''Rhapsody'' is a 1954 American

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Charles Vidor Charles Vidor (born Károly Vidor; July 27, 1899June 4, 1959) was a Hungary, Hungarian film director. Among his film successes are ''The Bridge'' (1929), ''Double_Door_(film), Double Door ''(1934), ''The Tuttles of Tahiti'' (1942), ''The Desper ...

and starring

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

Vittorio Gassman Vittorio Gassman (; born Gassmann; 1 September 1922 – 29 June 2000), popularly known as , was an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the greatest Italian actors, whose career includes both important producti ...

, John Ericson, and

Louis Calhern Carl Henry Vogt (February 19, 1895 – May 12, 1956), known by his stage name Louis Calhern, was an American actor. Described as a “star leading man of the theater and a star character actor of the screen,” he appeared in over 100 roles ...

based on the 1908 novel '' Maurice Guest'' by

Henry Handel Richardson Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson (3 January 1870 – 20 March 1946), known by her pen name Henry Handel Richardson, was an Australian author. Life Born in East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, into a prosperous family that later fell on har ...

. It revolves around a debutante who follows the man she loves and hopes to marry to Zürich where he studies violin at a conservatory. There she meets a piano student who falls madly in love with her. She must then choose between this man who loves her more than his music and the violinist who loves his music more than anything else. ''Rhapsody'' features music by

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

Sergei Rachmaninov Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popula ...

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions inc ...

Claude Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

, and

Pablo de Sarasate Pablo Martín Melitón de Sarasate y Navascués (; 10 March 1844 – 20 September 1908), commonly known as Pablo de Sarasate, was a Spanish violinist, composer and Conducting, conductor of the Romantic music, Romantic period. His best known work ...

Plot

The film opens with debutante Louise Durant (

) announcing to her haughty father (played by

) that she is leaving their luxurious home to go to

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

with her lover—an aspiring violinist, Paul Bronte (

). Her father disapproves. She cannot leave, because he needs her as hostess of his luncheon of VIPs. He sees no reason to waste time with ''aspiring'' artists, when he has the cream of the crop at the luncheon she is about to miss. Besides, she lacks the discipline to study piano at the conservatory. She scoffs, "You'll see. Have you ever stopped me from doing what I want?" He replies "No". The couple joyfully motor to Zürich in a convertible. Bronte playfully muses how crazy it is to take her, when he must work. In Zürich, the couple bring Durant's bags to her elegant furnished flat. Paul inquires about the "For Rent" sign that the matron (played by

Celia Lovsky Celia Lovsky (born Cäcilia Josefina Lvovsky, February 21, 1897 – October 12, 1979) was an Austrian-American actress. On the original ''Star Trek'' she played the Vulcan matriarch T'Pau, and on ''The Twilight Zone'' she played the aged d ...

