Gainsborough tried to do something different with their period melodramas here – it’s a biopic of the 19th century violinist Paganini. Apparently it’s all made up, but since I don’t know anything about Paganini except he was a good violinist it didn’t particularly bother me. And Stewart Granger’s violin work is really good – yes he had help, but not all the time, and the doubling is extremely convincing; it seems Granger tried on this one.
His non-violin performance is more typical of his work at the time – a dashing romantic leading man. Like most Gainsborough films he’s loved by two women – beautiful classy Phyllis Calvert, and the more “earthy” Jean Kent. Again, like most Gainsborough films, Calvert is promised in marriage to someone else, Dennis Price, so can’t go off with him.
Calvert is cheery and pretty enough, but her essential appeal was playing the wronged girl next door; her character here is a more sophisticated, aristocratic - sympathetic, yes, but not really a victim, and Calvert’s lack of star quality is particularly apparent (it’s a shame Margaret Lockwood wasn’t available... apparently she turned it down).
Dennis Price gets these big close ups when we meet him listening to Granger play – it threw me until I realised they were building him a new Gainsborough star (he was the back up for Granger and James Mason, just as Jean Kent and Pat Roc were the back up for Phyllis Calvert and Margaret Lockwood.) Jean Kent isn’t given much to do apart from gaze at Granger and ask Calvert to help him because she loves him enough to let him go, etc, etc. Cecil Parker is excellent value as Granger's manager though and there's plenty of music and production design.
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