Glamorous socialite Helen Wright (Joan Crawford) takes what she wants clothes, alcohol, men uses them up and tosses them aside. Then she meets brilliant young violinist Paul Boray (John Garfield). But this is one toy she can’t break. Instead, her love for Paul brings Helen to the breaking point. In this acclaimed and profound exploration of desire, Crawford makes Helen a rich, layered character torn between selfless love and selfish impulses. Garfield matches her as the driven genius. Humoresque’s production values extend to the musical interludes, dubbed by Isaac Stern. Garfield’s dazzling technique is thanks to two real violinists hidden behind him one to do the fingering and one the bow work.

Features include:

* 1.37:1 Full Frame
* English Mono
* English, French and Spanish subtitles
* New Featurette The Music of Humoresque (9:42)
* Theatrical Trailer

Is there a release date for this new batch of Crawford/Davis titles? I've been waiting for this (Humoresque) and The Star for some time, so this is great news indeed . . .

Both on June 14.

Joan Crawford
Bette Davis

Thanks for the info. And on my birthday no less. . .

Considering that Joan and Bette weren't exactly the closest of chums, I'm sure there's a lot of grave spinning going on at the announcement of their DVD sets being released simultaneously....

Does anybody find this movie even slightly amazing in that most of it is music and cinematography. I am not sure that I have ever seen a non musical with so little dialogue. But with photography like that and two faces that are incredibly photographable one doesnt need to do much but listen and watch Joan Crawford and John Garfield. I was very impressed.

By the way without needing to be said I will say the transfer is Warnerific!

And there's always the great story: Haller and Negulesco had a devil of a time finally sorting out Henryk Szering tucked behind Garfield with arms poking through a cutaway coat to play the violin for Garfield's concerto debut. After all this fuss Joan asked how she should play the reaction shots. Without a pause Negulesco said: "have an orgasm" so she did!

God bless Joan!!! (and Haller!)

Having just watched the Short feature on the music in the movie, I need to correct my last post. The violinist who supplied the perormances for Garfield was (young turk as they call him) Isaac Stern, not Szeryng.

Couple of points about this movie - it is so driven by the music, and full credit to Waxman for both his arrangements of material (his own 9 minute Carmen fantasy is - I think - as good as Sarasate's) and the integration of the music into the texture of the narrative. Very fine. Once again an overloaded Cliffie Odets screenplay threatens to be a weakness (his dialogue in the Cooper/Madeline Carroll General Died at Dawn is ludicrous for instance) but cerainly Garfield and Ruth Nelson as mother handle it with aplomb, although Oscar Levant - as usual - tries to make a meal of every line.
Quibbles aside once the movie enters the realm of star vehicle for Joan it just takes off. Negulesco's mise-en-scene during the Lalo Rapsodie Espagnole sequence is totally masterful! As fine as anything she ever did for Cukor.

and a two

It seemed like this film starts as a John Garfield picture and ends up a Joan Crawford one, with Oscar Levant in his own one-man show at all times. I do wonder if it might have been stronger overall had the Crawford character been played by someone less, say, Joan Crawford-y. As it is, the idea of a romance, and such a shattering one especially, between the two seems too unbelievable to fully work.

I don't think Crawford pairs up well with male actors in any of her starring films, really. Maybe Henry Fonda in Daisy Kenyon, but that's more because of his character and performance than hers.

I'd say the difference is in the writing. All three legs of the triangle hold up well in DK, because each character is written as an adult.

I love "Humoresque," and I've seen many accounts, including that of Oscar Levant -- who, presumably, was an eyewitness -- of the arrangement by which two violinists crouched behind John Garfield, each one reaching around him.

I had no reason to doubt that story until I heard a violinist say flatly that it was bunk. Does anyone know of any first hand accounts or photos that would settle this matter?

I seem to recall Bette Davis speaking of the same stunt being used in one of her films (but on another character in the film, I think - and please don't aski which film ... I cannot recall). It does sound uncomfortable at best & I wonder how the violininst managed accurate fingering without really being able to see the violin. It's been ages since I've seen HUMORESQUE, so I have no clue how else it might have been done. Might Garfield's head have been matted over footage of the real violinist?

The Bette Davis movie must have been "Deception," in which Paul Henreid portrayed a cellist. My Googling turned up statements to the effect that the same thing was done.

Every Internet reference I've seen to "Humoresque" and "Deception" supports that version, but the violinist insists that it would be too difficult, and scoffs at the idea. He says you can't believe something just because it's on the Internet. Well, I agree with that, but on the other hand, if the only dissenting voice you hear is from someone who wasn't there, you have to wonder.

Garfield's head wasn't matted, and the actual violin playing was done by Isaac Stern, so I guess the two behind Garfield only had to make the fingering look good.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts.