Main Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Charles Boyer, Barbara Stanwyck, Betty Field, Robert Cummings
Release Year: 1943
Country: US
Run Time: 93 minutes
Plot
In the tradition of his earlier Carnival in Flanders and Tales of Manhattan, director Julien Duvivier's Flesh and Fantasy is a "pormanteau" film, consisting of several short stories. Linking the three tales unfolded herein are clubmen Doakes (Robert Benchley) and Davis (David Hoffman), who carry on a spirited debate about Destiny. In the first story, homely Henrietta (Betty Field) is made beautiful through the love of handsome Mardi Gras reveller Michael (Robert Cummings)-and the help of an enigmatic mask-maker (Edgar Barrier). The second story, based on Oscar Wilde's "Lord Arthur Saville's Crime", concerns a fortune teller named Septimus Podgers (Thomas Mitchell) who predicts that socialite Marshall Tyler (Edward G. Robinson) will commit a murder. In the final tale, psychic high wire artist Paul Gaspar (Charles Boyer) dreams that he will meet his doom during the performance of his act-and then falls in love with Joan Stanley (Barbara Stanwyck), who looks exactly like the girl who appeared in that dream. A fourth story, detailing the doomed romance between a fugitive from justice (Alan Curtis) and a blind girl (Gloria Jean), was cut from Flesh and Fantasy, then expanded and released separately as Destiny (1944). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
For the most part, anthology films such as Flesh and Fantasy are rarely as satisfying as one desires. Rare is the "omnibus" that is strong throughout. More often, they are like Fantasy, which has one very strong sequence, one that works well enough and one that disappoints. The disappointing one is the opening entry about a plain girl who desires a handsome man and which is fairly uninspired and predictable, despite game performances from Betty Field and Robert Cummings. The final segment, involving Charles Boyer as a high-wire artist, is a perfectly agreeable little film. It's not exceptional, but it holds the interest, keeps one guessing a bit, and resolves itself neatly. Boyer is in good form, and Barbara Stanwyck, practically incapable of a bad performance, adds to the sequence's success. The middle part, based on a famous Oscar Wilde story, is the best. Wilde's story is ripe for the screen, and director Julien Duvivier makes the most of the opportunities it presents, especially in a sequence in which Edward G. Robinson argues with himself over what he is to do. The script is taut but atmospheric, and even those familiar with the story will be entertained. Robinson is an old hand at playing conflicted men and at bringing out both the best and the worst in his characters and so is very much in his element here. Beyond the three main stories, there is also an obligatory framing sequence, which works well enough. Fantasy also benefits from excellent camerawork, courtesy of Stanley Cortez and Paul Ivano, and a handsome production design, as well as a very fine supporting cast that includes Dame May Whitty and Thomas Mitchell. When all its parts are added up, Fantasy comes out as a good, if uneven, little diversion. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Robert F. Boyle - Art Director, John B. Goodman - Art Director, Richard H. Riedel - Art Director, Edith Head - Costume Designer, Vera West - Costume Designer, Julien Duvivier - Director, Arthur D. Hilton - Editor, Alexander Tansman - Composer (Music Score), Charles Previn - Musical Direction/Supervision, Stanley Cortez - Cinematographer, Paul Ivano - Cinematographer, Charles Boyer - Producer, Julien Duvivier - Producer, Russell A. Gausman - Set Designer, Edward Ray Robinson - Set Designer, Laszlo Vadnay - Screen Story, Ellis St. Joseph - Screen Story, Samuel Hoffenstein - Screenwriter, Ernest Pascal - Screenwriter, Ellis St. Joseph - Screenwriter, Oscar Wilde - Book Author, Oscar Wilde - Short Story Author
Flesh and Fantasy tells three stories, unrelated but with a supernatural theme, by Ellis St. Joseph, Oscar Wilde,and László Vadnay. Tying together the three segments is a conversation about the occult between two clubmen, one played by humorist Robert Benchley.
The setting is New Orleans. Plain and embittered Henrietta (Betty Field) secretly loves law student Michael (Robert Cummings). On Mardi Gras night, a mysterious stranger gives her a white mask of beauty that she must return at midnight. At a party, Michael falls in love with Henrietta but has yet to see her face under the mask. Henrietta encourages Michael to follow a better life although it may mean losing him forever. Henrietta removes the mask at midnight discovering she is now beautiful and that her old, selfish attitude was really the cause of her ugliness.
Second segment
This was based on Oscar Wilde's short story Lord Arthur Savile's Crime. A palmist named Podgers (Thomas Mitchell) is making uncannily accurate predictions at a party for the rich and bored. He tells skeptical lawyer Marshall Tyler (Edward G. Robinson) to avoid a certain street intersection on the way home. The palmist also acts as if he sees more in his hand but doesn’t admit it. Tyler eschews the advice and almost gets shot during a police chase at the intersection. Tyler goes to the palmist’s home. Under pressure, the palmist admits that he saw that Tyler is going to kill someone.
The notion obsesses Tyler, who decides that he must kill someone, anyone, just to get it over with. He comes close to killing two people but is unable to do so. He finally meets Podgers by accident on a bridge one night, and blaming Podgers for his problem, strangles him to death in a rage. Trying to escape, Tyler is hit by a car, which leads without a pause into the third segment of the film. The accident is witnessed by the Great Gaspar (Charles Boyer), a high-wire artist.
Third segment
High wire artist the Great Gaspar is haunted by dreams of falling, and in each dream of doom a certain woman (Barbara Stanwyck), he has never met, is there also. These dreams of death affect his performance as he backs down from the most dangerous stunt, jumping from one wire to another. Eventually he meets his dream girl, who has serious troubles to face up to. Gaspar later decides that he will not let his bad dreams negatively affect him and that his life is his own. He performs the stunt successfully, not knowing that the woman that he has now falling in love with is about to be arrested by the police.
Deleted segment
As originally filmed and edited, the feature began with a half-hour sequence concerning an escaped killer (Alan Curtis) who finds refuge with a farmer (Frank Craven) and his blind daughter (Gloria Jean). This sequence ended with a spectacular storm scene, staged by director Duvivier and photographer Paul Ivano, in which the enraged killer races after the blind girl. The forces of nature spare the girl but strike down the killer. The preview audience raved about this scene, but the studio removed it and shelved it. (The very end of the deleted scene survives in the final print: the killer's body washes up on shore.) To replace the missing footage, Universal connected the remaining three segments with new footage of humorist Robert Benchley. In 1944 Universal incorporated the Gloria Jean-Alan Curtis footage into a feature-length melodrama, Destiny; Reginald LeBorg directed the new scenes, and shared director credit with Duvivier.
Cast
Marshall Tyler (Robinson) gets an unpleasant surprise.
