35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A ROMANCE TO DIE FOR..., December 9, 2001
This is a superb melodrama about a young man, Paul Boray, from the wrong side of the tracks, who plays a mean violin, and the unhappily married society matron, Helen Wright, who becomes his patron and then his lover. John Garfield is well cast as Paul Boray, the ambitious violinist. Joan Crawford does a star turn as the glamorous and beautiful patron of the arts, who underwrites Boray's big break and ends up falling passionately in love with him. Theirs is a turbulent relationship. He is singularly devoted to his music, and she is an alcoholic, plagued by self-doubt. They are star crossed lovers whose romance is destined to end tragically.
The film has a magnificent musical score courtesy of violinist virtuoso Isaac Stern. Pianist Oscar Levant is a double threat in this movie, as he, too, does a star turn as Boray's best friend, acting as a comedic foil. He also dazzles on the ivories, playing away so that the viewer wonders why he, too, does not have some society dame underwriting a show for him, such is his talent. All in all, a well cast and well acted film. Fans of Joan Crawford and all those with an appreciation of classical music will especially enjoy this well made film.
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"You're a hangman's noose to me.", October 9, 2005
This review is from: Humoresque (DVD)
Paul Boray (John Garfield) grew up in the slums of New York with one dream in his mind: to play the violin. His mother buys him a violin for a birthday present and from then on Paul practices constantly. As he grows older he becomes a highly-skilled violinist, but with no wealthy friends his great potential has no where to go. Until he meets the wealthy and unhappily married socialite Helen Wright (Joan Crawford), who is instantly drawn to Paul after hearing him play. Helen is used to getting everything she wants in life, and Paul's fiercely independent attitude upsets her.
Despite a rocky start they soon agree on one thing: with the right friends Paul could become one of the most famous violinists of all time. So Helen introduces Paul to her wealthy friends and in no time at all Paul is booked with numerous concerts. But Paul is much more than a smart investment to Helen, and the more they see of each other the less they can deny their passionate feelings for each other. Paul's family disaproves of their relationship, but Paul won't listen to anyone try to stop him from seeing Helen.
Forgetting the fact that a charming young woman (Joan Chandler) is already in love with him, and that Helen is married, he begins a dangerous affair with her, not realizing the consequences it could have in regards to his career. His best friend (Oscar Levant) also shares a love for music, but can do little to convince Paul that the affair is destined to fail. Paul's career as a violinist is so busy that he doesn't always have time to spend with Helen, and she begins to resent this more and more.
When Helen's husband grants her a divorce, she rushes to Paul to tell him the good news, only to realize that Paul's first love is and always has been music. Even after all the arguing and fighting Helen and Paul have gone through, they're still deeply in love with each other. After being told off by Paul's protective mother though, she decides that she isn't willing to come between Paul and his beloved music. Paul is then left to pick up the pieces of his shattered life and try to move on with his career.
Humoresque starred two of the greatest stars of the 1940's, John Garfield and Joan Crawford, in one of the most unforgettable screen romances of all time. Garfield was of course famous for playing tough guys, and to see him play a sensitive violinist (with a dark side of course) so convincingly proved just how great of an actor he was. Crawford was likewise fantastic playing another "bad girl" without morals. As for Oscar Levant, I think he deserved a best supporting actor oscar for his wonderful performance. He was really a scene stealer and his sharp wit combined with his great talent as a piano player made him a huge asset to the film.
And of course there's the beautiful music of Humoresque which is practically a character in the movie. Rarely have I heard so many masterpieces of classical music in one movie. John Garfield's violin playing was actually done by Isaac Stern, but the incredible contortionist style method they used was so convincing that when Garfield toured the country on publicity tours for this movie he was frequently asked to play the violin! They explain the technique they used to make his violin playing scenes convincing in the brief featurette "The Music of Humoresque." Although the original soundtrack is unavailable, there is an awesome CD by Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg titled Humoresque which features a modern version of the film's soundtrack. If you love classic romances with great actors then add this dvd to your collection!
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing Good Can Come Of This Relationship, August 4, 2003
In HUMORESQUE we see a dedicated young musician (John Garfield) meet a wealthy possessive woman (Joan Crawford) who takes an obsessive interest in him and his career as a violinist. We know that nothing good can come of this relationship and we are surely looking at a tragedy in the making. In spite of all the warning signs we feel compelled to watch this movie to the end.
The acting of both Garfield and Crawford is superb. The role of Helen Wright seems to be the perfect vehicle for Crawford. Oscar Levant excells as a pianist and Garfield's friend. The rest of the strong supporting cast includes J. Carrol Naish, Joan Chandler and Tom D'Andrea. Garfield's violin is played by Isaac Stern.
HUMORESQUE received an Oscar nomination in 1946 for Best Scoring of a Dramatic Picture. Jean Negulosco directed many other fine movies during his career including JOHNNY BELINDA, ROAD HOUSE and THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN.
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