So violin prodigy John Garfield's mother scolds him. And indeed, he has taken up with a married woman. And a pretty neurotic one, at that.
The woman is chic and wears glasses. And she is Joan Crawford. This is one of Crawford's best roles. And Garfield is extremely good in it, too. The play well off each other.
This was made in the days when being Jewish was still pretty much unacceptable in big-budget movies. Garfield's father, a shopkeeper, says "Saturday is always my busiest day" -- just in case anybody was getting suspicious. It's too bad, because that would be fine today and would have added to the story of ill-fated lovers.
Warner Brothers did more movies about and including classical music than any of the other studios. Or so I feel. Garfield's playing is well known as having been provided, very beautifully, by the great Isaac Stern.
Just off the top of my head, two other movies about classical music from Warner are the extremely charming "My Love Came Back" and the fabulous "Deception." To me, that is, along with "All About Eve," one of Bette Davis's absolute best movies. And within more recent times, the "Hollenius" Cello Concerto by Korngold is being played by symphony orchestras as part of their regular fare.
This movie is a must for anyone with an interest in Joan Crawford, John Garfield, or music in the movies. Not to mention anyone who likes Oscar Levant! (And who possibly could not?) He is delightful in it and plays piano beautifully.)
