Themes: Tortured Genius, Bohemian Life, Musician's Life
Main Cast: Paul Muni, Merle Oberon, Cornel Wilde, Stephen Bekassy, George Coulouris, Nina Foch
Release Year: 1945
Country: US
Run Time: 112 minutes
Plot
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. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
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. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Lionel Banks - Art Director, Van Nest Polglase - Art Director, Travis Banton - Costume Designer, Walter Plunkett - Costume Designer, Charles Vidor - Director, Charles Nelson - Editor, Miklos Rozsa - Composer (Music Score), Morris W. Stoloff - Composer (Music Score), Morris W. Stoloff - Musical Direction/Supervision, Clay Campbell - Makeup, Allen M. Davey - Cinematographer, Tony Gaudio - Cinematographer, Sidney Buchman - Producer, Louis Edelman - Producer, Frank A. Tuttle - Set Designer, Ernst Marischka - Screen Story, Sidney Buchman - Screenwriter, Ernst Marischka - Screenwriter
Vidor romanticizes Chopin's patriotism in the film, which was produced during World War II. Chopin, played by Cornel Wilde, is first presented to the audience as a child prodigy playing a piece by Mozart, but suddenly starts to bang on the piano keys when he notices out the window that Polish people are being taken prisoners by the Russian authorities. The film also shows Chopin taking part in secret meetings to work on saving Poland with his young friends. Vidor depicts patriotism as a major motive for Chopin playing the piano. He attends a secret meeting instead of showing up on time for his concert in front of a count and distinguished guests. In addition, when he finally performs at the concert, he stops playing when he sees the Russian Governor of Poland enter the room. Chopin stands up and announces, "I do not perform for Russian butchers." He storms out of the room as his famous Revolutionary Étude starts in the background. Before leaving Poland for Paris, Chopin clutches Polish earth in his hands. When he arrives in Paris, he says: "I’m thinking of my people back home. You see, there was a purpose in coming to Paris."
The first work of Chopin's that is heard in Paris is his Heroic Polonaise, a song for Poland. The appearance of George Sand, played by Merle Oberon, alters Chopin's life. Vidor portrays George Sand as a disruptive figure in Chopin's life, who seduces him and distracts him from Poland. At the end of the film, he gives a passionate concert tour around Europe, despite his failing health. In one of his concerts, Chopin starts bleeding.
Ironically, when this film was produced in 1944, Poland was suffering from a similar fate as it had when Chopin was alive—Poland was under foreign control once again (under Germans) during World War II.
The pianist José Iturbi played the piano music, and also orchestrated part of the B minor Sonata for the scene when Chopin and George Sand arrive in Mallorca.
