Young Man with a Horn

Michael Curtiz was a genius director, don't you agree? Masterpieces like "Casablanca" "The Adventures Of Robin Hood" "The Charge Of The Light Brigade" "Mildred Pierce" and over 150 other titles including the musical "Romance on the High Seas" which introduced Doris Day to the world. In "Young Man with a Horn" Doris Day is the luminous center, the ideal. She is photographed and framed like a reachable dream. Kirk Douglas plays the trumpet player in love with the wrong woman and Lauren Bacall here is the personification of the wrong woman, she knows it, she tells him but he goes for it like a lamb to the slaughter. "Young Man with a Horn" has some extra pluses, Hoagy Carmichel for instance and Juano Hernandez but what the film reminded me of was, Michael Curtiz's brilliance and that Doris Day was, is and always will be one of the great film actresses of all time. Regardless of the film she appeared in, she displayed an extraordinary talent to be, to be totally and if you think I'm just waxing lyrical, "Young Man with a Horn" presents indisputable evidence of her extraordinary talent.

A decent Hollywood film, but only if you take it as Hollywood and check reality at the door. It was based on a book that the author, Dorothy Baker, admitted was "inspired" by the life of Bix and his music. Most professional jazz musicians and Bix contemporaries find much of it, especially the search for "high notes," laughable, and an inaccurate portrayal of any musician's life, let alone Bix's. Many of those same people find the film even more flawed...

However, that said, this is good Hollywood. Classic Curtiz work with many of the same nuances you'll find in Casablanca (you'll enjoy the use of smoke and shadow in the b/w environment). It was a film that many of the leads reportedly did not enjoy making (subject matter hit a little too close to home for Hoagy Carmichael and Doris Day), but that does not seem to seep into the film too much. Lauren Bacall satisfyingly fills the role of the sultry wrong woman, Day is terribly wholesome but alluring, and any chance to see Hoagy on screen is worth the price of a rental. Now, if only the Kirk Douglasness of Kirk Douglas could have been turned down a hair...

Rick Martin is a young boy who finds the love for music after his mother dies. The trumpet becomes his instrument, and he learns to play it from an old master called Art Hazzard. Young Man with a Horn from 1950 is directed by Michael Curtiz. Rick Martin is first played by Orley Lindgren, then by Kirk Douglas. Lauren Bacall plays his troubled wife Amy North. Doris Day is the singer friend Jo Jordan. Hoagy Carmichael is the pianist friend Willie 'Smoke' Willoughby. Juano Hernandez portrays Art Hazzard. The cast is quite superb. Douglas does excellent job in the lead. Especially when Rick starts having problems with the alcohol, then Kirk really has to act. And that he does really well! I think the movie becomes more interesting when it portrays all those problems this young man starts having. Problems with marriage, drinking. When it's not just about music and how good he is at it. Bacall's performance is very film noir, which works fairly good in this movie. Day is very touching in the caring she has for her friend. And she can really sing, which we all knew! If you're a fan of the main trio, if you like good music, if you like drama you should see this movie.

Kirk Douglas played a very eager musician who just adored music--particularly when he was able to cut loose from convention and just put his heart into the music. Throughout much of the film, his one abiding love was his trumpet and only towards the end of the film is this love shaken.

I really enjoyed this film, as it was quite a departure for Kirk Douglas to play a jazz-loving trumpet player. The supporting performances were very good (particularly the performances by Hoagy Charmichael and Juano Hernandez) I also found myself enjoying the music quite a bit even though I have never liked jazz.

Yet despite my liking this movie very much, there was a problem with the film and that was that the film lasted a bit too long. The last 2 minutes of the film could easily been condensed, as the long "I'm depressed and feel sorry for myself" routine just seemed to drag and was so atypical of the rest of the film.

By the way, for 1950 this was an amazing film in the way it handles race. Unlike other films of the time, Whites and Blacks interact more or less as equals and there is friendship between Douglas and Hernandez--something you take for granted in films nowadays, but for 1950 it was a amazing and very much appreciated.

By the way, though it often goes by without mention, but the cinematography in this black & white film was amazing--very, very artistic and just beautiful. It reminded me a lot of Film Noir combined with the sensibilities of Ansel Adams.

More or less fictional, this film tells the story of a lonely but musically inclined kid who grows up to be an ace trumpet player. Kirk Douglas plays Rick Martin, a guy with a one-track mind ... music. But whereas he could make a steady income playing in routine dance bands with their sing-a-long songs, Martin prefers the more free-form sounds of jazz.

But jazz doesn't sell records, so Martin hops from one boring band to another, never finding satisfaction except when he's engaged with other like-minded jazz musicians. It's the old conflict of commercialization vs. art. Along the way Rick meets his true love, Jo (Doris Day), but gets sidetracked by a sultry academic named Amy (Lauren Bacall). And therein lies the main problem with this film.

Amy is an annoying character. Since she relates not at all to music, every time she's on screen, we have to listen to her whine. She detracts both from Rick Martin and from the film's jazzy, moody style. These plot segments, which show up in the second half take us far away from jazz and into angst filled soap opera territory.

Ted McCord's terrific B&W cinematography adds a lot. The lighting and interesting camera angles amplify the moody, downbeat tone, consistent with a 1940s urban visual style, helped along by effective sets and realistic costume design. Casting is acceptable except for Lauren Bacall, who is too overbearing. Doris Day is quite good. And Hoagy Carmichael does a terrific job, both in acting and in narrating the story.

A satisfying film overall could have been rendered even better had the script kept the focus on Rick Martin and his love of jazz. That "Young Man With A Horn" didn't win any kind of award is unfortunate. It's a good film, especially for viewers who enjoy jazz and can appreciate the dreary, moody ambiance of 1940s urban America.