Intermezzo: A Love Story

The picture deals with a young pianist (Ingrid Bergman) who acts as piano teacher of a child (Ann Todd) whose father( Leslie Howard) , happily married (Edna Best) , is a violinist . They fall in love and is originated the standard and eternal loving triangle . The movie has romance , tearjerker , drama, tragedy, a love story and is very entertaining .

The film is a remake in Hollywood style of a Swedish film directed by Gustaf Molander in 1936 and equally interpreted by Ingrid Bergman ; here plays his first US role , in fact , is best known as Bergman's American debut and became her in world star . Bergman is splendid and enticing , stunningly photographed by the maestro Gregg Toland (Citizen Kane) and she obtained extraordinary reviews . Leslie Howard is agreeable and sensible as the lover who bears a guilty feeling . Fine support cast is formed by Ann Todd as the daughter who strongly loves her daddy , Cecil Kellaway in one his usual roles as likable and comical friend and John Halliday . Excellent black and white cinematography and magnificent musical score by the master Max Steiner , nominated for Academy Award and being added classic music composed by Provost , Rachmaninov and Tchaykowsky . The motion picture will appeal to romantic films buffs and vintage cinema enthusiasts . Rating : Above average . Outstanding and enjoyable.

As I watched "Intermezzo" I couldn't help but remember that the leading man, leading lady AND executive producer all had well publicized affairs...which is odd, as the film seems to be a movie that shows how destructive such things can be. A case of 'do as I say, not as I do'.

Holger is a world-class concert violinist who is about to have a mid-life crisis. When he realizes how great his daughter's piano teacher is, he asks her to accompany him on the road as his accompanist. Soon after this, the pair have an affair. However, all is not rosey in Infidelity Land.

This is a very polished film that both romanticizes adultery AND condemns it at the same time....an odd thing but something it manages to pull off pretty well. Overall, a very good film but I think I preferred the original Swedish version...mostly because I think Ingrid Bergman's performance in the 1936 version seemed more natural and less overdone.

At 70 minutes, the movie doesn't even seem forced at all, it goes by pretty quickly. My main problem with the movie is that there is no chemistry between Leslie Howard and Ingrid Bergman. Since their relationship is the entire movie, it shouldn't work, but somehow i actually liked it in spite of that. At the start, Bergman is giving piano lessons to Leslie's daughter and when he finds out she's really talented herself, they begin to have an affair. Leslie is separated from his wife and he goes on tour with Bergman. His wife wants a divorce and when she is accepted into some music school, she doesn't want to leave him. Leslie Howard does a good job and Ingrid Bergman is gorgeous.

I normally don't gravitate toward melodramas nor would I approve, frankly, of a film that centers around adultery. However, this film has such much going for it that I wound up loving this movie the first time I saw it, and still do six viewings later.

Off the cuff, here are seven reasons why:

1) There IS a good message here: that a married person having a fling with a pretty young woman might be an exciting prospect but in the end, "you reap what you sow" and if either of the two parties has a conscience, the illicit romance will be doomed, especially if there are kids involved.

2 ) For male viewers, Ingrid Bergman, making her English-speaking debut, is a real feast for the eyes. She was one of the more naturally gorgeous women to grace the silver screen, I think.

3) Gregg Toland's photography. To fully appreciate his work, get the DVD for this film. Toland was one of the best ever, and this is a beautifully shot piece of work.

4) At 70 minutes, the film flies by, which also makes it easier to watch and enjoy multiple times.

5) Leslie Howard and John Halliday also were excellent in here as the two male leads. I thought Halliday, in particular, had some great words of wisdom.

6) For those who appreciate how difficult it is to forgive people, this ending contained another nice message.

7) Classical music lovers will very much appreciate the soundtrack to this film.

The familiar David O. Selznick gloss is all over this minor 1939 soap opera, most noteworthy as the American film debut of 24-year old Ingrid Bergman. She was brought over from Sweden by Selznick for this melodramatic remake of the 1936 film which brought her great acclaim in her homeland. Her fresh-faced beauty and natural manner are intoxicating as she plays Anita Hoffman, first a piano teacher to the young daughter of renowned violinist Holger Brandt and then his accompanist on a world tour. It's a brief movie, only seventy minutes long, directed by Gregory Ratoff (more famous as the ulcer-ridden producer Max in "All About Eve") focusing on the illicit affair that develops between Anita and Holger.

Much of the story has to do with the guilt they both experience in terms of the familial repercussions, and the ending reflects as much. A role away from his Ashley Wilkes in "Gone With the Wind", obviously the more important Selznick movie in production a the time, Leslie Howard plays Holger in his familiar erudite manner. Veteran character actor Cecil Kellaway (later the monsignor in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner") plays the sage maestro who acts as the film's conscience. Scenes often seem strangely truncated to move the story briskly along. Beyond Bergman, the most accomplished aspects of the film are Gregg Toland's lush cinematography, Lyle Wheeler's art direction (making Monterey, California look very much like the Italian Riviera) and Max Steiner's romantic music (oddly uncredited). But the impossibly striking Bergman is the primary reason to see this predictably developed film. The 2004 DVD offers no extras.