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The greatness of John Garfield was that he was a tough guy who wasn't afraid to wear his sensitivity on his sleeve. What makes this such a great film is that director Jean Negulesco and his two writers (including Clifford Oddets) construct a complex web of ambiguity around Garfield's own torment. He's a violin virtuoso from the slums of New York who rises to the top with the assistance of socialite Joan Crawford (who was never better). There's a sexual intensity to his art that she wants to possess, and there's a vulnerability behind her lacerating façade that he wants to expose. They play each other like a couple of virtuosos, stripping each other's spirit away. What helps transcend this depression-era class struggle is its cool sophistication. It's a sublime noir about loneliness. Everyone knows his dream has hit a dead end, except Garfield. He refuses to give up, even after his soul is long gone. --Bill Desowitz ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Warning for those on the wagon ... Smoking & Drinking
This is a wonderful film but I wanted to warn viewers who are not supposed to be drinking alcohol or smoking:Joan Crawford is smoking and drinking in each and every scene!She never puts her glass down and always has smoke coming out of her.I have been on the wagon for smoking for 16 months now and I would not watch it.It's not fair for someone else to be smoking when I can't.Just a simple warning and I do not mean to denigrate the movie.I think Joan looks her best in this film, she is ultra glamourous and is dressed to kill in every scene.John Garfield did his finest work and his role is very believable.The violin music is great, too.5 stars but be warned, it makes one want a glass of bourbon and a Chesterfield filter tip in every scene.

Sublime Masterpiece of Film!
"Humoresque" is one of cinema's sublime masterpieces.It is the apex of what any art form can be.It has a rich, complex script; superb performances; gorgeous black and white photography; impeccable, beautifully drawn characters; believable emotion; glamour; and music -- music throughout that is close to heaven.The violin solos are played by Isaac Stern.Gritty Paul Borae (John Garfield - never better or sexier) overcomes his humble background in the slums of New York City (largely Eastern European then) to become a concert violinist, generously aided by his mercurial patron/love interest Mrs. Helen Wright (Joan Crawford).Every character is perfect, the script amazing, the dynamics between Garfield and Crawford complex and intense.And if you've never been a Crawford fan, this is the film that will leave no doubts as to why she was the star in MGM's galaxy for so many years.She is breathtakingly beautiful here and her performance is real and unaffected; it is in films like this at her peak that one sees why Crawford was Crawford.There are numerous dazzling close-ups where a range of emotion and story are conveyed on the faces without a single word.The exquisite ending reaches a crescendo as in the music.Unforgettable.Cinema at its most masterful.

Great On Many Levels
I've seen this movie at least a dozen times over the years and never tire of it. So rivetting is Garfield and Crawford's performances that even without the great music it would have still been a great tragic love story (and I'm not one who cares for this genre). The volatility between the two lovers is what makes this movie so great; perhaps because they're complete opposites, or perhaps because the relationship is illicit. No matter, the chemistry between Garfield and Crawford is difficult to deny.

Another point. As a violinist myself Garfield does the most believable job of ANY actor I've seen in ANY movie, and I've seen almost all, that actually appears to be playing, it's almost unbelievable.

Finally, Oscar Levant, who was a great pianist in his own right, especially as an interpreter of Gershwin, does a splendid job as the comic counterbalance to Garfield's brooding intensity, and thought he actually stole some of the scenes with his sarcastic wit.

This movie has it all: great music, great story, great acting. Truly one of my favorites from that era.

