The Swan (1956)

The Age of Commercialism

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The plot of "The Swan" isn't very original. However, the idea of it being more of a comedy than drama and romance was a nice twist. But for the character and performance of Alec Guiness as Prince Albert, and some of the wackiness of the family, this would be a dull film indeed. One can't deny that Grace Kelly was a beautiful woman and very good actress. But as Princess Alexandra in this film, she was stiff as a board, cold as an iceberg, and lifeless as a puppet. The only thing that comes close to saving the film is Guiness in his American film debut. At the proding of his mother, Queen Maria Dominika (played by Agnes Moorhead), the prince has been searching all over Europe for the right mate. By the time he comes to the estate of Princess Alexandra and her family, he's tired and worn out. He doesn't dilly-dally, and on the first evening when they are alone, he makes his move – a gentle placing of his hand on that of the princess. When she pulls away abruptly, Albert backs off and for the rest of his stay he will be happy sleeping late, playing soccer with the princes, and doing other manly things. Come what may, the prince will find his mate, sooner or later.He isn't a simpleton, as some may think, but has keen insight and understanding of the ways of royalty. He has wisdom in such matters, but for now, instead of working up a lather about courtship with Alexandra, he wants to unwind and enjoy himself. Some of the humor of the film comes from the Prince. The rest comes from Alexandra's family, especially her mother, Princess Beatrix (Jessie Landis) and uncle, Father Carl Hyacinth (Brian Aherne). Louis Jourdan is the tutor to Alexandra's brothers, and in love with the princess. While his character has some life, the performance of Dr. Nicholas Agi is clumsy at times and just barely better than that of Kelly. The romance between the princess and the tutor is awkward as written and as played by the two, especially Alexandra. Did she really have any feelings for this guy? Except for her intimating such once or twice, how would anyone know because she didn't show it by any of her actions, manners or looks? Remember that at one point, she said she had wanted to be a queen. So, in the end, it all works out as it should. I don't think this film should have been labeled a romance at all, but just a comedy. It is a sort of comedy of manners for nobility in its heyday. That some reviewers lamented the ending or thought this was a big romance film might explain why such folks missed the humor and the spoofing of the past culture of royalty. One of the few very good aspects of this film was its filming location – at the world's largest mansion – the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. This film had been made, in various versions in the past – all based on a Hungarian play by Ferenc Molnar. The original Broadway play ran in 1923. Kelly had appeared in a TV production of "The Swan" that aired June 9, 1950 on CBS. Kelly had only 30 film credits in her short six-year career – half of those in TV serials. But she made some very good films and played opposite some of the top leading men of Hollywood. This clearly was her least movie – really, the only bad one she made. I wonder if her mind wasn't somewhere else. It wasn't a coincidence that MGM released the film on April 18, 1956 – the very day that Grace Kelly was marrying Monaco's Prince Rainier. She gave up her Hollywood career for a crown. But, even with Princess Grace's seeming fairy-tale romance, wedding, and fan following, MGM wasn't able to salvage this film at the box office. Critics and audiences alike saw it as a glamorous, eye- pleasing production that missed the mark due to a weak script, poor direction and flat performance by a couple of the leads. The box office take was just over $3.7 million worldwide, and but for the larger non-U.S. showings, "The Swan" would have lost more than it did – nearly $800,000. My six stars for this film are generous, but I think Guinness and the other members of the household royalty are deserving for their comedic efforts. Here are some sample lines from the film. For more humorous dialog, see the Quotes section here on the IMDb Web page for the film. Queen Beatrix, "Must you still write with a feather? This is the 20th century." Symphorosa, "I don't like the 20th century." Queen Beatrix, (To Dr. Nicholas Agi) "You're here to give the boys an education, not to fill their heads with a lot of historical gossip."Queen Beatrix, "I noticed the roses are already beginning to bloom." Head Gardener (David Thursby), "They're just at their best, your highness." Queen Beatrix, "I don't want them at their best until the day after tomorrow. Hold them back."

