''Bitter Sweet'' is a 1940 American

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

musical film directed by W. S. Van Dyke, based on the operetta '' Bitter Sweet'' by Noël Coward. It was nominated for two

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

, one for Best Cinematography and the other for Best Art Direction by

Cedric Gibbons Austin Cedric Gibbons (March 23, 1890 – July 26, 1960) was an Irish-American art director for the film industry. He also made a significant contribution to motion picture theater architecture from the 1930s to 1950s. Gibbons designed the ...

and John S. Detlie. The film is based on Coward's stage operetta, which was a hit in 1929 in London. It was filmed twice, first in 1933 in black-and-white (in Britain, with

Anna Neagle Dame Florence Marjorie Wilcox (''née'' Robertson; 20 October 1904 – 3 June 1986), known professionally as Anna Neagle, was an English stage and film actress, singer, and dancer. She was a successful box-office draw in the British cinema ...

and Fernand Gravet in the leading roles). The 1940 film is much cut and rewritten, removing much of the operetta's irony. The opening and closing scenes are cut, focusing the film squarely upon the relationship between MacDonald's character, Sarah, and her music teacher, Carl Linden. The opening scene was a flash forward, in which Sarah appears as an elderly woman recalling how she fell in love. One reason for dropping this scene is that it had been appropriated for MGM's 1937 film '' Maytime''. Coward disliked the 1940 film and vowed that no more of his shows would be filmed in Hollywood.Dugan, Eleanor Knowles, John Cocchi and J. Peter Bergman. ''The Films of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy'', pp. 399–400, Grand Cyrus Press (2011) In 1951, he told ''

The Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet ...

'', "I was saving up ''Bitter Sweet'' as an investment for my old age. After MGM's dreadful film I can never revive it" on stage.Barber, John. "Now Noël Coward takes his bitter-sweet revenge on Hollywood", ''The Daily Express'', November 29, 1951, p. 3

Plot

Set in late 19th century

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, the story focuses on the romance between music teacher Carl Linden (

Nelson Eddy Nelson Ackerman Eddy (June 29, 1901 – March 6, 1967) was an American actor and baritone singer who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclub ...

) and his prize pupil Sarah Milick (

Jeanette MacDonald Jeanette Anna MacDonald (June 18, 1903 – January 14, 1965) was an American singer and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier (''The Love Parade'', '' Love Me Tonight'', ''The Merry Widow'' and '' On ...

Cast

as Sarah Millick, later Sari Linden *

as Carl Linden *

George Sanders George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth, bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous chara ...

as Baron Von Tranisch * Ian Hunter as Lord Shayne *

Felix Bressart Felix Bressart (March 2, 1892 – March 17, 1949) was a German-American actor of stage and screen. Life and career Bressart (pronounced "BRESS-ert") was born in East Prussia, Germany (now part of Russia). His acting debut came in 1914 as Malvo ...

as Max *

Sig Ruman Siegfried Carl Alban Rumann (October 11, 1884 – February 14, 1967), billed as Sig Ruman and Sig Rumann, was a German-American character actor known for his portrayals of pompous and often stereotypically Teutonic officials or villains i ...

as Herr Schlock * Diana Lewis as Jane *

Lynne Carver Lynne Carver (born Virginia Reid Sampson, September 13, 1916 – August 12, 1955) was an American film actress. She appeared in more than 40 films between 1934 and 1953. Early years Carver was born in Lexington, Kentucky. Her father, Reid Joh ...

as Dolly * Edward Ashley as Harry Daventry *

Curt Bois Curt Bois (born Kurt Boas; April 5, 1901 – December 25, 1991) was a German actor with a career spanning over 80 years. He is best remembered for his performances as the pickpocket in ''Casablanca'' (1942) and the poet Homer in ''Wings of Desi ...

as Ernst *

Fay Holden Dorothy Fay Hammerton (26 September 1893 – 23 June 1973), known professionally as Fay Holden, was a British-born, American-based actress. She was known as Gaby Fay early in her career. Biography Holden was born in Birmingham, England. After ...

as Mrs. Millick *

Janet Beecher Janet Beecher (born Janet Meysenberg; October 21, 1884 – August 6, 1955) was an American stage and screen actress. Early years The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Von Meysenburg, Beecher was born in Jefferson City, Missouri. Her sister was ...

as Lady Daventry *

Charles Judels Charles Judels (August 17, 1882 - February 14, 1969) was a Dutch-born American actor. Early years Judels was born on August 17, 1882, in Amsterdam as a third generation in a family of actors. His grandfather owned several theatres throughout t ...

as Herr Wyler *

Veda Ann Borg Veda Ann Borg (January 11, 1915 – August 16, 1973) was an American film and television actress. Early years Born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Gottfried Borg, a Swedish immigrant, and Minna Noble, Borg became a model in 1936 before winni ...

as Manon *

Herman Bing Herman Bing (March 30, 1889 – January 9, 1947) was a German-American character actor. He acted in more than 120 films and many of his parts were uncredited. Biography Bing was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He was son of the opera ...

as Market Keeper *

Greta Meyer Greta Meyer (7 August 18838 October 1965) was a German actress in motion pictures beginning in the silent film era. Biography Meyer belonged to a German family that was comparable to the Barrymore family in America. At age 3 she debuted on sta ...

as Mama Luden

Soundtrack

* "I'll See You Again" ** Written by Noël Coward ** Sung by

and

* "Polka" ** Written by Noël Coward ** Played at the party and danced to by the guests * "If You Could Only Come With Me" ** Written by Noël Coward ** Sung by Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy * "What Is Love" ** Written by Noël Coward ** Sung by Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy ** Reprised at Schlick's * "Kiss Me" ** Written by Noël Coward ** Sung by Jeanette MacDonald * "Tokay" ** Written by Noël Coward ** Sung by Nelson Eddy and the patrons at the cafe * "Love In Any Language" ** Written by Noël Coward ** Sung by Jeanette MacDonald at the cafe ** Partly dubbed by Ann Harriet Lee * "Dear Little Cafe" ** Words and Music by Noël Coward with additional lyrics by

Gus Kahn Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including " Pretty Baby", " Ain't We Got Fun?", " Carolina in the Morning", " Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo ...

** Sung by Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy ** Reprised by Jeanette MacDonald * "Ladies Of The Town" ** Written by Noël Coward and Gus Kahn ** Sung by Jeanette MacDonald and 2 uncredited female singers * "Una voce poco fa" ** From

Gioacchino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards ...

's ''

The Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an ''opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based ...

'' ** Danced by a dancing ensemble * "Zigeuner (The Gypsy)" ** Written by Noël Coward ** Sung by Jeanette MacDonald in the operetta finale

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bitter Sweet 1940 films 1940 musical films American musical films Films directed by W. S. Van Dyke Films set in the 19th century Films set in Vienna Films based on operettas Films produced by Victor Saville Films with screenplays by Lesser Samuels Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Operetta films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films

Plot

Cast

Soundtrack

See also

References

External links