Intermezzo comes across as another standard dramatic love story. Leslie Howard stars as Holger Brandt, a world renowned violinist who returns home from a long standing tour to reunite with his family and in the process meets Anita, played by Ingrid Bergman in her first American role as his daughter's piano teacher.
Nothing much happens up to the build up of Holger and Anita's relationship. Intermezzo at this point solely focuses on the relations between Holger and his family. This is done mostly in a sentimental manner mainly through the use of the character Ann Marie who adores her Father unconditionally causing Intermezzo to become soppy viewing, setting the foundations for melodrama. It is only once Holger and Anita connect that Intermezzo somewhat becomes intriguing. Attracted to her piano playing Holger improvises with her creating an intense atmosphere as the pair play off each other.
This starts the catalyst to their doomed romance in which Ingrid Bergman shines in her performance. Her acting acquires the right emotions for a character who is naturally shy and well – mannered. Throughout she experiences guilt concerning her actions highlighting the moral dilemma their affair is conveyed to be. She struggles to hold her guilty emotions asking Holger in one scene to look in the mirror to see what she sees, two lovers in a hazardous relationship. Eventually Anita leaves Holger for the sake of decency over their happiness but not before having conflicted emotions wherever to stay or go. All done sufficiently by Ingrid Bergman who captured the senses of a naive woman swept and confused by love.
The ending of their affair only intensifies the moralist theme of Intermezzo which quickly sinks to melodramatic depths once Holger returns home. After a reunion with his daughter is cut drastically short by a motor incident he is forced to reflect upon his affair and the consequences it has caused to those around him. Opening up Howard states that "we're tragically human, right up to the rest of our lives", this along with grasping the chance to be a dedicated father from then on brings the moralist theme to full circle.
At the length of only 70 minutes Intermezzo may have been improved with a longer run time to expand therefore fleshing out the characters to a greater degree in order to make a more rounded story rather than having characters such as Holger's family members who seem to be nothing more than props to draw guilt onto Holger. However Intermezzo does have its peak in the form of Ingrid Bergman, whose performance here indicates the talent and versatility she showed in her later roles which made her a cinema icon.
Nothing much happens up to the build up of Holger and Anita's relationship. Intermezzo at this point solely focuses on the relations between Holger and his family. This is done mostly in a sentimental manner mainly through the use of the character Ann Marie who adores her Father unconditionally causing Intermezzo to become soppy viewing, setting the foundations for melodrama. It is only once Holger and Anita connect that Intermezzo somewhat becomes intriguing. Attracted to her piano playing Holger improvises with her creating an intense atmosphere as the pair play off each other.
This starts the catalyst to their doomed romance in which Ingrid Bergman shines in her performance. Her acting acquires the right emotions for a character who is naturally shy and well – mannered. Throughout she experiences guilt concerning her actions highlighting the moral dilemma their affair is conveyed to be. She struggles to hold her guilty emotions asking Holger in one scene to look in the mirror to see what she sees, two lovers in a hazardous relationship. Eventually Anita leaves Holger for the sake of decency over their happiness but not before having conflicted emotions wherever to stay or go. All done sufficiently by Ingrid Bergman who captured the senses of a naive woman swept and confused by love.
The ending of their affair only intensifies the moralist theme of Intermezzo which quickly sinks to melodramatic depths once Holger returns home. After a reunion with his daughter is cut drastically short by a motor incident he is forced to reflect upon his affair and the consequences it has caused to those around him. Opening up Howard states that "we're tragically human, right up to the rest of our lives", this along with grasping the chance to be a dedicated father from then on brings the moralist theme to full circle.
At the length of only 70 minutes Intermezzo may have been improved with a longer run time to expand therefore fleshing out the characters to a greater degree in order to make a more rounded story rather than having characters such as Holger's family members who seem to be nothing more than props to draw guilt onto Holger. However Intermezzo does have its peak in the form of Ingrid Bergman, whose performance here indicates the talent and versatility she showed in her later roles which made her a cinema icon.