Reviews

The story is hackneyed, but the acting (except for Stone's daughter played by Elizabeth Allan) is above average, with both Barrymore and Stone turning in excellent work, as do about a dozen or so character actors, some of whom are outstanding.

But what struck me the most was the quality of the print and of the photography itself. Once I looked up Oliver T. Marsh (brother of Mae), I saw that he he went on to do many major films, and died relatively young. His work his is luminescent, and it's not just the lighting that grabs your attention. Most every shot is placed just perfectly (Clarence brown in inspired form) and the various angles and shades of lights brought as much pleasure as the acting, sometimes even more in the more clichéd and/or staid moments.

Without a doubt, this is a far above average production.

As someone else has already said here, every scene in this film is gem. Most films are lucky to have one scene that is perfect, but director Jewison hit a home run every time. The cast got just the right take on the excellent script, and in addition, Dick Hyman's musical settings of the opera and the other music made for a perfect match. Hard to imagine how they kept the precise mood going throughout the long production of a film. The comedy is subtle (mostly), and the camera-work mirrors every little emotional inflection of the narrative. Cher is such a comedy natural, Vincent Gardenia (who I know mostly through his Frank Lorenzo role on All in the Family until I saw him in this and then off-Broadway in the 80's)deserved far greater stardom than he ever got, and Aiello's hapless loser are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to giving kudos to this tremendous cast. Has Jewison ever written about this film?

Would love to read it. Hard to figure out why the average rating here at IMDb is so low...