Smooth as a Stern Cadenza
An apex of studio movie-making. 40's soap opera simply doesn't come any slicker than this. The black and white photography is rich, glossy, and superb, the luminescent glow behind Crawford's close-ups almost transforming this middle-aged warhorse into a fallen madonna. The screenplay anticipates Garfield's role in "Body and Soul" as he claws his way up from poverty using a bowstring instead of fists. For a tough guy, we still believe in his poetic soul and no one from that era was better at combining the two. Then too, no film has communicated an on-screen classical score more effectively than this, as Crawford is alternately beguiled, seduced, and overwhelmed by pulsating strains from the great composers. And, of course, there's that all-time smashing finale so lushly romantic, I'm still picking seaweed from my hair. I'm glad the screenplay gives an obscure contract player like Ruth Nelson a chance to show her thespic talents. Her face-off with Crawford over the direction of Garfield's affections is an epic one, though she's probably a shade too aristocratic for the long-suffering motherly role. Moreover, there are the many memorable throw-away lines, one could expect from a stellar cast that includes Hollywood's master cynic, the mordant Oscar Levant. In fact, his self-effacing personality and casual witticisms are so distractively entertaining, they threaten to undo the entire melodrama. For fans of Levant, it's a showcase, and I wouldn't be surprised if many of those sarcasms were his own. (If only the writers could have dispensed with that dreary stereotype of the wholesome-girl-in-waiting, this time the fresh-faced Peggy Knudsen.) With this film, director Negulesco proves he could spread the soap suds as smoothly as a Douglas Sirk or a John M. Stahl. Without a doubt, this is the Hollywood dream-factory hitting on all eight cylinders in ways that just don't happen anymore.

Nothing Good Can Come Of This Relationship
In HUMORESQUE we see a dedicated young musician (John Garfield) meet a wealthy possessive woman (Joan Crawford) who takes an obsessive interest in him and his career as a violinist. We know that nothing good can come of this relationship and we are surely looking at a tragedy in the making. In spite of all the warning signs we feel compelled to watch this movie to the end.

The acting of both Garfield and Crawford is superb. The role of Helen Wright seems to be the perfect vehicle for Crawford. Oscar Levant excells as a pianist and Garfield's friend. The rest of the strong supporting cast includes J. Carrol Naish, Joan Chandler and Tom D'Andrea. Garfield's violin is played by Isaac Stern.

HUMORESQUE received an Oscar nomination in 1946 for Best Scoring of a Dramatic Picture. Jean Negulosco directed many other fine movies during his career including JOHNNY BELINDA, ROAD HOUSE and THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Bizarre Exploitation from the 30's
This double-feature DVD features 2 early 1930's exploitation films from Dwain Esper. Although maybe tame by today's standards, just try to imagine seeing people shoot up heroin in a movie back in the 30's! It's all very high camp now, of course, and if you like antique sleaze, this may be your thing. Esper was definitely no Kubrick, but he has his own strange and absurd style...inserting shots that have no point, suddenly cutting away to show animals fighting each other, superimposing stock footage, etc. Could he be the precursor to Ed Wood? Anyway, some highlights of the 2 films include a real shot of a cesarian birth of a baby, a snake eating another snake, a cat's eyeball poked out (and then eaten by the maniac), a couple of real sideshow freaks, some brief nudity as a psycho carries off a woman to ravish her, and of course lots of over-the-top acting. Both movies tried to get around the censoring codes of the time by pretending to have a message (narcotics are bad), but the movies are strictly exploitative. The prints used for this DVD are scratchy and have some jumps here and there, but considering the age and that no major studio was behind these films, this may be the best materials available. Also on the DVD is the trailer for "Maniac", some letters from the censor at the time, an excerpt from a silent italian film "Maciste in Hell" that footage was superimposed in "Maniac", and audio commentary by an author-expert on Esper and such films. A worthy purchase if you like stuff like "Reefer Madness", etc., but don't expect any scalpings in "Maniac" ---it's actually a loose re-telling of "The Black Cat". ... Read more

