Themes: Crowned Heads, Americans Abroad, Death of a Partner
Main Cast: Lana Turner, Fernando Lamas, Una Merkel, Richard Haydn, Thomas Gomez
Release Year: 1952
Country: US
Run Time: 105 minutes
Plot
Based on an operetta by Franz Lehar, this remake of the 1934 original finds a wealthy widow (Lana Turner) returning to her husband's native land to dedicate a memorial to him. The king (Thomas Gomez) of the country, deep in debt, tries to convince her to stay by offering a young count (Fernando Lamas) for her to marry. The film earned Oscar nominations for Best Art Direction/Set Decoration and Best Costumes. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
Review
It seems a trifle silly to film an operetta renowned for its sparkling music and then throw out huge chunks of the score, but that's what the powers that be decided to do with The Merry Widow. Of course, with non-singer Lana Turner portraying the title role, that decision does make some sense; what is more mystifying is why, since Turner's singing is being dubbed anyway, didn't they give the character more to sing? Madame Radek's vocalizing is limited to one duet, whereas co-star Fernando Lamas gets four solos in addition to the duet. This creates a grave imbalance between the two, and while Turner's performance and star power help to negate this, it still affects the film. Bereft of most of its score, Widow has to get by on its silly story with many contrived incidents -- but it does so surprisingly well, thanks in large part to Turner and Lamas' chemistry, as well as the dependably tough-but-tender supporting turn by Una Merkel. There's also a well-danced (by Gwen Verdon) can-can and a haunting climactic "ballroom ballet." The latter is especially noteworthy, demonstrating how in the hands of the right person (choreographer Jack Cole), simple choreographic movements can be combined with a judicious use of camera movement, lighting, and costumes to create an emotionally affecting and quietly thrilling musical sequence. Widow is far from perfect, but it's more than acceptable entertainment. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
