Film Review
Coming between Abel Gance's
Un grand amour de Beethoven
(1936) and Christian-Jaque's
La Symphonie fantastique
(1942), Jean Boyer's
Sérénade is a comparatively obscure
film centred around another important 19th century composer, Franz Schubert.
Overshadowed by Marcel Pagnol's later film
La Belle meunière
(1948), Boyer's modest offering concerns itself with a minor incident in
the composer's life which probably owes more to the imagination of its screenwriters
than historical fact. In common with Gance's and Christian-Jaque's
superior films,
Sérénade is less a serious biopic and
more an affectionate homage to the composer, making generous use of his music
in its score whilst not even bothering to concern itself with the man behind
the myth.
The film was one of two directed by Jean Boyer (the other being
Miquette,
released the same year) to showcase the talents of the Anglo-German actress
and singer Lilian Harvey, who had just fled from Nazi Germany. Now
in her mid-30s, Harvey is clearly too old for the part she plays in
the film - the muse who inspires Schubert to greatness - but her vivacity
and multiple talents enliven what would otherwise have been a pretty sombre
and forgettable production. With Louis Jouvet playing Schubert's rival
in love (and doing so with no discernible interest in the part), Bernard
Lancret, the actor playing Schubert, is relegated to third billing, which
is fair given that his performance is just about the least memorable thing
about the entire film. Lancret's portrayal of the composer is as two-dimensional
as it is charmless, and you suspect the only reason he was cast in the role
was because of his resemblance to Schubert. Félix Oudart has
a much greater impact as the colourful impresario who, if he had his way,
would have turned Schubert into a composer of light operettas.
The sequence where Schubert gets to meet his personal idol Beethoven at the
end of the film is an indulgence the screenwriters obviously couldn't resist.
Contrived though it is, it provides the film with its one memorable
scene, with the ageing Beethoven sagely offering advice that any struggling
artist can take consolation from. Very different in tone and subject from
Boyer's other films of this period - mostly lively comedies and musicals
such as
Circonstances
atténuantes (1939) and
Romance de Paris (1941)
-
Sérénade is a rare departure for him into more
serious territory, although he overreaches himself and fails to deliver much
more than the humblest of tributes to a great artist.
© James Travers 2017
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
In Vienna of the 1810s, an unknown young composer, Franz Schubert, is struggling
against self-doubt and his modest circumstances to make a success of his
career. He idolises Beethoven but doubts whether he can ever hope to
create any work half as sublime as that of this musical master. Whatever
he composes seems to be contrary to the prevailing fashions and no one appears
interested in his work. He can only work at night as the distractions
of the day prevent him from concentrating, but this earns him a fine he can
ill afford. One day, Schubert encounters a beautiful English dancer,
Margaret Brenton, and through this acquaintance he is inspired to compose
his first great work. With the connivance of his rival, Baron Hartmann,
the impresario Schwindt stages a ballet featuring Schubert's latest piece
with Margaret in the starring role. Realising that Schubert has
fallen in love with her, Margaret decides she must leave Vienna so that he
can find success as a composer...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.