Deep in My Heart (1954)

7/10

Beautiful music magnificently sung and danced by MGM pros

blanche-210 February 2012

"Deep in My Heart" is a 1954 MGM musical starring Jose Ferrer. It purports to tell the story of Sigmund Romberg, and while much I'm sure is left out, the film is filled with not only great music, but great singing.

Well directed by Stanley Donen, the movie shows us Romberg trying to fit in with the musical comedy style, but really having a talent with a more classical, operetta-like bend.

Not only is the music beautiful, but it is exquisitely sung by some of the best singers of that era. My favorite song, "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" from "New Moon" is initially sung by the great Wagnerian opera star, Helen Traubel. And be still my heart, my second favorite song, "Lover Come Back to Me" is sung by Tony Martin and Joan Weldon. Martin was for me the best tenor of that time, better than Allan Jones, James Melton - absolutely phenomenal. MGM pulled out all the stops, with Cyd Charisse and Ann Miller taking part in "One Alone" and "It" respectively; Vic Damone is on hand for a well-sung "The Road to Paradise," and he's joined by Jane Powell for "Will You Remember" from "Maytime," which in the beginning of the film is the operetta Romberg keeps insisting he wants to do.

Gene Kelly and his brother Fred Kelly sing and dance to "I Love to Go Swimmin' with Wimmin" - you an see from the titles that Romberg had a versatility. Howard Keel a strong "Your Land and My Land." The song "Mr. and Mrs." is performed by real-life Mr. and Mrs. Jose Ferrer and Rosemary Clooney. One number after another, a fine film for a music lover.

The cast is interesting - Merle Oberon as Romberg's writing partner Dorothy Donnelly, Walter Pidgeon is Shubert, Paul Henried is Flo Ziegfeld, and Dorothy Avedon, who died some months ago, is Romberg's beloved wife Lillian.

All in all, a feast for the ears and eyes, with Ferrer doing a beautiful, energetic job as Romberg, even at one point performing an entire musical at full speed by himself. Very impressive.

A gem from MGM.

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7/10

Some slow going in the middle but worth it overall

ftm88_994 February 2004

I found this one to start out strong, sag painfully in the middle when plot takes over, then pick up again and finish with a bang. Some splendid singing from the very likeable Miss Helen Traubel, and some swell production numbers by a bevy of MGM artists. Highlight for me was Cyd Charisse dancing with James Michell (sp?). A movie in which the splendid music Sigmund Romberg is well-served.

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7/10

They don't make musicals like this today!

bbhlthph15 May 2006

I missed this film when it first appeared, and only saw it quite by chance very recently on the TCM channel. I felt it was a rather unappreciated gem that I would like to commend to other IMDb users. It purports to be a biography of early nineteenth century composer Siegmund Romberg. Unfortunately biographies are not Hollywood's strong suite, and this one does not "cut the mustard" as a biography. Romberg was a Central European Jew who came to the U.S.A. as a refugee from the pre-first world war Hapsburg Empire; and made a very successful career as a much admired composer of light music, much of which was coupled with romantic songs written by Dorothy Donnolley for Broadway musicals. Here surely is a great subject for a biography which shows the trauma of being a refugee and the problems of an artist in becoming accepted in a new country with a different language and very different culture. Unfortunately this chance was blown in favour of a script which paraded all the musical stars that MGM could command, presenting re-creations of a series of extracts from his stage successes. However if accepted at this level the film is unusually successful, helped by a great cast and the direction of the often under-rated Stanley Donen. Romberg is remembered for writing light Viennese style romantic orchestral music which was extremely popular in the pre-jazz era, and I was surprised how enjoyable this music made watching the film. For me, and probably others of my generation, the music in more recent musicals does not often compare with that in this film.

One of Romberg's best known stage works was 'The Desert Song', which has been filmed three times, (the 1929 version containing more of Romberg's music), and watching an Arabian Nights sequence featuring Cyd Charise and James Mitchell made me very sad that all colour copies of the 1929 film appear to have been lost (although a monochrome version prepared for TV has survived.)

The background notes above may be helpful to the many people today who have never heard any of Romberg's music, but as a review of this film the following (which alone would not have satisfied the IMDb 10 line minimum criterion) is all that is needed:

This is a perfect film to watch with a life partner, or significant other, at the start of a short vacation together. But it would be better seen in a cinema rather than on TV.

