Intermezzo, A Love Story (1939)
Generally, I do not fancy watching lovey-dovey romantic movies but I just had to watch Intermezzo. In it one of my favourite actress (after Grace Kelly), Ingrid Bergman, appears in her débutante role. Bergman, 23, was already an established star in her native country when she was introduced to the American public in this film originally done in Swedish in 1936 and acted by herself. The Academy had voted this angelic Nordic goddess with a pearly white lovely smile as the 4th best actress after Katherine Hepburn, Betty Davies and Audrey Hepburn.
In this movie, a married renowned violinist Holgar Brandt (Leslie Howard) falls in love with his daughter's talented piano teacher, Anita Hoffman (Bergman). Holgar leaves his wife and two kids to elope with Anita as his accompaniment in his tours. After initially turning down a scholarship offer, driven by guilt, she leaves him. Holgar goes into a self-imposed exile due to embarrassment but decides to meet up with his daughter, Mary Anne, whom he misses dearly. As in most families, it takes a tragedy to crush egos. Mary Anne's accident brings peace and sanity is restored in Brandt's household.
In a way, events in this movie mirror somewhat events that happened in Ms Bergman's life 20 years later when she started an Italian love affair. After a five year hiatus and ostracisation from the American public for unacceptable behaviour after acting in saintly roles like 'Joan of Arc' and 'The Bells of St. Mary's', she returned to earn an Academy Award.
Things that people do in the name of love!
Real lesson from reel:
At the height of raging hormones with the spring of youth and time of weakness, it may look like it is the best thing that can happen. That true love is the panacea for all problems in life found and that love conquers all. Unfortunately, when the joy of ecstasy hits level ground, only then one realises that it is always the family that counts. The guilt of abandoning the love ones who went through thick and thin to make you where you are would 'eat' you up. The 'one-minute' pleasures are not worth the constant guilt.
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Real Lessons from Real Life
Não FicçãoThis presentation is by no account an attempt to critically analyse the art of movie making or storytelling. What I try to lay out here is an endeavour to share my experience of learning a thing or two from hours of self-indulgence in the reel world...
