Intermezzo (1939)

A renowned violinist (Leslie Howard) is delighted to be back with his family after a long tour. But when he meets his daughter's (Ann Todd) piano teacher (Ingrid Bergman in her American film debut), he finds himself falling in love. A remake of the 1936 Swedish film with the same title and directed by Gregory Ratoff (ADAM HAD FOUR SONS). Bergman had starred in the 1936 Swedish version and impressed producer David O. Selznick enough to import her to Hollywood to recreate her part. One can see why Bergman quickly became a favorite of U.S. audiences. She was so different from the typical Hollywood actress. Her freshly scrubbed beauty was a refreshing contrast to the often artificial beauty (courtesy of the make up department) of the usual Hollywood starlet and her acting was natural rather than the often actress-y performances of the homegrown kind. The subject of adultery is handled skillfully for a post code movie although the film's descent into schmaltz in the last seven minutes is almost unbearable though to be fair, the 1936 Swedish film was just as bad. With Edna Best, Cecil Kellaway and John Halliday.