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(Almost) completely forgotten Broadway musical genius !

gloandwar5 April 2006

If you doubt the summary comment, ask a few of your friends under the age of 55 if they've heard of Sigmund Romberg (Sigmund who)? Since I took piano lessons as a kid - I did - yet when I stumbled upon this film in my local library I thought "when did this come out" (I was in the service overseas at the time). I was totally blown away by the musical score and the performances. By the way, this is about the only musical film I've seen structured as a Broadway musical play - overture through finale. The last number of the first act, so the speak, was Jane Powell and Vic Damone singing "Will you Remember" from "Maytime". This show was such a success a second company opened across the street - only time in Broadway history!

See for yourself, then try to find "The Student Prince" and watch that - and listen. He composed about 600 or 700 songs for Broadway. By the way, did you know Gene Kelly had a song and dance man brother? You'll see them together the only time in "Deep in my Heart"

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6/10

Long, drawn-out biopic

adamshl13 April 2010

There's no doubt that Romberg is one of the fine composers of musicals and operettas. Many of his songs are now classics of the American theater.

This production tries hard to do justice to the composer's life, career, and love. With so much fine talent recruited for the biopic, it was guaranteed to be at a certain high level.

Somewhere things went a bit amiss, and one leaves as much exhausted as inspired. Perhaps some judicious cutting (especially in the mid-section) would have helped. (Personally, I feel Jose Ferrer's "tour de force" one-man presentation at the resort cottage could have been left out.) Running at 132 minutes, it's a long haul.

Still, there's the lovely Merle Oberon, silver throated Helen Traubel, and a dozen guest stars in featured production numbers. It seems to me Mr. Ferrer was at his energetic peak at this time and his exuberance simply needed to be reined in (probably by Director Stanley Donen).

"Deep in My Heart" remains a fairly good biopic with great talent, variety, and energy. All that's needed is a dinner break.

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7/10

A Nice, Uneven Musical Biograpy with Jane Powell in a Cameo Appearance

RogerMooreTheBestBond11 May 2009

Warning: Spoilers

This is a decent film and has some really nice numbers by some of the great MGM stars of the day. Mel Ferrer stars and does a nice job of filling in the time between the numbers. It is a little slow in parts and probably could have used 20 minutes cut out, but it's still worth a look. Other stars include Walter Pidgeon, who does a nice job in a smaller part. My favorite musical number comes from Jane Powell and Vic Damone. They were perfectly matched in this film because they had the two best voices. Jane looks simply stunning in her long, ruffled, white dress. My other favorite has to be the song and dance number by Gene and Fred Kelly. This is the only time they appeared on film together and they don't disappoint. Howard Keel rounds out the great numbers near the end with a nice number backed by male vocals. Overall not perfect, but the three musical numbers I mentioned are worth watching.

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7/10

It's all about the music......

mark.waltz23 May 2011

Warning: Spoilers

By 1954, a biography of operetta composer Sigmund Romberg seems a bit out of place just two years before Elvis Presley took the recording industry by storm. But Hollywood wasn't giving up on operettas, at least not yet, having just filmed Romberg's "The Desert Song" (for the 4th time, if you include "The Red Shadow, a 1934 short) and "The Student Prince", as well as Rudolph Friml's "Rose Marie". As a movie biography, "Deep in My Heart" is a lot of "and then I did", but it is completely charming. A glorious opening has the MGM chorus singing the title song after a brief orchestral medley of his songs, and don't be surprised if your spine doesn't tingle a bit when the first close-up on Jose Ferrer comes up.

As other musical biographies always start, Sigmund Romberg is a hopeful composer who reluctantly writes jazzy tunes (the delightful "Leg of Mutton") to get his name bandied about by Broadway producers. They take his beautiful medley, "Softly as a Morning Sunrise", and turn it into a Folies Bergere type number for his first show, but Romberg insists that he won't be satisfied until he can have his operetta, "Maytime", produced. In the meantime, he writes for a few more reviews, but when "Maytime" is produced, he has an artistic and financial smash on his hands. The pairing of Jane Powell and Vic Damone singing "Will You Remember?" is glorious, which sets the tone for the on-stage numbers. It's ironic here that the best numbers are the ones for his operettas, "The Student Prince", "The Desert Song", and "New Moon". Jazzy numbers like "It", "I Love to Go Swimmin' With Women" are slightly disappointing, as if stating these types of songs didn't have his heart in them. In fact, "It", lively sung and danced by Ann Miller is a little offensive.

