Così parla il cuore

If you doubt the summary comment, ask a few of your friends under the age of 55 if they've heard of Sigmund Romberg (Sigmund who)? Since I took piano lessons as a kid - I did - yet when I stumbled upon this film in my local library I thought "when did this come out" (I was in the service overseas at the time). I was totally blown away by the musical score and the performances. By the way, this is about the only musical film I've seen structured as a Broadway musical play - overture through finale. The last number of the first act, so the speak, was Jane Powell and Vic Damone singing "Will you Remember" from "Maytime". This show was such a success a second company opened across the street - only time in Broadway history!

See for yourself, then try to find "The Student Prince" and watch that - and listen. He composed about 600 or 700 songs for Broadway. By the way, did you know Gene Kelly had a song and dance man brother? You'll see them together the only time in "Deep in my Heart"

DEEP IN MY HEART is one of the last of the great MGM Musicals, and almost unknown today. This is too bad, because it contains some wonderful musical numbers: Cyd Charisse at her most spectacular in a number from THE DESERT SONG, Gene Kelly and his brother Fred as song-and-dance men, Jose Ferrer doing a surprising one-man-show routine that is astonishing, as well as a charming song and dance with opera star Helen Traubel. It is supposedly based on the life of famed composer, Sigmund Romberg, and it is presented in typical MGM glossy style, but this was a composer of great melodies who deserved the plush treatment. This is a top-flight production that is well worth watching. You'll see additional numbers by Ann Miller, Howard Keel, Jane Powell and Rosemary Clooney!

"Deep in My Heart" is a 1954 MGM musical starring Jose Ferrer. It purports to tell the story of Sigmund Romberg, and while much I'm sure is left out, the film is filled with not only great music, but great singing.

Well directed by Stanley Donen, the movie shows us Romberg trying to fit in with the musical comedy style, but really having a talent with a more classical, operetta-like bend.

Not only is the music beautiful, but it is exquisitely sung by some of the best singers of that era. My favorite song, "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" from "New Moon" is initially sung by the great Wagnerian opera star, Helen Traubel.

And be still my heart, my second favorite song, "Lover Come Back to Me" is sung by Tony Martin and Joan Weldon. Martin was for me the best tenor of that time, better than Allan Jones, James Melton - absolutely phenomenal.

MGM pulled out all the stops, with Cyd Charisse and Ann Miller taking part in "One Alone" and "It" respectively; Vic Damone is on hand for a well-sung "The Road to Paradise," and he's joined by Jane Powell for "Will You Remember" from "Maytime," which in the beginning of the film is the operetta Romberg keeps insisting he wants to do.

Gene Kelly and his brother Fred Kelly sing and dance to "I Love to Go Swimmin' with Wimmin" - you a see from the titles that Romberg had a versatility. Howard Keel a strong "Your Land and My Land."

The song "Mr. And Mrs." is performed by real-life Mr. And Mrs. Jose Ferrer and Rosemary Clooney. One number after another, a fine film for a music lover.

The cast is interesting - Merle Oberon as Romberg's writing partner Dorothy Donnelly, Walter Pidgeon is Shubert, Paul Henried is Flo Ziegfeld, and Dorothy Avedon, who died some months ago, is Romberg's beloved wife Lillian.

All in all, a feast for the ears and eyes, with Ferrer doing a beautiful, energetic job as Romberg, even at one point performing an entire musical at full speed by himself. Very impressive.

A gem from MGM.

Way back in the day when the big studios did biographical pictures about composers and songwriters all they were was an excuse to do a lot of musical numbers by that composer. The real lives of the composers were either too dull like Jerome Kern or like Cole Porter way too naughty to be discussed in earnest.

Sigmund Romberg hardly had a dull life and I wish that some of it would have been shown. Watching this film you would never know he was Jewish and came to this country to both escape the draft for the Hapsburg army and because of the vicious anti-Semitism in Vienna as typified by Vienna's mayor, Karl Lueger a precursor of Hitler. I think that's a theme that should have been explored and is crucial to understanding him.

The real Romberg who wrote those wonderful Viennese schmaltz melodies was a lot like the Jewish peddler in Ship of Fools, celebrating that culture which discriminated against him. Remember he was proud and rightly so of the Iron Cross he won in World War I. Romberg fortunately for him and the world of songwriting was not half the fool that the peddler was.

That being said, Romberg is delightfully essayed by that most castable of players Jose Ferrer. Ferrer with that impeccable diction, courtesy of the Triangle Club at Princeton, played every kind of nationality in his screen career and he's great here. He has a great monologue in this where he's describing a current project where he plays all the parts in the musical he's writing at the moment.

Merle Oberon rings true with her portrayal of Dorothy Donnelly who collaborated with Romberg on Student Prince and My Maryland. She was crushing on Sigmund big time, but Ferrer only had eyes for Doe Avedon who played his beloved Lillian Harris.

Operetta plots are so silly that productions are hardly ever done today. Criticism of such work as Maytime, Student Prince, Desert Song and New Moon rightly belong in those films, but speaking as someone who likes good melodies, Sigmund Romberg certainly composed them in abundance. MGM dragged out a good group of performers to do them. A particular favorite here is Tony Martin singing Lover Come Back to Me from the New Moon.

One of the reasons that this film came out in 1954 was also because Romberg had a posthumous hit running on Broadway at the time. The Girl in Pink Tights opened that year with lyrics done by Leo Robin to some unpublished melodies that Romberg had written.

My parents when they were alive remembered seeing Sigmund Romberg in concert. The film at the end gives a glimpse of Romberg conducting an orchestra as he did often in the last 15 years of his life and Ferrer does ring true with Romberg the performer. Also performing was Helen Traubel, Wagnerian soprano who was also enjoying a good run as Jimmy Durante's, Margaret Dumont. MGM took advantage of her small screen popularity by casting her in Deep In My Heart.

Don't expect the life of Sigmund Romberg here, but be prepared for a great melodic treat.

I found this one to start out strong, sag painfully in the middle when plot takes over, then pick up again and finish with a bang. Some splendid singing from the very likeable Miss Helen Traubel, and some swell production numbers by a bevy of MGM artists. Highlight for me was Cyd Charisse dancing with James Michell (sp?). A movie in which the splendid music Sigmund Romberg is well-served.