A lot of biopics made during the studio era blended fact and fiction. Sometimes the fictionalized aspects of a person's life on screen were regarded as truth, especially if they glorified the individual's reputation. In this case, 20th Century Fox has seen fit to dramatize the life of composer Stephen C. Foster (Don Ameche) who gained fame as one of the country's most beloved songwriters of the 1800s.
This is supposed to be a feel-good film, presented in Technicolor, so the darker aspects of Foster's life have been glossed over. If his life story was remade today, no doubt his struggles with mental illness would be more prominently featured; his alcoholism and the break-up of his marriage would not be given short shrift; and the legacy of his music which celebrated life in the antebellum south would be seen through a politically correct lens.
I guess we should be grateful those darker elements are not present in this 1939 production, and that for the most part, the story remains a fairly nostalgic affair. Foster's simple music, which owes a debt to negro spirituals, is what's front and center; it's what this picture seeks to celebrate and often succeeds at doing.
I am not sure if I would have picked Don Ameche for the lead role, though he can sing and has musical talent. Mr. Ameche was probably cast because of the strength of his performance in another popular biopic, THE STORY OF ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL. Audiences accepted him playing historical figures from the past.
They also accepted someone like Al Jolson playing a role largely in blackface. However, it should be pointed out that there are several scenes in which Mr. Jolson does not appear in blackface. Typically this only occurs when he is on stage, when his character E. P. Christy is performing minstrel routines with his band.
One thing that is factual here is that Foster and Christy had a long-running collaboration. It may be argued that Foster would not have achieved renown if Christy's blackface routines had not popularized the material Foster wrote.
This would be Jolson's last on screen role in a motion picture, though he did provide the vocals for Columbia's biopic about his life, THE JOLSON STORY, seven years later. Jolson is a consummate entertainer, and his musical scenes are a highlight...they are infused with a lot of energy and fun. In the more dramatic scenes, he holds his own opposite Ameche.
Cast as the faithful wife is Andrea Leeds, borrowed from Sam Goldwyn. It occurs to me while watching her that physically she has a striking resemblance to Olivia de Havilland. I read that producer Daryl Zanuck wanted one of his contract players Nancy Kelly to take this role, but I think Miss Leeds provides the necessary amount of wholesomeness and naive quality required. She works very well in the scenes where her character is dealing with her husband's genius and madness.
Another nice thing about this production is that we are given background on how Foster came to pen some of his most famous tunes. For example, there's a sequence at the beginning of the film where our young lovers meet up along a river while they are courting, before their marriage. At the end of the picture, he composes what is perhaps his most well-known piece, 'Old Folks at Home a.k.a. Swanee River' when he is reflecting about simpler times they shared near the Suwannee River in Florida.
There is also the relationship the two have with the coachman (George Reed) of the wife's wealthy family. He's affectionately called Old Joe, and Joe keeps asking throughout the movie when a song will be written about him.
In a poignant scene, Joe dies and they feel as if they've lost a member of the family. As Joe dies, Ameche whistles some impromptu notes to him, which becomes the basis for a song about Old Joe. A choir sings this at Joe's grave, and I felt this to be a highlight of the picture.
The war between the states becomes a plot point in the second half of the movie. The scriptwriters take several liberties with the facts during this part. We see Foster's career go belly up, when he is condemned by northerners for glorifying the south with his popular tunes. For a time his music is not played because of this. Some of these reversals did not really occur until after the war.
I suppose it provides ample drama to alter the timeline slightly and have Foster feeling defeated if his sympathy for the south is used against him. One thing for certain is that Foster's own family-- a financially successful northern family-- was not in favor of abolition. I wonder how this point would be handled today if the film were remade now.
The last sequence of the picture is the most powerful. Foster has been involved in a life-threatening injury on the night that his ode to Swanee River is to be performed by Christy. When he doesn't show up at the theater, his wife realizes something is wrong. She rushes out to find him, and Christy follows. Foster dies a short time later, but we are told that his music will continue to live on and remain an important part of American culture. His simple compositions celebrate the lives of all Americans, about how we triumph over adversity and do not forget our origins.
