NO SAD SONGS FOR ME
US, 1950, 89 minutes, Black and white.
Margaret Sullavan, Wendell Corey, Viveca Lindfors, Natalie Wood, John Mc Intire.
Directed by Rudolph Mate.
No Sad Songs For Me is a star vehicle for '30s actress Margaret Sullavan. She made her mark in the '30s and early '40s but ill health and breakdown marred a development of her career and she died in the early 1950s. This was her last film. It is a small-scale soap opera focusing on a woman with a terminal illness. Margaret Sullavan is persuasive in the central role. She has sympathetic support from Wendell Corey and Viveca Lindfors at the beginning of her American career. Natalie Wood plays her daughter. The film is romantic and sometimes sentimental. It is very reminiscent of former photographer turned director Rudolph Mate's Paula with Loretta Young. The film focuses on the repercussions of terminal illness for the victim and for her family.
1. The impact of this kind of 1940s-50s soap opera? In its time? Now? The parallels with television series? The enjoyment of soap opera? The presentation of human qualities, emotions? Themes and response? How authentic and real?
2. Production qualities: black and white photography, studio sets and locations, small budget production, star vehicle, romantic musical score? The film aimed at the popular audience? The feminine audience of the time?
3. The title and its tone? Death and coping? Audience interest in themes of illness and death with repercussions on family? Audiences identifying with the central character? Agreeing or disagreeing with her attitude towards death, communicating the information to her husband, arranging for the family life after her death?
4. The picture of the post-war American family? Brad and Mary as the happy couple? The quality of their relationship, home life? Polly and their love for her? Hopes? Jobs, disappointment? The 'other woman problem'? illness, decisions, hurt? A child growing up? An ordinary and nice family ? which audiences can identify with?
5. The complications in the ordinary life because of Mary? Her hopes for pregnancy? Her seeing the doctor? Her shrewdness in estimating something wrong with her? Her being told and her preoccupied driving and Polly's reaction? Her decision not to tell Brad? Was this wise?
6. The film's constant allusions to time: clocks. phrases, words about death? The highly pointed emphasis and its impact?
7. Mary at home, self reliant, love for Polly, her needing rest, giving her dresses away, the New Year party and her dancing, her needing to relax? Her trying to cope? Her dealing with her father, with Chris? Her visit to her father? Writing to Brad but the letter being unopened?
8. Brad and his work, hard working, skilled, impressed by Chris and infatuated with her, his attraction towards her, his decision to sever the relationship with Chris, the irony of Mary's reaction and her suicidal drive? the irony of there being no petrol? Brad's discovery of the truth and wanting to make Mary's final months happy?
9. Chris and her skills, the other woman, her ability at her work, the lunch sequence, the growing infatuation, her dress and dancing, the ambiguity of the relationship, her loving Brad but not wanting to interfere with the marriage? The encounter at the flat with Mary? Her going to Mary's? Staying with Polly? Her helping the family and Mary's reaction to the gossip? Mary's testing her out with playing the piano with Polly? Her being groomed to take her place?
10. Mary's visit to her father and return, grief and suicidal driving? The revelation of the truth? The visit to Mexico and her happy time? The quietness of her death? The meaning of her life being given by death? The quality of her life?
11. Doctors and ethics and telling the patients of their terminal situation? Friends and their help? The ugliness of gossip? Polly and the story of the Cheshire Cat?
12. How well did the film treat the theme of death? Its meaning? Preparation? Appreciation of life? Values? Coping? Mary coping in herself? Her concern for husband, daughter, friend?
