HUMORESQUE

US, 1946, 125 minutes, Black and white.
Joan Crawford, John Garfield, Oscar Levant, J. Carroll Naish, Joan Chandler, Ruth Nelson, Craig Stevens, Robert Blake.
Directed by Jean Negulesco.

Humoresque is impressive, especially for its performance by Joan Crawford. It is the perfect, even archetypal, Joan Crawford role. After a career as a singer and dancer, she moved into more serious roles in the late 1930s and during her stay at Warner Bros in the 1940s, winning an Oscar for Mildred Pierce in 1945. Here she plays an older woman who takes on a violinist as a patroness but becomes romantically involved with him as well – although she cannot stand his being in the limelight and his celebrity at her expense. John Garfield is the musician. He had portrayed a number of tough guys in Warner Bros melodramas. He was to make two very strong films, Body and Soul and Force of Evil, before he was blacklisted and died prematurely. Oscar Levant appears in a more serious role – but always with his sardonic humour. A young Robert Blake, who was appearing in the Our Gang series, is the Garfield character when young. He was to grow up and perform in such films as In Cold Blood as well as a number of television series including Baretta.

The film uses a great deal of classical music, violin solos being played by Isaac Stern.

Jean Negulesco had directed a number of melodramas during the mid-1940s at Warner Bros including the Oscar winner for Jane Wyman, Johnny Belinda. At 20th Century-Fox? in the mid-50s he was to direct a number of glossy comedies and melodramas including Three Coins in the Fountain and Woman’s World.

1. The appeal of this kind of film: the presentation of light classical music, the soap opera ingredients of romance, wealth, career and danger to career, success and failure, death?

2. How well was this material presented in the mid-forties? the Warner Brothers soap opera style, black and white photography and smooth production, the pairing of Joan Crawford and John Garfield? The New York settings and the world of the rich and the poor and their meeting? The popularity of this kind of material for most audiences?

3. The importance of the music ? the title and the piece by Dvorak and its use throughout the film? The range of classics and light classics used? Their pointedness for example 'The Flight of the Bumblebee' for Helen, her suicide to the playing of Wagner and 'Tristan and Isolde'? The irony of the Cole Porter songs sung in the restaurant.

4. The importance of the tragic framework ? our knowing that something had happened for Paul Boray and the tone that this gave to the flashbacks and our anticipation of the ending and his final decision?

5. The immediate flashbacks to Paul as a boy? the importance of the setting in which he grew up, the shop, poverty? His birthday and the contrast of the attitudes of his mother and of his father? his father and the search for a gift, toy, baseball bat? His fascination with the violin and his desire to have it? The pain of his father's reaction? Our introduction to Sidney Jeffers and his sardonic remarks, piano?playing, poverty? His mother's action and her comment on the best gift is what somebody really wants and asks for? The party and his joy at getting the violin?

6. The presentation of his instinct for music, talent, practice? The contrast with his brother and the games? His building up his experience and growing into a musician?

7. The casting of John Garfield as Paul? His appearance, manner of speaking? tough background? The tough background and the sensitivity and artistic talent? Did they go together convincingly? The scenes of his playing and the way that these were effected for the benefit of the film? The techniques of Garfield's playing? His practice, the virtuoso and difficult pieces that he played to give the illustration of his full flair? His performances? the pieces chosen, the occasions, for example for Sidney, as emotional reaction to situations, for Helen and for the Wrights, his concert pieces? His friendship with Sidney and their working together? Did the film communicate how hard was his work and his devotion to it?

8. The background of home? Paul and the contrast with Phil, especially with the Depression and Phil's outburst? His simple father and his scepticism, wanting Paul to get a job, his delight when his son succeeded, his pride? The contrast with his mother and her quiet strong presence, moulding him for his gift, for his life, relationship with Helen? Gina as the sweet young girl from music school, her love for him, the pain in seeing him relating to Helen? Her loving him? The background of the Depression, earning jobs, his training sequences and his being rapt in his music and the director being compassionate, his work at the radio and his criticisms of the conductor and his rudeness? The comments made about lack of manners indicating talent?

9. Oscar Levant's performance as Sidney, his skill and the frequent opportunities for his artistic piano-playing? The importance of his incessant sardonic remarks and jokes? Their effect on Paul, on the others, on the audience? Enjoyment or criticism of character and situation? a kind of chorus?

10. The impact of the Wrights' party - New York society and wealth, frivolous life? The Wrights as patrons and patronising? The introduction to Helen via Paul's talk with her husband and his gaffe? His proving that he was not a boxer by his playing, the impact, the insults shared with Helen? Her
gift and the progress in their friendship and his career?

11. The impact of Joan Crawford as Helen? not seeing her for thirty minutes into the film, her age, beauty, background of her marriages, short-sightedness and wearing glasses, her drinking, her ferocity yet her softness? Her insults, desire to possess? The importance of the restaurant and the songs sung and what happened at the various meetings there?

12. Her providing opportunity, the producer, buying Paul's debut and its effect on him? the party afterwards and his neglecting home? Playing for the conductor, the tour and its success and the collage indicating his travels and his skill?

13. The effect on Paul and Helen of this experience? Paul in love with his music, his bluntness to Helen and the transition to the beach sequence, their falling in love? why? Their similarities, differences, moods? The rehearsal and his hurting her when she had the divorce note? Her jealousy and drinking? The importance of the interview with Mrs Boray? The sobering effect on Helen and her decision for her death?

14. Paul and his relationship with his mother, her comments on his late arrival and warnings about Helen, visit to the apartment and her resentment, slapping his face? Her harsh tone towards Helen, her arriving in the box at the concert? Her warning and the effect on Helen especially for her response to Paul's final phone call?

15. The final melodramatic build-up to Helen's death, her confrontation with Mrs Boray, her memories, the telephone call to Paul, his abrupt response? Her playing his concert, drinking again, wandering the house, wandering the beach, when did she make her decision to suicide? Her disappearance and the man walking the beach discovering, that she was not there? How much audience sympathy with Helen in her death?

16. How well did the film sketch in Paul's background and the emotional conflicts, especially in his relationship with Sidney, his continued advice and Paul taking it and rejecting, it, Gena and her continued devotion, not being able to face his concert? Their presence and his decision to go on playing despite Helen's death? Would he remember Helen, forget her?

17. The importance of the selection of music played, its being played while the visual dramatics were on the screen? How well did the music and the visuals correspond and gain in audience emotional response?

18. The techniques of closeups of Paul? playing. of Helen emoting? Their effectiveness for this kind of melodrama?

19. How could this film be considered an archetypal type of Hollywood film? Stars, glossy treatment, emotional issues, the use of music, the stronr aristocratic women (with the poor background), the young, rough hero, his artistic sensitivity, the interaction to the melody of violins and semi-classical music? Basic Hollywood soap opera? how enjoyable, how much real insight into human nature?