Forever Amber (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
Based on a wildly popular & scandalous romance novel, 'Forever Amber' (directed by Otto Preminger) became one of 1947's biggest smash hits. The budget for this movie was huge ($6 million or so), but so were box office returns; as studio heads declared this the next Gone with the Wind. Problem is: due to Hollywood's Production Code (of ethics), the more intriguingly sordid plot details from the book were left out of this movie, which made this astonishing-looking epic rather tepid from a dramatic standpoint. Feeling suppressed by her poor, Puritan upbringing and rejecting her father's choice of her husband-to-be, Amber St. Clare (beguiling Linda Darnell) flees the countryside for London; eventually finding success as a ... ahem ... courtesan.
The 1st true love of her life is dashing soldier Bruce Carlton (Cornel Wilde), who petitions King Charles II for his just rewards for fighting for his cherished Restoration. Amber loves him deeply, but after he gets her pregnant, heads off to sea (and to war) when said petition finally comes through. Circumstances arise where Bruce leaves Amber penniless and in jail (on false charges). In prison, she arranges her escape with a bandit who becomes her lover. She gives birth to Bruce's child thereafter. From there, Amber - who grows more & more resourceful - escapes the clutches of a gang, led by Mother Red Cap (Anne Revere).
She romances the sadistic Earl of Radcliffe (Richard Haydn). She romances one, Capt. Morgan (Glenn Langan), who sets her up as a traveling actress. She beds one man after the next to 'get by'. She survives the Plague. And she even survives the Great London Fire. Amber eventually becomes the favorite 'concubine' of King Charles II (wittily played by George Sanders). Things seem alright for Amber for a while; lives with her young son in luxury with the king. But true love eludes her and promiscuity has its price. When Bruce Carlton re-emerges in Amber's life, King Charles II's eyebrows go up ... which doesn't augur well for her.
Well. This motion picture sure does look amazing -- I'll give it that. Though saved by a few action scenes, some political intrigue, the burnished Technicolor cinematography (by Leon Shamroy), the lavish sets, & a plethora of brilliant costumes (that surely would have won an Academy Award if the award existed back in '47) ... the melodramatic story is rather thin (especially given the too long 135 minute run time), & Otto Preminger's direction felt too dreary. In other words, the proceedings felt too static; as if we were watching a prettily filmed stage play. Another problem this film faced - as mentioned above - is that the inherent eroticism of the story from the novel is almost completely missing from this production. More 'sex' would have livened things up; rather than just assuming it went on.
Dressed in a wealth of gorgeous gowns, Linda Darnell impresses as the titular Amber. From her initial wenching in the taverns to her cavorts with King Charles II in his palace, you get a real understanding of Amber {the good, bad, & the ugly}. Cornel Wilde is ... fine. But while he's masculine enough, he doesn't exude enough sex appeal (to me) to match Linda Darnell. George Sanders is a hoot as the flowery, pompous King. Richard Haydn is wonderfully loathsome as the arrogant earl. Anne Revere is suitably despicable as Mother Red Cap. And Jessica Tandy does well as Amber's maid. The performances, lavish production values, & David Raksin's Oscar-nommed music brings this too long, heavy-handed film the little extra excitement it needed for it to qualify as passable escapist entertainment.
The 1st true love of her life is dashing soldier Bruce Carlton (Cornel Wilde), who petitions King Charles II for his just rewards for fighting for his cherished Restoration. Amber loves him deeply, but after he gets her pregnant, heads off to sea (and to war) when said petition finally comes through. Circumstances arise where Bruce leaves Amber penniless and in jail (on false charges). In prison, she arranges her escape with a bandit who becomes her lover. She gives birth to Bruce's child thereafter. From there, Amber - who grows more & more resourceful - escapes the clutches of a gang, led by Mother Red Cap (Anne Revere).
She romances the sadistic Earl of Radcliffe (Richard Haydn). She romances one, Capt. Morgan (Glenn Langan), who sets her up as a traveling actress. She beds one man after the next to 'get by'. She survives the Plague. And she even survives the Great London Fire. Amber eventually becomes the favorite 'concubine' of King Charles II (wittily played by George Sanders). Things seem alright for Amber for a while; lives with her young son in luxury with the king. But true love eludes her and promiscuity has its price. When Bruce Carlton re-emerges in Amber's life, King Charles II's eyebrows go up ... which doesn't augur well for her.
Well. This motion picture sure does look amazing -- I'll give it that. Though saved by a few action scenes, some political intrigue, the burnished Technicolor cinematography (by Leon Shamroy), the lavish sets, & a plethora of brilliant costumes (that surely would have won an Academy Award if the award existed back in '47) ... the melodramatic story is rather thin (especially given the too long 135 minute run time), & Otto Preminger's direction felt too dreary. In other words, the proceedings felt too static; as if we were watching a prettily filmed stage play. Another problem this film faced - as mentioned above - is that the inherent eroticism of the story from the novel is almost completely missing from this production. More 'sex' would have livened things up; rather than just assuming it went on.
Dressed in a wealth of gorgeous gowns, Linda Darnell impresses as the titular Amber. From her initial wenching in the taverns to her cavorts with King Charles II in his palace, you get a real understanding of Amber {the good, bad, & the ugly}. Cornel Wilde is ... fine. But while he's masculine enough, he doesn't exude enough sex appeal (to me) to match Linda Darnell. George Sanders is a hoot as the flowery, pompous King. Richard Haydn is wonderfully loathsome as the arrogant earl. Anne Revere is suitably despicable as Mother Red Cap. And Jessica Tandy does well as Amber's maid. The performances, lavish production values, & David Raksin's Oscar-nommed music brings this too long, heavy-handed film the little extra excitement it needed for it to qualify as passable escapist entertainment.