Journalist. Mother. Bunny enthusiast. Pop culture junkie.

Journalist. Mother. Bunny enthusiast. Pop culture junkie.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Jonny's Pick: Humoresque

"Here's to love...and here's to the time when we were little girls, and no one asked us to marry."



I recently saw another film my darling Jonathan picked out for me. It is the 1946 movie, Humoresque, starring Joan Crawford and John Garfield.



Humoresque follows the tale of Paul Boray, a struggling violinist, desperate to be part of the classical music scene.



He is discovered by a wealthy married socialite, Helen Wright. She is enchanted by his talent and sets out to make him a star.



The two embark on a playful affair.



But sex quickly turns to love.



Their romance in doomed from the very start. After all, Helen is married and has been married twice before. Paul's close knit family does not approve of his romance with the ball-busting alcoholic heiress.



Helen also quickly learns that loving a musician is an incredibly difficult task. She will always play second fiddle to his first love, the violin. Plus, the more successful Paul gets, the more obsessed with his career he becomes. She feels completely neglected and devastatingly depressed.



It is the perfect role for Hollywood diva, Joan Crawford. She portrays the emotionally battered and bruised vamp with an incredibly vulnerable performance. All without losing her snap, of course.



After all, it is Joan Crawford.



I was also pleased with the realistic chemistry between Joan and her co-star, John Garfield. The two really seemed to mesh together. Which isn't surprising, given their obvious playfulness in the behind-the-scenes photo above. The two were actually close friends.

I highly recommend Humoresque. The screenplay was beautifully written and contains some of the best one-liners in Hollywood history. The acting by both stars was superb. Plus, the breathtaking classical music doesn't only narrate this film, it practically steals the show...and your heart.

Thanks to my bestie, Jonny, for introducing me to this magical film!

19 comments:

indianmakeupways said...

I have never heard about this movie, but seems interesting. The heroine looks absolutely smashing!

Josie said...

This sounds so good -- and I always love Jonny's picks!
xo Josie
www.winksmilestyle.com

CAMILLE said...

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Once Upon A Time... said...

this movie sounds really great...and the two protagonists are so beautiful together, no one the movie was amazing!

jos xx

Ann said...

Interesting...

I didn't know Old Hollywood have witty one liners then... and I love how you described the plot. love it ♥

You are making me interested in classic films again.

Couture Carrie said...

Lovely post, darling!
Must see this film!

xoxox,
CC

Meri said...

What is there not to love about a ball busting alcoholic heiress? I want one of my own!

Movies on my Mind said...

Old movies involving alcoholic heiress: SUBLIME! (Never even heard of this film before, oh the shame of it.)

Oh to Be a Muse said...

so many more movies have been brought to my attention after reading your blog. i love it!

StyleIDnet said...

I love the theme, its more realistic than what get get lately, less pretentiousness. She is a great actress, don't know about him but sound like I am going to see this one.

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janel said...

I loved your writing, and how you told that story. I'll have to watch this movie!

http://www.afoolforfashion.com/

Punctuation Mark said...

i love this type of movies!!! and i love even more the opening line!

Tights Lover said...

This sounds like an amazing movie.

I wish they still made movies like this. You know...with plots.

FashionJazz said...

I have never heard of this movie before, but it sounds really good! : ) Happy thursday hun xx

Chicago Chic said...

um... WOW you sold me! I need to see this!

xo
Rachel

Carrie said...

Woah, that's such a typical love story. We all know what's going to happen but we jsut can't get ourselves to stop watching. That's the beauty of it. :D

:)
Carrie
http://readmylifeascarrie.blogspot.com/

thepinkmateproject said...

Hey! Following you already via google! :) By the way, i so love Joan Crawford!

Vanessa

http://thepinkmateproject.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

Great plot you always have the most catching and captivating way of writing.


<3 Marina
Fashion.MakeUp.LifeStyle

Docteur Violon said...

The violinist who plays the parts heard in the movie is Michael Rabin, he was an absolute legend who died too young. His own life story is pretty dramatic & interesting. Mostly, I'd recommend looking up his recordings, he had a lot of emotion in his playing, in addition to his amazing technique.