) had just removed from the front window. She explains that the attic had just been rented to an American (James Guest, played by John Ericson). When the affable Guest shows, Bronte tries unsuccessfully to convince Guest that he must give his room to Bronte because of seniority. Guest won't be conned. Guest is immediately infatuated with Durant, but she doesn't notice, while Bronte lets him know she is off-limits. Durant goes to the conservatory to audition. While waiting, she is enraptured with the piano player before her. She is pleased to discover it is Guest. The professor who oversaw the audition ushers in Bronte. They practice while Durant impatiently waits. Tension mounts as Bronte prioritizes practice over companionship with Durant. When Bronte learns he is scheduled to perform at the Zürich Symphony in three weeks, he tells a deeply disappointed Durant he will have no time for her until the concert. Meanwhile, a grand piano arrives for Durant. Guest joins Durant to try out the new piano, becoming friends. Durant's father visits her in Zürich. When she introduces him to Bronte, the father's disdain is palpable. When she asks her father if he will go to Bronte's Tchaikovsky concert at the symphony, he replies, "No. I have already heard Tchaikovsky." Yet, the father asks Bronte for a serenade. Bronte quips, "No. I only perform for pleasure or money. Something you would understand." Father admits he doesn't like Bronte's arrogance; Daughter retorts "You dislike him because he is like you and doesn't crumple like all the other men." Father correctly predicts their relationship is doomed, because Bronte can't give her the attention she needs, and he is a hummingbird that can't be caged. Bronte's solo at the Symphony is a smashing success. During the concert Durant unsuccessfully tries to capture his attention, but he is oblivious, engrossed in the music, like everyone else but her. When she goes back stage, the joyous crowd surrounds him and she can't get near, but sees him spontaneously kiss another woman in ecstatic celebration. When music agents shuffle him off to a back room to make deals, Durant calls out to him, but he waives her off. When he leaves the room hours later, she is sulking. Energized and happy to see her, he spouts off all his future plans for a tour with a finale in Rome, but indicates she can't go with as she would be a distraction. The couple fight. He has no time for her; she is ruining the day his music career takes off. The next day Durant sees him leave on the tour with another woman. She tries to kill herself with pills, but Guest intervenes. Guest nurses Durant to health, giving her the cloying affection she needs. Her father approves. She is determined to leave Zürich and the awful memories. Guest, head over heals in love with a woman who only views him as a friend, is determined to go with her - even though it means giving up his music studies. She lets him follow her to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where she marries him to try to get over Bronte. Bronte bumps into Durant in Paris, and the two admit they have not fallen out of love. Meanwhile, Guest is floundering, squandering Durant's money on booze — undoubtedly not getting the romantic attention he desires. Bronte is disgusted that Durant has allowed his talent to go to rot. When Durant tells her father she must divorce Guest, he urges her to wait. "Don't kick him when he is down. Help him get up first." She does. She moves back with him to Zürich and puts all of her focus on his musical development. Guest eventually secures a solo performance at the Symphony — nearly identical to Bronte's. But just prior to the important concert, Durant refuses to give him a token of herself for good luck. She insists he doesn't need her to succeed, that his talent is from his work alone. She confesses that she intends to leave with Bronte after the performance. Guest is devastated. At the concert, Guest is distraught throughout performance. He repeatedly looks at the empty chair reserved for his wife. Despite his anguish, he pulls off a standing ovation. When the crowd has gone and he is about to leave alone, he discovers Durant waiting. "I thought you were leaving." Crying, she tells him she saw the entire performance. They hug as lovers.

Cast

as Louise Durant *

as Paul Bronte * John Ericson as James Guest *

as Nicholas Durant *

Michael Chekhov Mikhail Aleksandrovich Chekhov (; 16 August 1891 – 30 September 1955), known as Michael Chekhov, was a Russian-American actor, Theatre director, director, author, and theatre practitioner. He was a nephew of the playwright Anton Chekhov an ...

as Prof. Schuman *

Barbara Bates Barbara Jane Bates (August 6, 1925 – March 18, 1969) was an American singer and actress, best known for her portrayal of Phoebe in the 1950 drama film ''All About Eve'' and as Katy Morgan on '' It's a Great Life'' (1954–1956). Early life ...

as Effie Cahill *

Richard Hageman Richard Hageman (9 July 1881 – 6 March 1966) was a Dutch-born American conductor, pianist, and composer. Biography Richard Hageman was born in Leeuwarden, Friesland, Netherlands. He was the son of Maurits Hageman of Zutphen, a violinist, pi ...

as Bruno Fürst * Richard Lupino as Otto Krafft *

as Frau Sigerlist *

Stuart Whitman Stuart Maxwell Whitman (February 1, 1928 – March 16, 2020) was an American actor, known for his lengthy career in film and television. Whitman was born in San Francisco and raised in New York until the age of 12, when his family relocated to ...

as Dove *

Madge Blake Madge Blake (née Cummings; May 31, 1899 – February 19, 1969) was an American character actress best remembered for her role as Larry Mondello's mother, Margaret Mondello, on the CBS/ ABC sitcom ''Leave It to Beaver'', as Flora MacMichael o ...

as Mrs. Cahill * Jack Raine as Edmund Streller * Birgit Nielsen as Madeleine * Jacqueline Duval as Yvonne * Gordon Richards as English Butler * Norma Nevens as Student Pianist

Production

The novel ''Maurice Guest'' was published in 1908. ''Rhapsody'' was filmed on location in Florhofgasse, Zürich (the street scenes) and Pontresina, Kanton Graubünden in Switzerland.

Reception

According to MGM records, the film earned $1,291,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $2,001,000 in other markets, resulting in a loss of $217,000. The movie was re-released in February 1962 to benefit from the publicity created for the movie ''Cleopatra''. The film is recognized by

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...

in these lists: * 2002: AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – Nominated

References

External links

* * * * Henry Handel Richardson (1909
''Maurice Guest''
Duffield & Company, New York {{Charles Vidor 1954 films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films based on Australian novels Films directed by Charles Vidor Films about classical music and musicians 1950s musical drama films American musical drama films 1954 drama films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films English-language musical drama films