As far as the storyline goes, the music drops out completely in the middle of the film as Romberg's romance with his future wife Lillian (Doe Averdon) erupts, but fortunately, it's not gone for long. Ferrer gives a hysterical performance while describing the plot and music of his newest show "Jazz-a-Doo" to Averdon and her uppity mother (Isobel Elsom) that is reminiscent of Danny Kaye's early work. Supporting Ferrer, along with his wife, are the lovely Merle Oberon as Romberg's lyricist and book writer Dorothy Donnelly and the amazing Helen Traubel as Anna Mueller, his life-long friend who has the voice of an angel, not to mention the heart of gold to go along with it. Traubel, who made few films, is a gifted comic and steals every scene she is in.

For fans of "Funny Girl", there is a nice ironic scene of Walter Pidgeon playing J.J. Shubert in a scene with Paul Henreid as Florenz Ziegfeld. (It's too bad they couldn't get William Powell to play David Belasco or some other Broadway producer of that era.) "Mr. Magoo" and "Thurston Howell III" fans will instantly recognize Jim Backus in the role of one of Romberg's writing partners. Overall, "Deep in My Heart" is typical MGM gloss with only the outline of a story, but works tremendously because of the entertainment quotient it brings. It ranks up there with "Till the Clouds Roll By" and "Three Little Words", and outshines the fictitious Cole Porter story ("Night and Day") and the sanitized "Words and Music" (the Rodgers and Hart story).

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5/10

Good in Parts But Not on the Whole!

JLRMovieReviews18 November 2014

The MGM musical biopic, or biography picture. For a lot of movie lovers, enough said. The term brings to mind many things. Great musical numbers. Star-studded cast. Prestige. But one that doesn't come to mind is factual accuracy. Most people who love musicals take biopics with a grain of salt. A lot of people know that the musicals numbers are more times than not the best thing about the movie. And at least 50% of them were about songwriters who wrote some of America's most beloved songs. Some are about classical composers. This film, "Deep in My Heart," is about one composer of serious music who wrote what he called dribble for the masses as a mean to an end, so he could realize his dream of writing his "Maytime" – Sigmund Romberg, as played by Jose Ferrer. Merle Oberon costarred as a collaborator in writing the words to his melody. The film centers on the cream of his prolific years and his meeting and romancing his future wife. The musical numbers features Rosemary Clooney (Jose's wife in real life), Gene Kelly, and Ann Miller, along with a few other major names. All of the numbers seem pleasant at the time, some more inspiring at the time, but, on the whole, one would think that gathered together in one place they would make an upbeat and successful collection of entertainment. But, save for one or two numbers, they don't really deliver any real punch. Not that I am trashing them, but they were just nothing to really brag about. The numbers that did stand out to me is an energetic number Ann Miller did, Jane Powell and Vic Damone's "Maytime" interlude, and the sensuous dance of Cyd Charisse and James Mitchell. And, even Jose Ferrer is quite the entertainer and showman as he put on a one-man rehearsal show, and Helen Traubel as a friend of the family sang a moving rendition of "Softly,", the way he wrote it and not the way the backers and producers butchered it. What really hurts the film is the length of 130 minutes. If you have seen other musicals, biopics or not, then you will see that this film is really not one of the best, despite the talented stars involved.

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8/10

The trouble with songwriter biographies is..................

bkoganbing18 November 2004

Way back in the day when the big studios did biographical pictures about composers and songwriters all they were was an excuse to do a lot of musical numbers by that composer. The real lives of the composers were either too dull like Jerome Kern or like Cole Porter way too naughty to be discussed in earnest.

Sigmund Romberg hardly had a dull life and I wish that some of it would have been shown. Watching this film you would never know he was Jewish and came to this country to both escape the draft for the Hapsburg army and because of the vicious anti-Semitism in Vienna as typified by Vienna's mayor, Karl Lueger a precursor of Hitler. I think that's a theme that should have been explored and is crucial to understanding him.

The real Romberg who wrote those wonderful Viennese schmaltz melodies was a lot like the Jewish peddler in Ship of Fools, celebrating that culture which discriminated against him. Remember he was proud and rightly so of the Iron Cross he won in World War I. Romberg fortunately for him and the world of songwriting was not half the fool that the peddler was.

