RHAPSODY, 1954. The opening titles tell us it’s the South of
France. Wealthy Louis Calhern is arranging namecards for his lunch party, but
then his daughter Louise (Elizabeth Taylor) enters and instead of being his hostess she is off to Zurich ,
driving in her open sports car, with her cases of all those Helen Rose outfits,
a different one for each scene. Louise we soon see is a spoiled rich girl, used
to getting her way and indulged by her indulgent father …. She has her eyes of fiery Paul Bronte, master
of the violin, but only if he studies hard enough to please teacher Michael
Chekhov. Louise settles in to Celia Lovsky’s charming apartment and starts to
get bored as Paul (Vittorio Gassman in one of his first American films) puts
his music first and her second. She is left on the sidelines in her furs, white
gloves and diamonds at the café as the other students, including predatory
Barbara Bates, crowd around him. But diversion is at hand, as she gets to know
the upstairs tenant, John Ericson, who becomes hopelessly devoted to her,
putting his music at risk.
He at least plays the piano – cue endless close-ups
of them playing as Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff swamp the soundtrack, and of
course there is the obligatory montage of capital cities and concert posters as
Bronte tours and becomes famous, while Louise marries John, who is now drinking
heavily. Bronte comes back into her life as she decides to leave her husband
while trying to convince him he can become a great player without her.
We
finally leave her (this thing seems to go on for hours) at the concert hall as
Ericson can indeed play without her, as Bronte arrives to collect her. Which
man does she choose? This is a prime
farrago, which I remember seeing as a kid, one of four Taylor
did in 1954, overall I much prefer THE LAST TIME I SAW PARIS but Liz is
certainly at her early zenith as the camera lovingly lingers on her rapt
expressions as her men play, and play and play …. High Class Trash, it has that MGM lush quality,
directed by Charles Vidor (an old hand at this kind of thing – he began, but
died, during the 1960 SONG WITHOUT END).


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There's no business like show-biz as Marlon's Napoleon drops in on Marilyn |

I was soon lapping up other westerns (often with my father) like: THE COMMAND, DRUM BEAT, SITTING BULL, CATTLE
QUEEN OF MONTANA , RIVER
OF NO RETURN, BROKEN LANCE.




Grace Kelly was very busy that year, not only those Hitchcock's but the dull COUNTRY GIRL and the programmer GREEN FIRE where she looked very tailored down on her South American plantation. La Taylor fitted in not only RHAPSODY and LAST TIME I SAW PARIS but also BEAU BRUMMELL and replaced Vivien Leigh in ELEPHANT WALK - once GIANT made her a superstar next year in 1955 she slowed down to barely one a year... her husband Michael Wilding was also toiling in Hollywood then, to less effect in TORCH SONG, THE GLASS SLIPPER, THE EGYPTIAN, THE SCARLET COAT ..... Shelley Winters was very busy, with 6 titles that year, while Barbara Stanwyck, Jean Simmons, Deborah Kerr, Susan Hayward etc were all churning them out. Brando had not only ON THE WATERFRONT but as Napoleon in the Fox costumer DESIREE, James Mason was not only Norman Maine in A STAR IS BORN but also the bad guy in PRINCE VALIANT and Nemo in 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA.


1954 discoveries of mine in recent years include MAMBO - a lurid melodrama where marrieds Shelley Winters and Vittorio Gassman are both keen on Silvana Mangano who dances up a storm; Rene Clement's KNAVE OF HEARTS (or MR RIPOIS) with Gerard Philipe on the loose in London, wooing lovely young Joan Greenwood among others - right; and Linda Darnell is the marvellous romantic melodrama THIS IS MY LOVE (see Linda label). 1954 we love you. Next major years: 1959/1960, 1962.
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