SP-5

I was in High school in Ottawa, Canada when I saw and heard this memorable movie, at the Princess Theater on Rideau Street. As a young romantic, I was overwhelmed, and I saw it twice more. It tells about Chopin's relationship with Georges Sand, and how she pushed him to continue to compose even during the sad days of his terminal illness. The piano playing was absolutely fascinating, especially the scene where Franz Liszt sneaks in unbeknownst to Chopin, and plays another piano right behind him. During one passage, they continue to play the left hand but turn to shake hands with their right.

Paul Muni and Merle Oberon starred in the later U.S. version, called "A Song to Remember" q.v. But the original, in French and in black and white, is much more mature, and free of the usual Hollywood mush-mush.

I saw this wonderful and clever short early in the 1960's, and have been retelling the whole story dozens of times ever since, in several different parts of the world, in fact. It's just as highly relevant to the arts today as it was back then. It's a great wordless and humorous commentary on how some of the "modern" artists appear to create their works, and how they manage to sell them once the artists' reputations are established.

"Day of the Painter" is ideally suited for television showings, either as a "filler" after a full-length show has ended with about ten minutes (or less) to spare; or as a superb entry for any festival or competition for "Best Humorous Short in Film History".