That being said, Romberg is delightfully essayed by that most castable of players Jose Ferrer. Ferrer with that impeccable diction, courtesy of the Triangle Club at Princeton, played every kind of nationality in his screen career and he's great here. He has a great monologue in this where he's describing a current project where he plays all the parts in the musical he's writing at the moment.

Merle Oberon rings true with her portrayal of Dorothy Donnelly who collaborated with Romberg on Student Prince and My Maryland. She was crushing on Sigmund big time, but Ferrer only had eyes for Doe Avedon who played his beloved Lillian Harris.

Operetta plots are so silly that productions are hardly ever done today. Criticism of such work as Maytime, Student Prince, Desert Song and New Moon rightly belong in those films, but speaking as someone who likes good melodies, Sigmund Romberg certainly composed them in abundance. MGM dragged out a good group of performers to do them. A particular favorite here is Tony Martin singing Lover Come Back to Me from the New Moon.

One of the reasons that this film came out in 1954 was also because Romberg had a posthumous hit running on Broadway at the time. The Girl in Pink Tights opened that year with lyrics done by Leo Robin to some unpublished melodies that Romberg had written.

My parents when they were alive remembered seeing Sigmund Romberg in concert. The film at the end gives a glimpse of Romberg conducting an orchestra as he did often in the last 15 years of his life and Ferrer does ring true with Romberg the performer. Also performing was Helen Traubel, Wagnerian soprano who was also enjoying a good run as Jimmy Durante's, Margaret Dumont. MGM took advantage of her small screen popularity by casting her in Deep In My Heart.

Don't expect the life of Sigmund Romberg here, but be prepared for a great melodic treat.

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7/10

One of MGMs better musicals, but for some odd reasons

vincentlynch-moonoi3 July 2013

Warning: Spoilers

While it can be said that without question MGM cornered the market in producing high quality musicals, that is not to say that all of those musicals were good. It seems to me that the quality varied a great deal, and that after a while audiences tired of seeing the same old stars trotted out for virtually every major musical.

Having said that, I would have also say that "Deep In My Heart" is one of MGM's better musicals. Yes, you see quite a few of those "same old stars", but here there are enough...well, you might call them gimmicks...to keep you interested. For example, when did you ever see Gene Kelly doing a peppy dance number...with his real brother Fred? Or Rosemary Clooney singing and dancing...with her husband Jose Ferrer (star of the film). And then again, how often did you see Jose Ferrer singing and dancing? Yes, there are a number of things to keep you interested here. Among them are the "cameos" for the musical numbers -- (in addition to those already mentioned) Jane Powell, Vic Damone, Ann Miller, Cyd Charisse, Howard Keel, and Tony Martin.

In terms of the acting cast, Jose Ferrer was different enough here that I must reevaluate his talents. He really does rather nicely on the song and dance numbers. Merle Oberon is around as a lyricist, but her talents are rather wasted. Helen Traubel -- opera singer -- does a nice turn as a friend of Romberg's. Walter Pidgeon has a bit of a role as one of the theatrical Shuberts, and Paul Henreid appears briefly as Florenz Ziegfeld. Paul Stewart and Jim Backus do nicely in supporting roles, though Backus is underused.

The problem with this film -- for modern audiences -- is that the music is very outdated. And most audiences today do not have very diverse musical tastes.

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5/10

A grab bag of MGM contract talent...attractive to look at

moonspinner5518 October 2015

As Hungarian composer Sigmund Romberg, who made a big splash in New York City in the 1920s writing the music for an array of hit Broadway shows, José Ferrer sings, dances and cuts up like never before, even dropping to one knee for an Al Jolson impression. Ferrer gives an appealing performance (particularly in his finale at Carnegie Hall), but less of Ferrer is more; he's certainly a trouper, but Ferrer is on the screen far too much. He's just about upstaged, anyhow, by a virtual roll call of MGM talent (Ann Miller, Howard Keel, Jane Powell, and Gene Kelly dancing with real-life brother Fred), all appearing in the kind of glorified cameos the studio excelled at during this period. Cyd Charisse and James Mitchell share a camp-exotica number heightened by surprisingly erotic choreography, and Powell's operetta number from "Maytime" is beautifully presented. The film is short on melodrama (which is a plus), and the final sequence--capped with a nice performance of "When I Grow Too Old to Dream"--is heartfelt. But overall, this is strictly pot luck for star-watchers, one with hokey voice-overs, characters who come and go at whim, and spinning newspaper headlines marking time. ** from ****

