Hollywood Spectator (Apr-May 1939)

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What iate OheJ £wk £ike Heifetz Casts a Musical Spell THEY SHALL HAVE MUSIC Samuel Goldwyn-U. A. Producer Samuel Goldwyn Associate producer Robert Riskin Director Archie Mayo Screen play: Irmgard Von Cube, John Howard Lawson. Photography Gregg Toland Musical director Alfred Newman Film editor Sherman Todd Cast: Jascha Heifetz, Andrea Leeds, Joel McCrea, Gene Reynolds, Walter Brennan, Porter Hall, Terry Kilburn, Walter Tetley, Chuck Stubbs, Tommy Kelly, Jacqueline Nash, Alfred Newman, Mary Ruth, John St. Polis, Alexander Schonberg, Marjorie Main, Arthur Hohl, Paul Harvey, "Zero," Peter Meremblum California Junior Symphony. Running time, 120 minutes. Reviewed by Bert Harlen DELIGHTFUL picture. They Shall Have Music is one of the few films that give the spectator something to carry away from the theatre with him, a raising of the spirit. What one takes from the picture, of course, will be dependent on what he brings to it, especially with respect to musical appreciation, and yet, produced with astute showmanship, the picture has something for everyone. The presentation should do exceptionally well at the box-office because it will bring into motion picture houses, to see and hear the great Jascha Heifetz, sections of the public that rarely visit film houses. At the same time, the picture affords a finely human, touching story which will absorb those with no pronounced ear for better music. More important than the box-office returns of this single picture, however, is the fact that, by its presentation of high artistic values, it will further increase the appreciation of finer filmic elements, helping to pave the way for pictures of wider and more enduring appeal. Presents Musical Feast <1 Heifetz, starred in the Goldwyn production, dominates the picture largely through his playing, being heard in a generous number of selections. What he gives us is a feast of music seldom equaled on the screen. His numbers range from the highly technical Rondo Capnccioso of Saint Saens to the simple and tender little Estrellita. It is probable that Dr. Bruno Ussher will have a great deal to say on the technical merits of the renditions, so I shall not impose my far less discerning reactions, except to say that, to me, they were superb. What will most impress the layman is the spirit and poignancy of his playing. Those few of the music world who have been prone to consider Heifetz’s playing at times deficient in emotional stimulus — though likely a misinterpretation — manifestly can have no criticism on that score here. The music is rich in feeling, and doubtless gains in that respect through associations with the story. Stretches of the background music evidently are played by the violinist himself. Recording, under the supervision of Paul Neal, is of exceptional quality. On occasion it seemed to me that the reproduction was too loud, especially in forte passages in the upper register, but this detraction in all likelihood was due to the sound control at the Warners' Beverly theatre, the brethren’s local film houses seemingly having a penchant for excess of this kind. He Sticks to His Music *1 Sam Goldwyn has shown wisdom in depending on the violinist’s musical performances to impress his personality on audiences, rather than featuring him prominently in the dramatic portions of the play. Heifetz is seen in only two brief dialogue sequences. Apparently painstakingly coached by Director Archie Mayo, he is natural and easy. Thus our respect for the musician is unimpaired by any inept exhibitions in an alien art, which has not always been the case in other appearances of musical celebrities. Shrewdness is shown too in the admixture of fictional and musical elements. The screen play by Irmgard Von Cube and John Howard Lawson is full of human touches and spiced with just a dash of hokum — the incident where the menace is subtly jabbed in the posterior by the hat pin of an aroused housewife, is capital — and yet the story is never mundane or trivial; it is founded on aspirations and splendid ideals, and definitely centers about music, dealing with the efforts of a music school, where poor children may study without charge, to keep open its doors and save its instruments from creditors, following the death of its patron. Child Musicians Featured <1 At this point it should be interjected that the musical program of this very musical film is by no means contributed solely by Heifetz. Seen and heard, as music pupils of the impecunious school, are members of an admirable organization of child musicians, our own California Junior Symphony Orchestra, fostered and trained by Peter Meremblum. It is said that Heifetz refused to believe the players were children when he first heard a recording of their work. At the conclusion of the picture the violinist does a Mendelssohn concerto to the accompaniment of the Meremblum orchestra. The seasoned Alfred Newman is at the baton throughout the picture. Then there is little Jacqueline Nash, heard in two vocal selections, displaying a voice of extraordinary range and timbre for one so young. Deserving a laurel too, is tiny Mary Ruth, whose fingers move along the keyboard as though directed by a force far older than she — and possibly they are. The Chopin Minute Waltz may hold snares for such small fingers, but a slight muffing or two does not render the performance less than notable. Thespians Are First-rate •I This seems an unbefitting time to be coming to the thespians, for the acting performances contribute a large part of the film’s effectiveness. Outstanding in the cast is young Gene Reynolds, as a waif who finds a haven and the recognition and training of a latent musical gift at the school. The boy has some scenes with an impressive spiritual quality, and others of considerable dramatic force. That young-old man, Walter Brennan, again comes through with an excellent characterization, playing the elderly founder and director of the institution, so absorbed in music he is unaware of the school’s financial straits. Andrea Leeds is quietly effective as his daughter, and Joel McCrea is at his best as her suitor. Young Terry Kilburn, Porter Hall, and Marjorie Main are among others doing good work in a cast too lengthly for individual mention. Archie Mayo in his direction has fully realized the human values in the script, bringing forth earnest and vivid work from the players. Heifetz Technique Revealed <][ Production, needless to say, is of the high Goldwyn level. Gregg Toland’s photography, especially in capturing the Heifetz technique through close-up shots from various angles, is commendable, and art direction by James Basevi is a meritorious contribution. Editing must have presented many problems, particularly in the musical sequences, but Sherman Todd has met them skilfully. The only faulty bit of continuity, due probably to the screen play, though editing might have helped it, unfortunately mars the conclusion of the picture. Miss Leeds is shown embracing her father in an endeavor to console him at seeing the instruments taken away in the midst of the big school concert, while the next shot shows Heifetz alighting from his automobile in front. Then he is heard playing off JULY 22, 1939 PAGE FIVE