One of the most striking things about this film when it first began is that I noticed some very strange casting. While Dana Andrews is cast as a blind piano player, I was surprised to see Hoagy Carmichael (a very famous pianist) cast as a clarinet player! Talk about odd. Now Hoagy did play the piano as well in the film AND Andrews either faked it VERY well or he actually knew how to play the piano--so it all worked out fine.
The film begins with Merle Oberon and some other rich friends "slumming it". Instead of their usual high-class evening, they drop in at a lower-rent club where Dana Andrews is performing. When Oberon and Andrews meet, there is a bit of a spark--though Andrews is so bitter from his recently becoming blind that he pushes everyone away--including her. However, to get past this wall, Oberon tells him that she, too, is blind and has been all her life. They hit it off and soon fall in love. BUT, she is NOT blind--just a kind lady with a strange idea how to help!! One of the big issues in Andrews' life, other than his coping with blindness, is his desire to be a composer. Oberon encourages him and eventually he wins a major prize for his music--and can now afford the surgery to possibly restore his sight. However, when the surgery IS a success, he gets on with his life and seems to forget about Oberon. As for Oberon, she decides to introduce herself to Andrews without telling him who she really is--and they hit it off. Oddly, he doesn't realize who she really is--and that it was her family that sponsored the prize he won. All of which, when you think about it, makes little sense. You'd assume that with exact same voice, he'd quickly know who she is! But, again, being a film, you are expected to believe this little ruse--or at least not question it. Oberon is hoping that in time, Andrews will come back to her--the blind girl. Or, if he doesn't, that he'll at least not feel obligated to her out of a sense of loyalty or pity. Will the two sort all this out and find love or will they forever be pathetic and lonely idiots? See for yourself and find out how all this unfolds.
This is an odd film. While so much about the plot is contrived and even a bit silly, the romance is handled so well that the deficiencies in the plot somehow aren't all that important. While you normally would not expect to love seeing Andrews and Oberon together (it is an unlikely pairing), the two actors manage to make it work--mostly because they were terrific at their craft. And, incidentally, the director had a particularly deft hand with setting the mood--with great lighting, scenes and music. It's a film I really DIDN'T want to like much because of the silly plot, but it still manages to work and is well worth seeing...just be sure to turn off that nagging voice that tells you to question all the plot difficulties! If you can do that, then this film is for you.
By the way, at the 89 minute mark (or so), there are brief cameos by the great pianist Arthur Rubenstein and director Eugene Ormandy. Rubenstein even does a solo--of the piece Andrews' character wrote in the film.
The film begins with Merle Oberon and some other rich friends "slumming it". Instead of their usual high-class evening, they drop in at a lower-rent club where Dana Andrews is performing. When Oberon and Andrews meet, there is a bit of a spark--though Andrews is so bitter from his recently becoming blind that he pushes everyone away--including her. However, to get past this wall, Oberon tells him that she, too, is blind and has been all her life. They hit it off and soon fall in love. BUT, she is NOT blind--just a kind lady with a strange idea how to help!! One of the big issues in Andrews' life, other than his coping with blindness, is his desire to be a composer. Oberon encourages him and eventually he wins a major prize for his music--and can now afford the surgery to possibly restore his sight. However, when the surgery IS a success, he gets on with his life and seems to forget about Oberon. As for Oberon, she decides to introduce herself to Andrews without telling him who she really is--and they hit it off. Oddly, he doesn't realize who she really is--and that it was her family that sponsored the prize he won. All of which, when you think about it, makes little sense. You'd assume that with exact same voice, he'd quickly know who she is! But, again, being a film, you are expected to believe this little ruse--or at least not question it. Oberon is hoping that in time, Andrews will come back to her--the blind girl. Or, if he doesn't, that he'll at least not feel obligated to her out of a sense of loyalty or pity. Will the two sort all this out and find love or will they forever be pathetic and lonely idiots? See for yourself and find out how all this unfolds.
This is an odd film. While so much about the plot is contrived and even a bit silly, the romance is handled so well that the deficiencies in the plot somehow aren't all that important. While you normally would not expect to love seeing Andrews and Oberon together (it is an unlikely pairing), the two actors manage to make it work--mostly because they were terrific at their craft. And, incidentally, the director had a particularly deft hand with setting the mood--with great lighting, scenes and music. It's a film I really DIDN'T want to like much because of the silly plot, but it still manages to work and is well worth seeing...just be sure to turn off that nagging voice that tells you to question all the plot difficulties! If you can do that, then this film is for you.
By the way, at the 89 minute mark (or so), there are brief cameos by the great pianist Arthur Rubenstein and director Eugene Ormandy. Rubenstein even does a solo--of the piece Andrews' character wrote in the film.