Description

This double-feature disc features Boris Karloff in a pair of performances that will certainly please fans and also enlighten those cineastes who would only know the talented british-born Hollywood actor from his career-making role as the Frankenstein Monster.The Ape, a Monogram low-budget smash hit in 1940, showcases Karloff as a mad doctor donning the pelt of slain circus apes as he kills his neighbors for their spinal fluid in hopes of creating a polio-vaccine. Then, in the popular 1940 espionage potboiler British Intelligence--Boris Karloff plays Valdar, a butler working for a British cabinet minister during WW1, and who may just be a spy. He tangles with alluring secret agent Lindsay--who may just be a double agent. Remake of "Three Faces East". ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not Exactly Hitchcock
This B-film from Warner Brothers concerns the mysterious and deadly goings-on at a boarding house owned by Frieda Inescort and Miles Mander, who live there along with their daughter Heather Angel and several boarders. Among the boarders is a struggling writer, an eccentric spinster, and two men involved in shady business. In the course of the film's one hour running time, bodies begin to pile up as the writer tries to figure out the identity of a killer. The actors all express the appropriate amount of shock and confusion as the mystery deepens, and the pace of the film maintains the suspense. The direction could be sharper, and I found the story a little confusing at times, but I did like the twist ending. Very few people have heard of Shadows On The Stairs, and although I think the comparisons to Hitchcock are a real stretch, fans of B-films will want to check this one out. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Good movie, Good price!!
Made in 1940 but set in WWI, Boris Karloff plays a master spy working as a butler for a British war official. Enter double agent Helen Von Lorder and the fun begins with twists, turns, and double-crosses. This is a good movie! Even though it is a 60 minute "B" movie, it's got class. It was made by Warner Brothers and is very well done. The special FX are great (for the time and budget) though you might recognize one or two stock explosions from gangster pics. BUT THIS IS WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW: The Alpha DVD has quite good quality picture and sound. A couple of minor hiccups along the way but all in all, one of their better transfers. Still looks like a VHS but it's a cheapie and you get what you pay for... probably a litle more in this instance. Definitely watchable and highly recommended if you're into this kind of thing.

British, German, and Double Agents
Set during the last part of World War I, this spy thriller begins with the frustrations of the British military over the way the Germans seem to know their next move before they even do. It's obvious there is a spy or leak somewhere that needs to be stopped if they are to have any success in the War. Boris Karloff and Margaret Lindsay enter into the picture. Individually or together, they could be British agents, German agents, or double agents, and the true identity of each is revealed at the climax. The two spies test each other throughout the film as a plot to kill the British cabinet begins to unfold. The film moves along briskly, with a running time of around an hour. I have to admit that I was occasionally confused by the plot, although by the film's final moments I had figured it all out. Karloff, limping and with a scar, is good as the more sinister (naturally) of the two agents, while Lindsay does a competent job as his female counterpart. The last few minutes are devoted to rallying the public at the outset of World War Two when this was produced, with a poorly concealed speech about Hitler. It's definitely heavy handed, yet it is fun to watch as a sign of the time. Judging by the running time, the cast involved, and the production, this film was obviously intended as a 'B' picture, and as a modest little programmer, it succeeds fairly well. Those expecting a bigger scale production will be disappointed.

Margaret Lindsay tries to trap German spy Boris Karloff
"British Intelligence" is set during World War I, when Helene von Lorbeer (Margaret Lindsay), a nurse in a French hospital, assumes the role of a German spy and is sent to England to obtain information about a secret British offensive. Helene is set up as a guest in the household of Arthur Bennett (Holmes Herbert), a key British war official, where the butler Valdar (Boris Karloff), is also a German spy. Helene's real mission is to learn the identity of Schiller, the mastermind fo the German spy system in England. This 1940 film, directed by Terry Morse, is based on Anthony Paul Kelly's play "Three Faces East," which had been filmed in 1926 with Clive Brook and Jetta Goudal and then again in 1930 with Eric von Stroheim and Constance Bennett. Of course Karloff has to wear a unnecessary wound on his face, supposedly from a bayonet, and walks with a limp. But actually this is a decent spy thriller, even if the true identity of "Schiller" is obvious from the opening credits. Although explicitly about the First World War, there are several veiled but obvious references to Hitler and what is happening in Europe in 1940.

Fun Espionage Thriller
It's no classic, but Karloff fans will like this "B" picture full of twists and turns as you try to figure out just who's the good guy and who's the bad guy.

Best of all it's short and to the point. A virtue that Hollywood seems to be lacking these days. ... Read more