Customer Reviews

Carnegie Hall

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This text refers to the DVD release.
If you're looking for another Casablanca, look elsewhere. This film really focuses on the musicians who appear in it. It's a wonderful collection of live performances by some of the greatest performers during the peak of their careers in the US in the 40s. These people made many audio recordings, but comparatively hardly any film/TV or video recordings are available. So this is your chance to watch them in action.
For me the star of the film is of course Jascha Heifetz, seen here playing the first mvt - with cuts - of the Tchaikowsky concerto with Reiner conducting the NYPSO. Artur Rubinstein plays two short pieces. Also Walter, Stokowski, Rodzinski and Reiner conduct the NYPSO. It's very interesting to watch these conductors in action and the playing, precision and discipline of the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra - the orch used throughout the film - is amazing. VAImusic in the US and Denon Japan have released some concert performances on VHS and DVD with Reiner and the Chicago Symphony, but I haven't come across much other video footage of any of these conductors. There are a host of other musicians as well - look at the DVD cover. Piatigorsky plays Saint-Saens "The Swan" in a strange arrangement of the piece in which he's accompanied by 8 harps. And one scene I like takes place in the NYPSO timpanist's apartment where Alexander Schneider leads a "play-through" of the Schumann piano quintet. Good fun are also the little walk-on parts Heifetz and co. get to do, although I prefer their playing of course*g*
The extras on this DVD are good - bios, track listings etc. And finally, the picture and sound quality are excellent; Kino must have found a good master reel to make this DVD version.

Carnegie Hall is a movie of its era, an era when men and women in evening dress attended concerts performed by the likes of Rubenstein, Heifetz and Stokowski; an era in which classical music was "music", and playing Carnegie Hall the dream of every aspiring musician. During this era young Nora arrives from Ireland; she grows up in the hall, then takes a job as a cleaning woman, polishing and dusting to the beat of the baton of Walter Damrosch. In this position she garners the attentions of a headstrong young pianist who dares to defy convention, both in his personal view of music and of the simple, hardworking Nora. In due course they are wed (there is a charming scene in which the pianist courts Nora at the home of the Carnegie Hall timpanist and his comrades), and have a son. When Nora's pianist dies under rather shady circumstances, she pours her energies into the training of her son. Nora's Tony will become a great pianist, he will play Carnegie Hall: in this manner he will honor his father's memory. But there will be one thing more. Tony will become the sort of musician who plays only the finest of works and in the most proper manner. Nora will not tolerate any of those unconventional notions that became, in the end, the undoing of his dad. Nora singlemindedly pursues her dreams for her son, and as she does, rises through the ranks of Carnegie Hall echelon...in effect becoming Carnegie Hall itself; she is called as much by those who know her best, the great artists and the unsung toilers (Mr. Donovan played by Frank McHugh is Nora's most dedicated supporter) who make Carnegie Hall their own. It's only natural that in the training of Tony Nora should take him to concerts, and this is indeed fortunate. For within the musical segments are we treated to splendid, rare performances by the greatest names of the time: Lily Pons, Ezio Pinza, Jan Peerce, Gregor Piatigorsky, Bruno Walter, Artur Rodzinski, and more. Truly, the plot is secondary to the concert segments, (the movie is based on a story written by silent actress Seena Owen) yet it manages to remain intact enough its premise that we're never so overwhelmed by the music we're tempted to abandon it altogether. When the camera again returns to Nora (played fabulously by Marsha Hunt) and her iron fist in a velvet glove approach to child rearing, we are more than willing to suffer, dream, and hope along with her. And suffer Nora will, as Tony (William Prince) is doomed to follow the bent of his father and abandon Nora and Carnegie Hall in order to follow his heart. Yet, never fear. In the end, hearts are mended tidily and satisfactorily--at least to this viewer's satisfaction. After all, this is a movie of its era.

Bad story and acting are forgotten once you hear and see amazing performances of musical giants from the past. All performers are outstanding but Heifetz steals the show!

You would not watch this for the plot or the acting; hammy is the word which springs to mind. But the live performances of conductors, musicians and singers now long dead are priceless and will be treasured by all thise who buy this DVD.