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10/10

A neglected MGM musical gem

Cdorothygale-122 August 2007

DEEP IN MY HEART is one of the last of the great MGM Musicals, and almost unknown today. This is too bad, because it contains some wonderful musical numbers: Cyd Charisse at her most spectacular in a number from THE DESERT SONG, Gene Kelly and his brother Fred as song-and-dance men, Jose Ferrer doing a surprising one-man-show routine that is astonishing, as well as a charming song and dance with opera star Helen Traubel. It is supposedly based on the life of famed composer, Sigmund Romberg, and it is presented in typical MGM glossy style, but this was a composer of great melodies who deserved the plush treatment. This is a top-flight production that is well worth watching. You'll see additional numbers by Ann Miller, Howard Keel, Jane Powell and Rosemary Clooney!

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5/10

Not so deep

marcslope19 October 2011

The light touch and sense of fun evident in so much of Stanley Donen's musical work is almost entirely missing from this ten-ton biopic of Sigmund Romberg, played diligently but without charm by Jose Ferrer. Apparently it just wasn't a very interesting life, so MGM masked a near-total absence of drama with a bevy of guest appearances. Some work out beautifully, though most of these have more to do with dance than Romberg's melodies: a nifty tap production number with Ann Miller, an extremely hot "Desert Song" pas de deux by Cyd Charisse and James Mitchell, a lively comedy routine with Gene Kelly and his brother Fred. But the best of Romberg is stiffly staged in vignettes featuring a bored-looking Jane Powell and Vic Damone ("Maytime"), William Olvis ("The Student Prince"), and Howard Keel (a very uneasy "My Maryland"). Worse, none of the people surrounding Ferrer seem right: Merle Oberon was nothing like Dorothy Donnelly, and the screenwriters' attempt to create some drama by suggesting she was vainly in love with Siggy falls flat. The love of his life, Mrs. Romberg, is given to a pallid Grace Kelly wannabe, Doe Avedon. Helen Traubel, as his best pal, sings well but is also given too much shtick. Arthur Freed might have invested more vitality than Roger Edens, but it's an unexciting and overlong entertainment, worth sitting through once for the better musical numbers.

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Uneven (like most bios), but not without its rarities.

movibuf196215 April 2005

This film is a curiosity more than anything else. Like most of MGM's alleged composer biographies, it distorts the details of the composer's actual life (in this case Broadway operetta composer Sigmund Romberg), but hangs all of his magnificent songs on an all-star coat rack. And there lies the attraction: seeing Gene Kelly in his only on-screen appearance with real life brother Fred; Jose Ferrer performing with real life bride Rosemary Clooney (in all of her stunning beauty); and his friend and business compatriot Helen Traubel trilling away-- most effective in the beautiful and uncluttered "Softly" and the lush "Aufwiedersen" for the ears of a dying Merle Oberon (was librettist Oberon supposed to have a crush on composer Ferrer?). Also choice is Ann Miller's Charleston tap dancing (and she looked great in that red dress); and super-babe Cyd Charisse in an 'Arabian Nights' ballet with James Mitchell (maybe the single most erotic dance performed on film): "One Alone--" in an incredibly sexy, nearly all-lace gown.

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4/10

The problem is with the format

richard-178714 April 2020

Warner Brothers had a big hit in 1942 with the uneven but, at its best, sensational biopic of George M. Cohan, Yankee Doodle Dandy. Thereafter, the big studios kept trying to repeat that success with biopics of other composers of Broadway musicals/operettas. The problem was that the real-life composers in question either had uninteresting, dull lives (Romberg, Kerns) or ones that were too complicated to present to audiences of the times (Gershwin). So, Hollywood was left to virtually invent new lives for these pictures, and the results were generally embarrassing.

That's why I say that the problem with these subsequent biopics was the format. They generally present interesting and enjoyable productions of the composers' best tunes, interspersed with dull and even embarrassing fictionalizations of the composer's life, as is the case with this movie. The studios would have done better to come up with some sort of variety format - the composer looks down from heaven, or dreams of great productions of his music, or something like that - and the idea of the biography scrapped altogether.

I find *Deep in my Heart* to be one of the weakest of the lot. A fair number of the production numbers, though filled with talent, aren't very interesting. The Carnegie Hall concert near the end of the movie is badly overblown. Traubel, a great singer, had no business being given Stout Hearted Men, which is very exciting when sung by a male lead against a men's chorus. Here it gets a very soupy arrangement that almost turns it into a hymn. What a waste of talent.

