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Friday, April 30, 2010

Rhapsody (1954)

A neurotic, spoiled rich girl (Elizabeth Taylor) must play second fiddle to an emerging violinist (Vittorio Gassman) whose first love is music. Meanwhile, a pianist (John Ericson) pines over over Liz. Someone is bound to get hurt big time. Based on the novel MAURICE GUEST by Henry Handel Richardson and directed by Charles Vidor (GILDA). This glossy MGM Technicolor romancer is set in the world of classical music which means we get larges doses of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Beethoven concerts to pad out the film. Unfortunately, they stop the movie cold and unless you're a huge classical music fan, it becomes rather tedious. Taylor is at the height of her beauty and she looks terrific in her Helen Rose frocks and gowns and the glam factor is enough to hold one's interest until it gets all sappy and sentimental during the film's final 20 minutes. If you're not a Taylor fan as I am, you might get turned off my Taylor's needy character who demands total devotion without regard to the needs of the other. With Louis Calhern, Michael Chekhov, Barbara Bates, Stuart Whitman and Madge Blake.

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