Rhapsody (1954)

A rich, young beauty, Louise Durant, follows the man she loves and hopes to marry to Zurich where he studies violin at the conservatory. A piano student at the conservatory falls madly in ... See full summary »

Director:

Charles Vidor

Writers:

Henry Handel Richardson (novel), Ruth Goetz (adaptation)

Stars:

Elizabeth Taylor, Vittorio Gassman, John Ericson

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Elizabeth Taylor	...	Louise Durant
Vittorio Gassman	...	Paul Bronte
John Ericson	...	James Guest
Louis Calhern	...	Nicholas Durant
Michael Chekhov	...	Professor Schuman
Barbara Bates	...	Effie Cahill
Richard Hageman	...	Bruno Fürst
Richard Lupino	...	Otto Krafft
Celia Lovsky	...	Frau Sigerlist
Stuart Whitman	...	Dove
Madge Blake	...	Mrs. Cahill
Jack Raine	...	Edmund Streller
Birgit Nielsen	...	Madeleine
Jacqueline Duval	...	Yvonne
Norma Nevens	...	Student Pianist

Storyline

A rich, young beauty, Louise Durant, follows the man she loves and hopes to marry to Zurich where he studies violin at the conservatory. A piano student at the conservatory falls madly in love with Louise. The violinist loves his music first and Louise second. The pianist loves Louise first and his music second. Louise must ultimately choose which man she wants.

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Plot Keywords:

possessive female | manipulative female | female jealousy | father daughter relationship | romantic triangle | 

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Genres:

Drama | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 April 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rapsodia

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,300,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Louise enters the office of Professor Schumann, the rail surrounding the secretary's space has the gate next to where Louise is standing (to the right of camera). In the next shot, the gate has shifted to where Louise is sitting (to the front of camera).

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Connections

Referenced in The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show: Burnses and Mortons Choosing Movie to Attend (1954)

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Soundtracks

Concerto #2 In C Minor For Piano And Orchestra
Music by Sergei Rachmaninoff

User Reviews

Definition of female sex symbol revealed

I fell upon this movie one morning on TCM while in an early morning stupor and was instantly awakened by the sight of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. Although I had never seen any of her 1950's or early 1960's roles, I quickly realized this woman was Elizabeth Taylor and was completely mesmerized. Previous reviews of this movie compared the story line to a soap opera and I certainly agree. Without Ms. Taylor drawing me in, I would have lost interest very quickly; However, I could not resist watching her every move and eventually found myself absorbed by the story line and very competent acting by all performers. The classical music was a tremendous plus for the film and made up for the stand-in sets to some degree. For me, this film was about beauty. Beautiful music surrounding a beautiful woman in all her glory. Classical music hand-in-hand with one of the classic women of the big screen. I would recommend this movie highly if for no other reason than to see the definition of the female sex symbol. Elizabeth Taylor, with her face, figure, class and charisma, is that definition. She makes the so called sex symbols of today (Jessica Simpson, Pamela Anderson, etc.) look like caricatures. What a revelation! Mediocre story, adequate acting, beautiful music, and an irresistibly stunning leading lady are the summations of this movie, in my humble opinion.