar Movies

Recommended

Craig Stevens, Joan Crawford, Paul Cavanagh, Humoresque

Directed by Jean Negulesco from a screenplay by Clifford Odets and Zachary Gold (based on a Fannie Hurst short story), Humoresque always frustrates me because its first 25 minutes are excruciatingly boring — until Joan Crawford finally makes her appearance during a party scene.

Crawford plays Helen Wright, a rich society lush in love with a tough-guy violin player, Paul Boray (John Garfield), who is in love with his music. Fine support is offered by Paul's parents, played by Ruth Nelson and the fabulous chameleon-like J. Carroll Naish. Oscar Levant is the sarcastic, wisecracking piano player, who plays his part to the verge of annoyance. [Note: Spoilers ahead.]

The scenes between Paul and his mother are particularly intriguing, as the mother conveys her objections to Helen by lamenting, "There's something wrong with a woman like that!" Unfortunately, the highly anticipated confrontation scene between the old lady and Helen ends much too abruptly, thus offering no resolution.

Then comes The Concert — and that famous Crawford puss goes to work in the closeup. She looks as though she is having an orgasm while watching Paul play, with her eyes closed and her mouth open. Crawford never looked better, especially in all those tailored black gowns.

Now, I always wonder why the near-sighted Helen isn't wearing glasses in that scene — unless she's afraid her sultriness would steam them up. Anyway, the glasses seem to be a metaphor for her character's inability to see that Paul's music comes first.

Lastly, Humoresque offers one of the most romantic suicide scenes in celluloid history. Crawford walks into the ocean, drowning to the strains of "Liebestod" from Tristan and Isolde as her lover performs a concert on the radio. As far as I know, apart from the 1925 melodrama Sally, Irene and Mary, Humoresque is the only movie in which Joan Crawford dies.

I should add that the only thing that bothers me about the film's quite good violin scenes is that I keep imagining Isaac Stern standing behind Garfield with his arms wrapped tightly around the actor while manipulating his instrument.

I'd love to have seen those rehearsals.

Note: A version of this Humoresque review was initially posted in May 2008.

© Danny Fortune