Forget Me Not

Though others disagree, for me, the beautiful, heartfelt singing of Benjamino Gigli was the highlight of this film. I realize he wasn't particularly well recorded, but the emotion of his voice came through.

Gigli is a widowed opera star, Enzo Curti, who falls for a disillusioned secretary, Helen (Joan Gardner). Helen fell in love on board ship, but is fed devastating information about her intended by a rival (Jeanne Stuart). Enamored with Curti's voice, his sweetness, and his son, she marries him.

Most of the story is Gigli's singing, particularly a song Joan shared with her shipboard romance, Non Ti Scordar Di Me (Do Not Forget Me). It's a great opportunity to hear him sing some wonderful arias, including La Donna 'e Mobile, Di Quella Pira, and others. Just beautiful.

The courtship between Curti and Helen is adorable, as he doesn't speak English, and the little boy is cute without being cloying.

As a side note, both the lead women were married to big shots: Gardner to Zoltan Korda, and Stuart to the Baron de Rothschild. Wow and wow again.

Gigli was one of the greatest tenors of the 20th century, and though there are better showcases for him, this isn't bad.

Dull English love story. Fast forward to the glorious singing.

"Forever Yours" aka "Forget-Me-Not" Not a false or forced moment. Heartbreak, Loneliness, Longing, and the spell of music to inspire healing, devotion, and desire-for either true love or our delusions. Simply shot, seamless marriage of story and themes. Fine restrained acting by all, powerful even with minimum closeups, and selfless opera performances by Gigli. A different cinema grammar In 1930s Britain than in Hollywood, refreshes our wonder in the language of even a modest film to hit you where you live. Would recommend to many viewers who enjoy patient, subtle, truthful stories of our hearts longings.

The script of this movie was evidently written by someone who, late one night, heard a very amateurish provincial theater company do a third-rate Noël Coward play on the radio and decided that was the essence of sophistication. He then sat down and wrote this terrible script about love among the superficial and useless upper classes.

How it came to the attention of Alexander Korda, one of the great British movie producers, I do not know. I can only guess he thought it might be a way of introducing the great Italian tenor Beniamino Gigli to English audiences. So, a small part was written into this script for a very fat and not at all attractive tenor who cannot speak English at all and cannot act in any language. It is painful to watch him try to negotiate English in his few scenes, and there is absolutely NO chemistry between him and the woman he becomes involved with to take care of his young son.

In short, this is one mess of a movie.

It does have one saving grace, however. Every now and then - not often, but every now and then - the very overweight and not attractive Italian tenor, instead of trying to speak English, opens his mouth and sings. In those few moments, the angels in heaven stop doing whatever they were doing and look down, because they realize that they still have a great deal to learn about singing. We listen as well, for the same reason.

And then, after a few minutes, he stops singing and we go back to the worthless script.

If you can find some way of jumping from number to number without having to watch the drivel in between, do so. Then you can imagine you are in heaven with those angels listening.

But make sure not to waste you time on the non-singing majority of this real loser.

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The only mildly interesting scene in this movie starts 13 minutes before the end. About to give a concert, the tenor learns that his wife is going to leave him. You would think that Gigli, one of whose great roles was Canio in Pagliacci, would know how to play this even if he could barely speak English. He tries, but he really just can't act.

Then he goes on stage and sings, marvelously, two numbers. Then he rushes home to find his son - but not his wife - and his son asks him to sing a lullaby. The angels, by now tired of watching Gigli sing better than they can, come down and inhabit his body, or at least his vocal chords, and he sings "Dorme" with a beauty of tone that would indeed make the angels cry - out of envy.

Then the plot takes over and the movie ends in predictable bathos.

Joan Gardner and Italian tenor Beniamino Gigli are the unlikely lovers in this effective,low key British Romantic Musical Drama of the Thirties. Quietly pretty Joan gives a very believable performance as the Secretary,travelling with her boss on an Ocean liner bound for New York. On board,she meets and is subsequently wooed,by Ship's Officer Ivan Brandt:Not the most reliable fellow on board,as his Girlfriend(Jeanne Stuart) is also a passenger! Regardless,Joan falls for him,partially entranced by the loudspeaker recording of famous tenor Curti(Gigli) singing the pleasing "Non Ti Sordar di Me"(Do Not Forget Me). However,her shipboard romance is scuppered by a jealous Jeanne Stuart. Back on shore,a downcast Miss Gardner is persuaded by her Employer to accompany him to a Curti performance. Her reaction is spotted by Curti from the stage,and he sends an aide to find her. Meanwhile,coincidentally,Joan has befriended his pleasant young son at the hotel where they both reside. They meet,and the Widower Curti proposes:She accepts and they marry. However,after a year or so accompanying her new Husband and son on tour back in Europe,her ex-lover suddenly re-appears. He wants her to leave Curti and go away with him,claiming his love for her! She is torn between her erstwhile love for him,and her loyalty and devotion to her husband. Curti receives a mail saying that his wife is about to elope with Brandt,and is heartbroken when she leaves his current Concert. He believes that she has left him,and disconsolately returns to his little boy. Has she?? The closing camera shot encapsulates the reason for her final decision. Joan Gardner is very good,giving an understated but heartfelt performance with no histrionics:Obviously down to Zoltan Korda's clever direction. And Beniamino Gigli,though not much of an actor,does convey the required anxiety and apprehension the part demands. And his singing is excellent:The title song,of course,and "O Sole Mio",plus a handful of Opera classics. Ivan Brandt, Jeanne Stuart and little Richard Gofe are more than adequate in their supporting roles. Out of interest The movie was released as "Forget-Me-Not",with hyphons! Worth watching.