Very nice! Great music! Story a little weak but he music sure does make up for it!

Itis so wonderful,to see all the great artists in one movie,the music that will never leave the walls of carnegie hall,i wish there will be more such wonderful movies in the futer.

I would like to have this DVD just to watch Artur Rubenstein play. This is fabulous - one of the great pianists. He combines musicality and theatricality in a stunning performance.

Edgar Ulmer was the king of B-movie directors, and this one was definitely one of his best. The story, for those who don't know it, is about a lady named Nora (played by the brilliant and versatile Marsha Hunt) and her son Tony. Tony's father dies when he's an infant and Nora raises Tony to be a distinguished pianist. Tony chooses another musical path - that of more popular music, much to Nora's disdain. Nora, meanwhile, has developed a society at Carnegie Hall for promising young musicians to study classical music. Tony goes on the road but comes back to Carnegie Hall for a concert, and wins back his mother's approval. Marsha Hunt is my colleague - and at the time I'm writing this, she's 90 years old and still going very strong. She agrees that the story was quite corny but the music made it all worthwhile. She shared a brief scene with Heifetz, and she said that Heifetz was terribly nervous about the whole thing...except for when he was playing, of course. She also said that Heifetz played solos for her during the rehearsal time. This was not Heifetz's acting debut, though - he had a similar part in "They Shall Have Music" 10 years earlier. Still, for all of us "J.H." connoisseurs who know the man and his art and philosophy, seeing him acting in a film is a REAL treat.

The music is the blood of the film - the story is pretty secondary. Very cool to see Damrosch, Reiner, and Stokowski, AND the famed New York critic Olin Downes. One curiosity is the camera zooming in on various billboards for the Carnegie Hall concerts - there's a billboard there for Kreisler. Too bad that Kreisler was not part of the film, but by 1947, he wasn't performing much anymore and eventually he lost interest in violin playing.

An aside - this film didn't do well. Good though the music was, and pleasant though the story was, "Carnegie Hall" became a nightmare. It did far less well at the box office than was expected. But there were many other problems Heifetz, for one, received $10,000 for his appearance in the film and although he was not given first billing in the credits, he was included as one of the film's shareholders. Meaning, that if the film did well, he'd receive royalties for the rest of his life. The cost of production was around $250,000 (peanuts, even in those days.) The production company, Federal Films, Inc. didn't come close to breaking even and the budget was entirely of borrowed money, which the bank sued them to repay, despite the box office failure. As a result, all of those who had a share in the film were hounded by the bank. Ultimately, the money was not paid back in full; the bank sued and became the new owners of the film. Despite this, it is rather fitting that, over 60 years later, the magic of Carnegie is still very much there, and the music in this film attests to the greatness of "The Hall".

We enjoyed this video. The many famous musicians that we got to see and hear and the views of Carnegie Hall that brought back memories of being there ourselves. William Prince is a favorite of ours and we enjoy all of his films. We were disappointed that he was not pictured on the video cover, but that did not lessen our enjoyment of this story of a mother's love and training that in the end was such a satisfaction for her. We could see the love for his wife,and mother in his eyes. A beautiful story.

The film is excellent for no other reason that it showcases some of the greats in Classical music during the period (1947) which are very difficult to find. The way these scenes are filmed is also exceptional. You clearly see the concentration and the blending of the musician with the music in a way that is seldom captured on film. You don't have to be a classical fan to appreciate it. I have seen several people greatly enjoy this film who do not particularly care for classical music, greatly enjoy this film. It is the skill and passion of the musicians that they appreciate.

Some have complained that the plot is poor and should be skipped. Yes, it is not a great script, but it does serve to break up the performances and to some degree it gives you the feeling of the care, dedication and the artistry of these musicians. If it had been just the performances it would have been a bit too much like a concert. Even though the script was not the best, it focused your attention on the passion of the music and the musicians. This set it above a mere concert film. However, it could have been a better film with a better script.

Unfortunately the Kino version is not the best. The transfer is sloppy, and the sound is of a poor quality. Additionally some of the musical numbers are cut. A complete version with high quality sound is available on this web site from a different studio.