While the main story of "Humoresque" - a man, through the diligence and belief of his hard working mother, finds fame as a young concert violinist in the glittering world of European high society - found popularity as millions of ladies sobbed their way through the story, the most impressive parts were the earlier sequences. Taken from a 1919 book of short stories by Fannie Hurst which started her best sellership, in an interview she felt the script (ably adapted by Frances Marion) had taken a lot of liberties but she still enjoyed the movie.
Vera Gordon as Mamma Kantor gave the best performance in it (maybe the best of her career). Frank Borzage set a loving picture of growing up in the slums but always having a mother protection and guidance. Starting off with Leon's birthday, he has his heart set on a violin but his mean spirited father, whose job entails "turning new brass into Russian antiquities" tries to persuade him to buy a cheap musical toy. Mamma feels he is the one who is destined for musical greatness and of course he grows up to be a renowned concert violinist but always, with the picture of his imbecilic brother Mannie before him, he becomes increasingly despondent of the materialistic world he is forced to participate in.
It would have been nice to have a proper soundtrack but Borzage, who started off as a leading man in Thanhouser films, imbues the film with lots of emotion and by filming his concerts amidst the crowd, you feel like you are among the audience. And with titles like "played as if his very blood were weeping", I don't think the drama of the music could be caught any better. This was one of the first films made under William Randolph Hearst's Cosmopolitan company and he rolled out the red carpet for Frank Borzage. Hearst was a bit worried about the overtly Jewish story but he needn't have been as the film won the first Photoplay Magazine "Medal of Honor" award, at the time regarded as very prestigious.
Even though billed above the title the beautiful Alma Rubens, as Gina, his little sweetheart of the slums, didn't have much to do. By this time she was already a Paramount star having been noticed in a couple of Douglas Fairbanks movies but unfortunately, due to drug addiction, by the mid 1920s her career was just about over!!
Highly Recommended.
Vera Gordon as Mamma Kantor gave the best performance in it (maybe the best of her career). Frank Borzage set a loving picture of growing up in the slums but always having a mother protection and guidance. Starting off with Leon's birthday, he has his heart set on a violin but his mean spirited father, whose job entails "turning new brass into Russian antiquities" tries to persuade him to buy a cheap musical toy. Mamma feels he is the one who is destined for musical greatness and of course he grows up to be a renowned concert violinist but always, with the picture of his imbecilic brother Mannie before him, he becomes increasingly despondent of the materialistic world he is forced to participate in.
It would have been nice to have a proper soundtrack but Borzage, who started off as a leading man in Thanhouser films, imbues the film with lots of emotion and by filming his concerts amidst the crowd, you feel like you are among the audience. And with titles like "played as if his very blood were weeping", I don't think the drama of the music could be caught any better. This was one of the first films made under William Randolph Hearst's Cosmopolitan company and he rolled out the red carpet for Frank Borzage. Hearst was a bit worried about the overtly Jewish story but he needn't have been as the film won the first Photoplay Magazine "Medal of Honor" award, at the time regarded as very prestigious.
Even though billed above the title the beautiful Alma Rubens, as Gina, his little sweetheart of the slums, didn't have much to do. By this time she was already a Paramount star having been noticed in a couple of Douglas Fairbanks movies but unfortunately, due to drug addiction, by the mid 1920s her career was just about over!!
Highly Recommended.