Torch Song (1953)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Joan Crawford plays a high-strung Broadway star who makes life miserable for all of her co-stars, directors, and musicians who work with her. Though Crawford isn't much of a dancer and all the songs are dubbed, she succeeds well at portraying demanding neurotic characters like the one she plays in this movie. Since a lot of this film takes place on the stage, it is bizarre watching Joan Crawford play at being a star dancer and singer when she can't really do either of them well. That is a part of what gives this film its appeal for Crawford fans. Her wardrobe is at times spectacular and she does one number in black face that has to be seen to be believed. Other than that, which is substantial to watch, the romance with the blind pianist played by Michael Wilding seems meant to balance out the high-end camp taking place on the stage.

Joan Crawford, nearly 50 and sporting red hair, in a Technicolor MGM musical. Oh brother! Joan plays an acerbic Broadway diva who bosses everybody around and cuts them down with her acid tongue. She's thrown for a loop when she's forced to work with a blind piano player who gets under her skin. To her credit (and our amusement) Joan plays the part with the utmost seriousness. There isn't the slightest hint of self-deprecation here. Our diva doesn't seem to get that, intended or not, this is all one big garish joke. Joan gets lots of costume changes and there's an overdose of color throughout the film. What I was reminded of while watching was "The Barkleys of Broadway." In that film, Ginger Rogers was given the Technicolor treatment and also lots of wardrobe changes. The difference between the two films is that the costumes and color of "Barkleys" made an already beautiful Ginger even more ravishing. Whereas this film comes across like one big practical joke on Joan Crawford by MGM. They do nothing to make her look good. As for the acting and dancing, that's all on Joan. She stomps her way through the film, as graceful as a hippopotamus. Her diet during the making of this movie consisted entirely of scenery. She chews every inch of it. The singing is dubbed by India Adams and it's so obvious that it takes you out of the scenes to laugh at Joan's lip-syncing. Again, MGM did nothing to help hide any of Joan's weaknesses. If anything, they embraced and exaggerated them.Michael Wilding plays the blind piano player that Joan falls in love with. He comes across as mentally deficient at times with that irritating smirk on his face. His deliberately mannered way of speaking got on my nerves so much. His ludicrous performance is never worse than when he's doing emotional scenes. The scene where he gives a blonde beauty the brush-off because he's fixed on Joan is so overwrought you will be doubled over in laughter. Also, Wilding's character is the only blind man I've ever seen whose seeing-eye dog walks BEHIND him! The final scene between he and Joan has to be seen to be believed. Marjorie Rambeau plays Joan's mother and was actually pretty fun. Her reaction to Joan's being in love with a blind man is priceless. But she's only in a few brief scenes. She received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for this film.It's a movie full of unintentionally funny moments. An early scene that will no doubt draw laughter from the audience sees Joan leaving rehearsal to be swamped by adoring teenage fans. I guess before rock & roll the kids all hung around back alleys waiting to get autographs from their favorite middle-aged Broadway stars! Another funny scene is where Joan throws a party and only invites men. It's a total sausage fest! The "Two Faced Woman" musical number is one of the worst MGM ever produced. It's the infamous number where Joan wears blackface, bright red lipstick, and a shiny blue sequin dress while writhing around on stage with male backup dancers. It was included in the MGM retrospective film "That's Entertainment III." It was only included to show a side-by-side comparison of Joan and Cyd Charisse separately performing the same song, seemingly to embarrass Joan. It's a terrible movie but also a camp classic. It's so bad you have to see it. Joan Crawford fans will love it.

What makes this tepidly received 1953 romantic melodrama with music watchable in the 21st century is primarily Joan Crawford who, by this time, was at the zenith of her screen acting powers. In the 1950s she played a succession of formidable middle-aged dames who had maintained their good looks despite years of character-building hard knocks. But at the core of all of these creatures was a tender and easily broken heart and the plots of most of Joan's 1950s films explore the way this tender heart is exposed through love.Second in appeal is the color scheme. It was not unusual for 1950s Hollywood commercial fare to feature brilliant, even garish, colors in order to entice viewers away from the little boxes of black-and-white in their living rooms. Seen through the lens of more than half a century, these schemes look bizarre, even ridiculous, but create their own fascination. This is one of those super-saturated works that can hold the attention just to see which crazy color combination will appear in the next scene.

**PLOT SPOILERS** Just hilarious. Joan Crawford plays hard-boiled bitchy singer/actress Jenny Stewart. She treats everybody like dirt--but that's cause she's (sigh) lonely. Only piano player Tye Graham (Michael Wilding) sees right through her. And--oh yes--he's BLIND!!!! Oh the irony! Naturally she hates him then falls in love with him. It leads up to a totally predictable twist at the end that leads to a happy ending that will have you screaming for insulin! Crawford made plenty of bad films in her career--but none was as much fun as this one! She overacts even more than usual (believe it or not) and bulldozes her way through the film. It's a terrible film with a truly rotten script but Crawford is so over the top it's hard to not enjoy. Her "singing" numbers are unbelievable. When she "sang" her first number "Follow Me" I broke out laughing! It is SO obviously not her voice and Crawford's overdone acting during it is just incredible. Still she DOES lip sync well. The high point (so to speak) is the song and dance of "Two Face Woman" with Joan AND the entire chorus in black face! It's just too jaw-droppingly silly to take seriously. And when Joan tears off the black wig at the end to show that blazing red hair it hits new heights of camp! The rest of the cast falls by the wayside of Crawford's histrionics. Poor Gig Young barely registers. Wilding is actually pretty good--his nice underacting actually compliments Joan's overacting very well. Marjorie Rambeau (playing Joan's mother) is very good also and was actually nominated for a Best Supporting Actress for this. Also Joan's "clumsy" dance partner is director Charles Walters.This is most definitely not a good picture but it's in blazing Technicolor, has a hilariously stupid story and has Joan going full blast! A must see for camp followers. I can only seriously give it a 7 though. Yeah it's fun but it's SO stupid!