This is supposed to be a feel-good film, presented in Technicolor, so the darker aspects of Foster's life have been glossed over. If his life story was remade today, no doubt his struggles with mental illness would be more prominently featured; his alcoholism and the break-up of his marriage would not be given short shrift; and the legacy of his music which celebrated life in the antebellum south would be seen through a politically correct lens.
I guess we should be grateful those darker elements are not present in this 1939 production, and that for the most part, the story remains a fairly nostalgic affair. Foster's simple music, which owes a debt to negro spirituals, is what's front and center; it's what this picture seeks to celebrate and often succeeds at doing.
I am not sure if I would have picked Don Ameche for the lead role, though he can sing and has musical talent. Mr. Ameche was probably cast because of the strength of his performance in another popular biopic, THE STORY OF ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL. Audiences accepted him playing historical figures from the past.
They also accepted someone like Al Jolson playing a role largely in blackface. However, it should be pointed out that there are several scenes in which Mr. Jolson does not appear in blackface. Typically this only occurs when he is on stage, when his character E. P. Christy is performing minstrel routines with his band.
One thing that is factual here is that Foster and Christy had a long-running collaboration. It may be argued that Foster would not have achieved renown if Christy's blackface routines had not popularized the material Foster wrote.
This would be Jolson's last on screen role in a motion picture, though he did provide the vocals for Columbia's biopic about his life, THE JOLSON STORY, seven years later. Jolson is a consummate entertainer, and his musical scenes are a highlight...they are infused with a lot of energy and fun. In the more dramatic scenes, he holds his own opposite Ameche.
Cast as the faithful wife is Andrea Leeds, borrowed from Sam Goldwyn. It occurs to me while watching her that physically she has a striking resemblance to Olivia de Havilland. I read that producer Daryl Zanuck wanted one of his contract players Nancy Kelly to take this role, but I think Miss Leeds provides the necessary amount of wholesomeness and naive quality required. She works very well in the scenes where her character is dealing with her husband's genius and madness.
Another nice thing about this production is that we are given background on how Foster came to pen some of his most famous tunes. For example, there's a sequence at the beginning of the film where our young lovers meet up along a river while they are courting, before their marriage. At the end of the picture, he composes what is perhaps his most well-known piece, 'Old Folks at Home a.k.a. Swanee River' when he is reflecting about simpler times they shared near the Suwannee River in Florida.
There is also the relationship the two have with the coachman (George Reed) of the wife's wealthy family. He's affectionately called Old Joe, and Joe keeps asking throughout the movie when a song will be written about him.
In a poignant scene, Joe dies and they feel as if they've lost a member of the family. As Joe dies, Ameche whistles some impromptu notes to him, which becomes the basis for a song about Old Joe. A choir sings this at Joe's grave, and I felt this to be a highlight of the picture.
The war between the states becomes a plot point in the second half of the movie. The scriptwriters take several liberties with the facts during this part. We see Foster's career go belly up, when he is condemned by northerners for glorifying the south with his popular tunes. For a time his music is not played because of this. Some of these reversals did not really occur until after the war.
I suppose it provides ample drama to alter the timeline slightly and have Foster feeling defeated if his sympathy for the south is used against him. One thing for certain is that Foster's own family-- a financially successful northern family-- was not in favor of abolition. I wonder how this point would be handled today if the film were remade now.
The last sequence of the picture is the most powerful. Foster has been involved in a life-threatening injury on the night that his ode to Swanee River is to be performed by Christy. When he doesn't show up at the theater, his wife realizes something is wrong. She rushes out to find him, and Christy follows. Foster dies a short time later, but we are told that his music will continue to live on and remain an important part of American culture. His simple compositions celebrate the lives of all Americans, about how we triumph over adversity and do not forget our origins.