One note about Taubel. She was a truly great singer of Richard Wagner's very serious operas at the Met. It is therefore a delight to see her in the early part of this movie as a rather ungainly but still very funny comedian. There was clearly a comedian in this woman who had been waiting for decades to come out from under her heavy breastplated Met roles.

Basically, this is a weak movie. But watch the first part for Traubel, and then the rest for the musical numbers. And then go back and watch Yankee Doodle Dandy again and see how this sort of movie should be done.

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10/10

That's entertainment

jotix1001 February 2005

This MGM little gem, evidently, has been forgotten. I don't recall having seen it before, so it was a complete surprise when TCM showed it recently. MGM certainly was the studio where musicals were done right because of its power and its resources.

The choice of Stanley Donen as director was the right one. Mr. Donen's distinguished career in this genre, as well as his contribution to musicals, enhances this a winning film. We don't watch musicals looking for high brow entertainment, but when we find one that has a story line, the numbers are brilliantly staged with beautiful costumes, then we have a winner, as it's the case with "Deep in my Heart".

Siegmund Romberg was one of the most beloved composers working on the Broadway stages at the beginning of the last century. His collaboration with Dorothy Donnelly produced a string of winning musicals that helped establish his reputation as one of the best musicians working in America.

Of course, this is a film that, by today's standards, would be considered politically incorrect. At no time do we learn that Mr. Romberg was Jewish, or that he had come to America after having suffered discrimination in Europe. Like the great American composers of the early 20th century, Mr. Romberg drew upon his European roots and the popular culture of the times he encountered in his adopted country.

One of the best cinema actors of the time, Jose Ferrer, plays the title role. Mr. Ferrer gives an excellent portrait of the composer during his life. He makes Mr. Romberg a joy to watch. Having known this great actor personally, and having admired him for his work in films and the theater, brought back happy memories.

The rest of the cast is equally interesting. Merle Oberon makes a beautiful Dorothy Donnelly, the woman who was the other half of the composing team. We see in smaller roles Walter Pigeon, Paul Henried, Paul Stewart, Jim Backus, Helen Traubel. Doe Avedon is Lillian, the woman who stole Romberg's heart.

One of the benefits of having made the movie at MGM is the added bonus of seeing stars of the magnitude of Gene and Fred Kelly, Ann Miller, Rosemary Clooney, Cyd Charise, Tony Martin, Jane Powell, Howard Keel, Russ Tamblyn, Vic Damone interpreting the best Romberg's songs as part of whatever musical he was working at the time.

A movie to treasure.

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9/10

Tour-de-force for Jose Ferrer

HotToastyRag27 February 2023

The consummate actor José Ferrer had already shown his dramatic talents in Cyrano de Bergerac and Moulin Rouge. He even showed his comedic side in the bittersweet romance Anything Can Happen, but Deep in My Heart is his real tour-de-force. He sings, he dances, he conducts, he falls in love, he ages decades, he goes from rags to riches, he has sorrows, and he is hilarious. The Hot Toasty Rag board members would have loved to give him the newspaper trophy for Best Actor, but it was such a contentious year. With such heavy performances in The Country Girl and A Star Is Born, Joe didn't win.

If you want to see him letting his hair down and having the time of his life, you'll join him in having a blast. He plays composer Sigmund Romberg, and from his early days writing ragtime numbers to his later years of The Desert Song, countless numbers are performed in this lengthy biopic. Tons of major stars flocked to be included, and you'll get to see Gene Kelly (and his brother Fred), Rosemary Clooney, Howard Keel, Cyd Charisse, Ann Miller, Russ Tamblyn, Tony Martin, Vic Damone, and Jane Powell performing. They each get their five minutes of stage time, but it's really Joe who steals the show. He's so delightful! In one incredible sequence, he performs an idea he has for a show, acting out all the parts and singing song after song until finally, in a spontaneous burst of energy, he literally leaps out the window.

Helen Traubel, an opera singer and non-actress, is also wonderful in the film. She plays a singer, but also a longtime friend to Joe. She has a fun-loving energy and appears completely comfortable in front of the camera, and when the moment calls for it, she has great emotional depth and can make the audience reach for their hankies. This is her only movie, so enjoy her while you can.

