The Constant Nymph (1943)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Edmund Goulding

Writers:

Basil Dean (play)
Margaret Kennedy (novel) (play)

Release Date:

23 October 1944 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

He tried to divide his heart and broke theirs.

Plot:

Fourteen-year-old Tessa is hopelessly in love with handsome composer Lewis Dodd, a family friend. Lewis adores Tessa...

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Orchestral Music Score | Based On Novel | Based On Play

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Charles Boyer	...	Lewis Dodd
Joan Fontaine	...	Tessa Sanger
Brenda Marshall	...	Toni Sanger
Alexis Smith	...	Florence Creighton
Charles Coburn	...	Charles Churchill
Dame May Whitty	...	Lady Longborough
Peter Lorre	...	Fritz Bercovi
Jean Muir	...	Kate Sanger
Joyce Reynolds	...	Paula Sanger
Eduardo Ciannelli	...	Roberto
Montagu Love	...	Albert Sanger
Janine Crispin	...	Marie
Doris Lloyd	...	Miss Hamilton
Joan Blair	...	Lina Kamaroff
Crauford Kent	...	Thorpe

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Alfred Hitchcock was considered for directing this film. Hitchcock's wife Alma Reville was one of the writers of The Constant Nymph (1928) 1928 version.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Between Two Worlds: Erich Wolfgang Korngold (2001) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Tomorrow

May - December Cerebral Romance

Based on a novel by Margaret Kennedy, this film The Constant Nymph, starring Charles Boyer and Joan Fontaine, is a typical 1940's studio retelling of a classic style romance, the story of a fragile young girl's infatuation and adoration for an older, attractive musician.

While I think the production values and the sensuality of Letter From An Unknown Woman are superior to this film, this story also manages to captivate the viewer with its own brooding romanticism, solid performances, and beautiful music by Erich Korngold (Amazon sells CDs of this music in several movie soundtrack anthologies). Thankfully my copy of this film is pristine and that improves one's enjoyment of it.

Striking Alexis Smith as the unloved wife delivers a mighty performance, and almost steals the picture from Joan Fontaine and Charles Boyer. The supporting actors are also very good, including Charles Coburn, Peter Lorre, Brenda Marshall, Dame May Witty, and Jean Muir. I admit I was a bit frustrated by the character of the musician played by Charles Boyer. Men who marry women just because they are attracted to them and not because they love them irk me to no end. That was the situation here and it sets the viewer up for a very frustrating experience by the end of the picture.

The Constant Nympth is a decent romantic melodrama, with a very touching conclusion, but it's not outstanding or unforgettable, like Letter From An Unknown Woman surely is.