Directed by Charles Vidor, with a screenplay by John Dighton (Roman Holiday (1953)), this average romantic drama with comedic elements stars Grace Kelly (The Country Girl (1954)), in the title role, as a Princess who hopes to (marry to) become a Queen. Ironically, production on this film was wrapped up (at the Biltmore House in North Carolina) just before Christmas, when Prince Rainier of Monaco, who had been corresponding with the actress since they'd met at the Cannes Film Festival (quite by chance, sometime earlier), visited her in Philadelphia, beginning his courtship which will culminate in their royal wedding.Kelly plays Princess Alexandra, a blonde icicle of a woman whose mother Princess Beatrix (Jessie Royce Landis, who also played Kelly's mother in To Catch A Thief (1955)) has prepared her for, and dreamed of, the day when their family could be reunited with the crown through marriage to Prince Albert, played wittingly as always by (now, Sir) Alec Guinness. So, in effect, Albert is the fish that Beatrix wants to "hook" for her willing daughter Alexandra, who's convinced to use her admiring "friend", and younger brothers' (Van Dyke Parks and Christopher Cook) tutor, Dr. Nicholas Agi (Louis Jourdan), to make the Prince jealous enough to show an interest in her. A problem arises when Agi, who'd lit an improbable candle for Alexandra, reads too much into her inviting him to the ball for the Prince, such that he believes he can miraculously rise above his class.Agnes Moorehead plays Albert's mom, the Queen, who appears briefly near the end of the film. Brian Aherne (Juarez (1939)) plays Beatrix's brother, now Father Hyacinth, whose insight and wise guidance proves invaluable to their "side" of the family. A nearly unrecognizable Leo G. Carroll plays Caesar, the subtle and all knowing family butler. Estelle Winwood plays Beatrix's older sister, and Alexandra's Aunt Symphorosa, who's facial expressions and "gasps" as well as her championing of Jourdan's character in the "love triangle" highlights several of the film's too few amusing scenes. Robert Coote plays Albert's ever present aide, Captain Wunderlich, whose valuable services allow the Prince to appear to be more in touch than he actually is; the Captain also "rescues" Albert from uncomfortable or otherwise boring situations. These "interventions" provide the balance of the remaining "funny" scenes.Besides the confusing and rather frustrating romantic triangle interactions that dominate the film's final third, the ending itself is especially downbeat, as are many of these "stiff upper lip", "one must not forget one's duty" royalty pictures ... though we do, finally, get an explanation for the film's title.

In one of those life imitates art situations Grace Kelly gave her farewell performance on the big screen playing a princess. She left the screen to become a princess, Princess Grace of Monaco. No Hollywood scriptwriter could come up with that.I wish she had left after High Society though. The Swan is a rather old fashioned drama set in 1910 with a royal family of some Ruritanian principality finding themselves in a financial bind. Jessie Royce- Landis and her three kids, Grace Kelly, Christopher Cook, and Van Dyke Parks will have to live in reduced circumstances and have to give up among other things, the royal tutor Louis Jourdan. That is unless mom can get visiting cousin Prince Alec Guinness interested in a royal match with Princess Grace. But when he arrives he's essentially quite indifferent to her. Which gets Jourdan's goat because he's crushing out big time.This kind of work without the accompanying publicity of Grace Kelly's real life wedding to Prince Rainer probably would have died at the box office. It's a story way too old fashioned for 1956 tastes let alone now. The choices that this family is forced to make would be imposed on most of royal Europe by the end of the decade, forced on people holding much bigger titles than this family has.No one set foot in Europe as this was shot in a recreated castle in North Carolina by the Vanderbilt family. Since that time the location has been used for several films. It certainly is one fine replica.In a recent biography of Alec Guinness it is reported that Guinness who got along with his co-stars did not with director Charles Vidor. It certainly didn't affect his performance. Guinness was a brilliant player but a strangely neurotic man who had a lot of issues.Grace Kelly did not end her acting career on a high note with The Swan. More like a middle C.

A nice old-fashioned story with a hidden message: do what is right. Grace Kelly seems a little self-conscious under the glare of the camera, but beautiful nevertheless. The dashing Louis Jourdan is worth watching on the dance floor scene, as he is good-looking, graceful and romantic. Look for the aunt Symphorosa's wacky, out-of-place comments when it seems that the plot gets a little dry. She adds some off-beat humor and is very likable. Of note, there are several underlying hints that the Prince is probably gay: he takes no notice of Princess Alexandra and the scenes between him and her are painful to watch, because he keep fixing her with a closed expression in his eye (like a man that knows a woman wants him but is not interested because he already has a man!). Be on the lookout for a telling scene between Carl, Symphorosa and Beatrix. They discuss the Prince's preference for the professor's company rather than attempting to court the princess. Enjoy the movie and the subtle style of screen writing from the bygone era of cinema!