Intermezzo: A Love Story (1939)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Gregory Ratoff

Writers:

George O'Neil (screenplay)
Gösta Stevens (original screenplay: 1936 movie) ...

Release Date:

22 September 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Drama

Tagline:

"Let the world cry 'shame'...I love him...I'll always love him!"

Plot:

A concert violinist becomes charmed with his daughter's talented piano teacher. When he invites her to go on tour with him...

Plot Keywords:

Concert | Violinist | Scholarship | Piano | Birthday Party

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

US TV Schedule:

Sun. Nov. 15

8:30 AM

TCM

Cast

Leslie Howard	...	Holger Brandt
Ingrid Bergman	...	Anita Hoffman
Edna Best	...	Margit Brandt
John Halliday	...	Thomas Stenborg
Cecil Kellaway	...	Charles Moler, The Impressario
Enid Bennett	...	Greta Stenborg
Ann E. Todd	...	Ann Marie Brandt (as Ann Todd)
Douglas Scott	...	Eric Brandt
Eleanor Wesselhoeft	...	Emma, The Maid
Marie Flynn	...	Marianne

Also Known As:

Escape to Happiness (UK)
Intermezzo (USA) (short title)

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Finland:S | Germany:16 | USA:Approved (PCA #5671)

Filming Locations:

Monterey, California, USA

Company:

Selznick International Pictures

Trivia:

First American film of 'Ingrid Bergman'.

Quotes:

Charles Moler, The Impressario: [Cutting into Ann Marie's birthday cake] You know what? Not so long ago your daddy and I went to a birthday party in China.
Ann Marie Brandt: In *china*?
Charles Moler, The Impressario: Uh-huh. At a Mandarin's house. His name was
[thinks]
Charles Moler, The Impressario: Chou Ching Chang Chip Chop.
Ann Marie Brandt: Did you have ice cream and cake?
Charles Moler, The Impressario: Oooh, no indeed. We had swallows' nests, umm, roasted silkworms, snake soup and, uh - cricket eggs!
Ann Marie Brandt: Oh! You didn't eat *that*...?
Charles Moler, The Impressario: Oh, we had to take a double helping of everything or the Mandarin would've murdered us.
Ann Marie Brandt: Oh well, Uncle Charles - nobody will murder you here!
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind (1988) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Rustles Of Spring [Fruhlingsrauschen] Op.32 No.3

You were going at it as if it were the Climax of a Tremendous Symphony

(Some Spoilers) Touching 1939 tear-jerker that introduced to the movie going public here in the USA the beautiful and stalely 23 year-old Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman as Anita Hoffman. Who's the piano teacher for the young Ann Marie, Ann E. Todd, the daughter of famed concert violinist Holger Brandt, Leslie Howard.

After being a smashing success in America ending his concert tour at Carnegi Hall in New York City Holger tell his star struck admirers that he's leaving for his home in Sweden together his mentor and fellow musician Thomas Stenborg, John Holliday, to be with his family and get a long and well deserved rest from his grueling string of public performances. Back home with his loving wife Margit, Edna Best, and his two beautiful children Ann Marie and Eric, Douglas Scott, everything is wonderful for the Brandt family. Thats until Holger lays his eyes on Ann Marie's piano teacher, and also Thomas' music student, the stunning Anita Hoffman and it's love at first sight, or at first sound. Holger actually fell in love with Anita's music before he fell in love with her looks.

In no time at all Holger and Anita fall in love and both leave together for Europe as a duet, him playing the violin and Anita the piano, on the concert circuit. The two musical dynamos tear up the continent with record-breaking crowds attending their performances as Margit and the children are left behind in Sweden. With the only contact from their estranged husband and father being the radio that broadcasts his and Anita's musical acts.

Taking time off from their Europen tour the two lovers spend some time on the French coast where they run into Thomas who has, well both good and bad, news for them. The good news is that Anita has been awarded a scholarship to a major music academy and the bad news is that he has the divorce papers from Margit's lawyer for Holger to sign, which he doesn't. This bring a touch of reality into Holger and Anita's life where she realizes what she's done to the Brandt family by being the "Other Woman" in Holger and Margit's divorce papers. At the same time Anita tearfully leaves poor Holger all by himself by going back to Sweden to the music academy to accept her scholarship.

Holger soon becomes a man without a country, or family, as he bums around Europe afraid to go back home to face his family that he so selfishly destroyed by having an affair with Anita. Getting up enough courage to bring himself to go back to Sweden to give Ann Marie a birthday present, a camera, that he promised her soon turns out to be a tragedy. The happy Ann Marie, after seeing her dad, runs across the street from the school yard only to get hit by a speeding car and left in a coma.

Completely destroyed by his actions with his wife and son not even speaking to him and little Ann Marie on the brink of death or ending up crippled for life Holger, now for the first time, sees what a heel he was. Holger also sees how his love for another woman, who later left him, blinded him of all the good and wonderful things that he had in life. That he so foolishly threw away in the pursuit of his love, forbidden as it was, for Anita.

The movies contrived ending is a bit far-fetched but it's just how you would want it to end.Leslie Howard is perfect as Holger the tortured soul who was torn between the beautiful piano teacher Anita and his loving wife Margit. You could understand his actions even though you wouldn't agree with them. As for Ingrid Bergman as Anita? she was simply beautiful.