NEW WINE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 5, Issue 125, 14 November 1941, Page 16

NEW WINE

(United Artists)

SCHUBERT’S life story has, for Bohemian romance, seldom been equalled among composers. Penniless throughout his days, he lived on the charitv of hie

friends — poets, artists, musicians — and spent his evenings with them at Bogner’s coffee house or the Green Anchor. Sometimes he would hold a partySchubertiaden they came to be called -or would play his works to an admiring circle at the home of one of his many well-known friends. Although he often used to sit alone, glum and brooding, his companions were many, and some of them, like Vogl, the baritone, famous in contemporary society. Schubert lived in a circle of brilliant people, but he was poor enough to be content with the hum-drum happenings of the less gifted. There was so much reality in his life that it was as full of ‘comedy and pathos as his musif is full (Continued on next page)

FILM REVIEWS (Continued from previous page)

of melody. It therefore affords an excellent opportunity for an historical film, made appealing by beautiful music. There is no need, no excuse even, to invent anything about Schubert to make his story interesting. Yet though I have searched through three large musical compendiums and one full-length work on the composer, I can find absolutely no justification for most of the events recorded in New Wine, It is true that Schubert met with little publishing success — he didnt particularly want it-but he did meet the public through compositions. played by the leading performers of the day, and through his operas. It is possible that he had one love affair-with the Count Esterhazy’s daughter-but if so, the object of his affection bore no resemblance in name, history, or figure to the girl portrayed by Ilona Massey, nor is there any question of her leaving her Hungarian home to seek Schubert’s company in Vienna. Nor is there mention of a flight across the border to escape conscription. Nor that the Unfinished Symphony was unfinished because the composer took to school-teaching, or because he was affected by the death of Beethoven, From the point of view of historical accuracy, then, New Wine hardly fills the old bottle. So, too, with its music. Ilona Massey is not a great singer, and the orchestra murders the hackneyed though beautiful ‘cello motif of the Unfinished Symphony by playing the reverse of pp, the composer’s direction. The director, indeed, had so little faith in Schubert’s music and in the public taste that he introduced a_ subsidiary story to pass it over as lightly as possible. I have faith, however, in the public taste, for I once heard an ordinary audience enthusiastically applaud Stokowski’s rendering of the Unfinished Symphony as a film short. There was no need to introduce a concert hall of

A.D. 1941 (or thereabouts) at various intervals when some work was to be performed. And having introduced it, there was no need to turn the cameras on an eternally triangular, though quite © touching, drama taking place in the rear gallery of the hall. I have a feeling that it would have been in better taste to have woven the masterpieces into the story by having them performed by the composer’s own orchestra of acquaintances in the salon cof a friend-as he did quite often. Still there are good points to save the picture from complete disapproval. The

picture of Beethoven is very well done indeed (Albert Basserman again!) The comedy scenes are good, except that Binnie ‘Barnes is nothing more than silly. Alan Curtis makes a life-like Schubert, though he does not sing and is not quite as traditionally plump as was Tauber in Blossom Time. ; But I would not advise those with a passion for historical accuracy to see this picture.