Chagrin d'amour

Don't bother comparing this version of an old play with others. This one has Jeanette MacDonald and Brian Aherne and is splendid all on its own. A Word War II era look at the past it resonates with a thousand charming moments. She is lovely and even Gene Raymond charms. I think the special mood of this film may be that all of these faces are gone now and yet with us, part of those of us who watch and feel that vibration of the past lovers, the war in background and the sadness of our loss of that time and those faces, voices, memories. For me a pleasure enhanced with every viewing. A special thank your to Mr. Aherne who will always be a favorite of mine and hopefully others who have watched that expressive and quite beautiful but very masculine face. Definitely recommended.

Jeanette MacDonald was one of MGM's biggest stars of the 1930's, but by 1941, her glory days were coming to a close. Her last couple of films had not generated all that much excitement from the critics or the box office. So instead of purchasing vehicles for her, they reached into the past and re-made a past hit, which was the 1932 Norma Shearer tear-jerker, "Smilin' Through." This time, they added songs and Technicolor.

I must first say I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the 1932 version of this film. Norma Shearer and Fredric March were perfect, the filming was perfect, the sets were perfect, the costumes were perfect, the story was perfect. It is a film I could watch over and over and never tire of! So why did I watch this remake? Well, I wanted to see for myself what it was like, even though I knew beforehand that noone could top Fredric and Norma.

I was correct. There was absolutely no reason to do this remake. It was wrong to be in color. The color was just distracting. Jeanette MacDonald and Gene Raymond had no chemistry whatsover. All through the film I kept saying, " You're not saying it as though you MEAN it!" They just seemed to parrot the lines back and forth to each other. And these 2 were husband and wife in real life??? Fredric March and Norma Shearer had so much more sincerity in their performance in the 1932 version. You could FEEL their love, their joy, their desperation...those 2 really knew how to act. They WERE Ken and Kathleen. Jeanette and Gene were not. Gene Raymond didn't even know how to hand a lady a handkerchief in the right way!

Brian Aherne was totally non convincing as a man who was obsessed with the memory of his murdered beloved and his hatred of her murderer. You never FELT or BELIEVED that it meant much to him. Look at Leslie Howard's performance of John Carteret in the 1932 version. It was perfect. You could really see his borderline insanity from his obsession of wanting his Moonyean, and his hatred for her murderer, Jeremy Wayne.

The added songs in this version were only a distraction from the story. In the 1932 version, Norma did sing "Smilin Through", and it was appropriate for the scene. Here Jeanette sang too many songs and they didn't need to be there. I didn't care for her singing anyway.

This version had the classic scenes all wrong or even missing! Where Kathleen and Ken meet at the old Wayne house, well that was a beautiful scene with Fredric and Norma. The shadows were just right. Fredric comes into the room from the shadows. You see his beautiful, expressive eyes. The camera cuts to Norma. Her eyes tell you EXACTLY that this man is THE MAN who will have her heart. The picnic scenes in this version were nothing compared to Fredric and Norma having their teas at Mrs. Crouch's. Fredric and Norma had a lot more going on between them than eating! Why they cut out the homecoming scene at the train station, where Norma's Kathleen in the 32 version waits expectedly for Ken, but sees only Willie, and later we see her standing there alone, hoping to the very last moment that Ken will come, is beyond me. It was a beautiful scene. Norma was radiant in her white suit, ready for her beloved's return. In this one, Ken hears Kathleen singing in church. It just didn't have the impact of the train station scene. I could go on and on about scenes that were just all wrong!!

I am sure a Jeanette MacDonald fan will love this film. But if you want to see THE CLASSIC, THE BEST, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL version of this film, watch the 1932 one with Fredric March and Norma Shearer. You won't be disappointed.

Of course there would be no chance of casting the 1941 Technicolor musical remake of the wonderful and incredibly moving 1932 fillm, with Norma Shearer, Fredric March and Leslie Howard, aside. Have always absolutely loved Technicolor and have been blown away by it numerous times, and also musicals (or more in this case play/film with music). Have liked what has been seen of Frank Borzage's films, quite a fair bit more to see, and do like Jeanette MacDonald and have never minded at all her voice. Can take or leave Gene Raymond.

When inevitably comparing which is the better film of the 1932 and 1941 versions, there is no doubt at all in my mind which is the better of the two. Being someone who loves the former and is rather conflicted on the latter. By all means this version of 'Smilin Through' is worth a curiosity look and it is not that impossible to sit through. Everybody involved has done much better work, with it being one of not many near-misfires from Borzage.

1941's 'Smilin Through' has advantages. It is very handsomely produced and perhaps more lavish than the 1932 film, the Technicolor truly opulent and blazing quite thrillingly. The music is both beautiful and rousing, not to mention catchy. Several songs populate the film and although momentum dips a bit when they feature, they are great songs and suit MacDonald's voice very well. "Land of Hope and Glory" is quite spirit-rousing and affecting.

MacDonald, at her loveliest, also comes off well dramatically, the role(s) does stretch her and it is quite different and more complex to her usual roles but she brings charm and pathos. Aherne is sympathetic and is a lovely match for her. Parts do bring a lump to the throat, especially the church death scene.

Raymond however is a disastrous miscast, there is nothing appealing about him whatsoever and he is almost too caddish/smarmy. He also, as some have already said, has no chemistry with MacDonald, that he and she were actually married in real life yet her and Aherne's chemistry was a million times more believable is a worrying sign. Nelson Eddy would have been a much better choice. Borzage seemed neither interested or comfortable in his direction.

Just felt that way because the pace can be quite stodgy, and although it is already a complicated story it was handled far more cohesively before whereas it was near-convoluted here. It is far too melodramatic and the treacle and schmaltz, both of which the 1932 film did not do, becomes too hard to take due to the amount of them being excessive.

In summation, not a bad film but left me very conflicted. 5/10

1932's "Smilin' Through" was one of the best films of its day....delightful and exquisitely produced. However, Hollywood of the 30s and 40s loved to remake films...and so it was inevitable that they'd remake the movie and I just finished watching the 1941 version. Sadly, the remake is in no way superior...and in a few ways it's not up to the original. Of course it's very watchable...the basic story is marvelous. But my recommendation is that you stick with the earlier version.

Instead of discussing the plot as I normally would do, I'll skip it since the film is pretty much identical to the first version. The biggest thing I didn't like about this second version is that because it starred Jeanette MacDonald, MGM insisted it had to be jam-packed with her singing...singing that was unnecessary and tended to drag the film down in the process. It became more of a musical than a romance as a result. Additionally, it makes the same mistake the original did...it used the cliche of having folks playing multiple roles. You are to expect that a man's son is identical to the father in every way...silly of course. But you ALSO are expected to accept that a niece looks completely identical to her aunt...which is way beyond silly.

So my thoughts are that you watch this 1941 version if you must, though you'd be much better off seeing the original and being done with it!

By the way, if you care, the lovers in the film were played by Jeanette MacDonald and Gene Raymond--who were married in real life.