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By
NICK ZEGARAC
Jean Negulesco's
"Humoresque" (1946) ranks as one of Joan
Crawford's top three films; the other two probably
being "Mildred Pierce" and "Possessed." It stars
the unerringly determined Ms. Crawford as neurotic
socialite, Helen Wright.
Helen's marriage of convenience to wealthy, Victor
(Paul Cavanagh) affords her the luxury of
dalliances with many men. The one she eventually
settles on as her lover is Paul Boray (John
Garfield), a gifted, but impoverished violinist.
After a chance meeting at a party where Paul and
his close friend, Sid Jeffers (Oscar Levant) are
the entertainment, and, where Paul's pride is
tested by Helen's vexing insults, Sid instructs
Paul to forget her. He is, after all, engaged to
the lovely Gina (Joan Chandler) -- more his equal
in temperament and texture. However, as is the
usual for tragic melodrama, a destructive romance
continues to build between Paul and Helen. She
introduces him to high society and the prospects
of achieving fame beyond his wildest dreams. All
that she asks in return is that Paul shares her
bed while her husband's away… at least, at first.
But as Paul's reputation grows, so does Helen's
jealousy. And, although it appears as though this
arrangement will be Paul's undoing as both an
artist and a man, it is Helen who ultimately meets
with an untimely end.
The absence of this brilliant film on DVD has been
rectified with Warner's beautiful new transfer.
Though there are several scenes in which fine
details slightly shimmer, the overall quality of
the picture will surely please. The grayscale has
deep, solid blacks, very clean whites and a
remarkable amount of fine details realized
throughout. The audio is mono but has been very
nicely cleaned up. An all too brief featurette --
"The Music of Humoresque" is all we get in the way
of extras. It is a genuine shame that no audio
commentary has been included. |
