Rhapsodie

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.

Like stacym said above, I think this was a very good film. While others have complained that the story is mediocre, I found Elizabeth Taylor's subtle eye movements and facial expressions intriguing, and the story changed enough that it kept me wondering what was going to happen next. Gassman and Ericson played their instruments so lifelike you almost thought they were playing them. Louis Calhern again provided a sophisticated performance as her distanced dad. In fact, I thought that the music was not as exceptional as the acting, although the selections were chosen to show off the virtuosity of the performers rather than for their beautiful melodies. (I am a Puccini and Lehar fan.) The actors were all impressive in their roles and should have received more awards than they did for their consummate collaboration.

Yes, Rapshody is somewhat tedious and quite melodramatic, but let me mention the positive offsets:

1. The dazzlingly beautiful, voluptuous Elizabeth Taylor.

2. Adult themes, and must have been considered quite risqué at the time.

3. Emotionally charged classical music.

4. Generally quite well acted.

5. Good direction, cinematography, settings, and costumes.

Whether or not the positive offsets overcome the somewhat tedious, melodramatic plot depends on one's tolerance for melodrama and how strongly one values the various offsets.

As far as the script for this ode to classical music goes it includes absolutely nothing you haven't seen before but it's presented with that inimitable MGM sheen.

Made during that period when Elizabeth Taylor was at the very apex of her beauty she captivates as she drips in jewels and beautiful gowns in dazzling Technicolor. She's hard to pull your eyes from but she is teamed with two men, Vittorio Gassman and John Ericson, who are almost as beautiful as she. Excepting Louis Calhern who is just right as Liz's bon vivant father, the supporting cast blends into the woodwork.

It's the music that matters and makes this picture however. Some of it is absurdly staged, i.e. the spontaneous performance of an entire violin symphony in a small restaurant, but what can you expect from a romantic drama in the 50's. Mostly though the music is played full out in the proper settings and is glorious and well worth muddling through the somewhat turgid proceedings that surround it.

This is just to correct some misinformation in a previous comment. Maybe I'm splitting hairs, but facts are facts. In 1954, at the time of Rhapsody, the gorgeous Miss Taylor was 22, not 18. Her beautiful wardrobe is by Helen Rose, M-G-M's in-house designer of the 50's. (Yes, Virginia, there were other costume designers besides Edith Head!)