Lydia (1941)

Director:

Julien Duvivier

Writers:

Leslie Bush-Fekete (story)
Julien Duvivier (story)

Release Date:

25 September 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

The Story of a free woman and her romances!

Plot:

Lydia MacMillan, a wealthy old woman who has never married, invites several men her own age to her home...

Plot Keywords:

Memory | Sentimental | Love | Remake | Lover

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Merle Oberon	...	Lydia MacMillan
Edna May Oliver	...	Sarah MacMillan
Alan Marshal	...	Richard Mason
Joseph Cotten	...	Michael Fitzpatrick
Hans Jaray	...	Frank Andre
George Reeves	...	Bob Willard
John Halliday	...	Fitzpatrick
Sara Allgood	...	Mary
Billy Ray	...	Johnny
Frank Conlan	...	Old Ned

Also Known As:

Illusions

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #7289)

Company:

Alexander Korda Films

Trivia:

The poem Lydia and Bob quote at the ball is "The Night has a Thousand Eyes" by Francis William Bourdillon, a late Victorian English poet (1852-1921). The text is "The night has a thousand eyes,/ And the day but one;/ Yet the light of the bright world dies/ With the dying sun./ The mind has a thousand eyes,/ And the heart but one:/ Yet the light of a whole life dies. /When love is done."

Movie Connections:

Remake of Un carnet de bal (1937)

A belle and her beaus

When the film was finally released in Duvivier's native France ,it did not meet critical favor.I personally find little fault with the opinions expressed."Lydia" is a confused cold work.Duvivier's great American movies are not "Great Waltz" or "Lydia" .They were yet to come:"tales of Manhattan" and "Flesh and fantasy" are immensely superior to the aforementioned efforts.

"Lydia" is supposed to be a remake of "Un Carnet de Bal ",Duvivier's indisputable masterpiece.But the two works are worlds apart.I would go as far as to write "Lydia" is to "Carnet de Bal" what "The long night" is to "Le jour se lève" .But Carné's chef d'oeuvre was remade by Anatole Litvak whereas Duvivier redid himself.

Actually "Lydia" reminds me of Duvivier failed film "Untel Père Et Fils " ;it's a hodgepodge : a grumpy granny with a golden heart, a sailor ,the Civil War(?) , a blind pianist ,the sad fate of blind children during the nineteenth century, the good lady whose life is not empty cause she creates a house for these unfortunate kids (a permanent feature of the French cinema of the era : see also "Le Voile Bleu"-remade as "the blue veil" - and "Péchés de Jeunesse").

Nothing is left from the original work,the Madeleine of Proust of the French cinema: and showing Merle Oberon with her three beaus (and the fourth is not far away)does not make up for Marie Bell's spleen,solitude and nostalgia on the banks of the lake.One should also add that the male characters are not really interesting.

Orson Welles was a great Duvivier fan and it's probably the reason why Joseph Cotten is part of the cast.Later,Welles would borrow the female star of "Au Royaume des Cieux" (Suzanne Cloutier) from Duvivier for his "Othello".

The best of this movie is its pictures:the ball is nicely filmed ,although a bit kitsch;the snowy landscapes are enhanced by a refined cinematography.

The sound of my copy is rather lousy. The music ,which is intrusive,often drowns out the actors' voices.