Merle Oberon plays Romberg's lyricist, producer, and dear friend Dorothy Donnelly. She stands by Joe through all his ups and downs, ages alongside him, and supports him personally (through his marriage to Doe Avedon) and professionally (as he gains attention from Walter Pidgeon and Paul Henreid, as J. J. Hubert and Florenz Ziefield, respectively). Merle has a lot of class and really fits into the time period well, and even though her character could have faded into the background, she made herself memorable. You'll also see Paul Stewart and Jim Backus in supporting roles.

I absolutely recommend this movie, unless you really hate singing and dancing. But if you like good acting, biopics of musicians, old movies, musicals, or any of the cast members, you'll enjoy it. It makes you laugh, cry, and smile, all with the charm of the 1950s Golden Age.

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Long-winded but worth the wait...

Viewers Anonymous14 November 2000

The music is, of course, the reason to watch this movie. Jose Ferrer does an admirable job of portraying the composer Sigmund Romberg, and an all-star cast performs some of Romberg's tunes.

Especially noteworthy is Rosemary Clooney, singing, most appropriately, the song "Mr. and Mrs." with her then-husband, Ferrer. "Deep in My Heart" was their only on-screen performance together.

Other memorable moments feature brothers Fred and Gene Kelly dancing and Ferrer performing a one-man show. Altogether, the film is long and somewhat slow but the music makes it worth watching.

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8/10

Cyd Charisse! And Plenty of other Surprises

atlasmb11 June 2014

Sigmund Romberg was a composer whose career spanned the transition from opera to operettas to musical revues to stage musicals and film musicals. This biopic covers a substantial portion of his life, pausing to present musical numbers from his shows from his earliest success ("Maytime") to his work with Oscar Hammerstein.

Jose Ferrer portrays Romberg with a light hand. The dark days of Romberg's life are discussed but little dramatized, which is a good choice, keeping the narrative light, and centered on his music.

The music, by the way, is enjoyable, purely as entertainment and also from a historical perspective. But what really makes this film shine is the all-star cast that work in support of the major roles. Blink and you might miss the identity of a major talent.

Speaking of talent, for me the highlight of the film--a scene that in itself makes the film recommendable--is the "Desert Song" dance scene featuring Cyd Charisse. I am not belittling the other dance performances, which are numerous and notable. But Cyd's elegance and talent outshine the rest of the film they are so prodigious. A huge measure of respect must go to Eugene Loring, the man responsible for the choreography. And Helen Rose drapes the women with great style, as usual. One wonders if some set designers felt they had to step up the quality of their work to keep pace with her brilliance. The "Desert Song" set, by the way, is beautifully designed.

This is an undervalued film with plenty of hidden charms that reveal themselves as the film unspools.

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10/10

Wonderful musical

wpbc194512 July 2004

Deep in My Heart is a wonderful biography of the life and music of Sigmund Romberg. The film is very well acted by Jose Ferrer, Merle Oberon, and opera star Helen Traubel.

The star-studded music numbers are a must see for any fan of the great MGM musicals. Selections include a dance sequence with Gene Kelly and his brother Fred Kelly, "Maytime" with Vic Damone and Jane Powell, dance sequences with the incredible talents of Cyd Charisse and Ann Miller, Tony Martin singing "New Moon", and a host of other stars in performing in grand style. The magnificent Helen Traubel performs several songs with her "voice of technical perfection" and great warmth. Traubel and Oberon do a wonderful job portraying Romberg's close friends and collaborators. They give the story a very personal touch.

This is by far the best musical biography of the composers ever made. The musical selections are some of the best of any movie musical (and I have seen about all of them). Well worth the time.

Sadly, this film is very hard to find any more. I hope it will be released to DVD soon. My tape is getting old.

Highly recommended.

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The least pretentious but the best written, acted and directed of the musical biopics,

piapia4 October 1999

This was the last of the musical biographies made in Hollywood.

They had falsified the lives of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, so they looked up Sigmund Romberg, whose old fashioned but very sweet music had been lost in silly librettos. Note that his musical shows have not been revived in decades. But MGM put this biography in the capable hands of screen writer Leonard Spigelglass, who decided to tell the true but simple story with a tongue-in-cheek approach, and of first rate director Stanley Donen, who made miracles chiefly by employing a cast of people who really knew how to act. Especially Jose Ferrer. The result is a movie that manages to ring true, and not a sleep-inducing hit parade. Romberg was a composer for the twenties, full of viennese nostalgia like Friml and Herbert. None of them could survive the jazz invasion of the musical comedy, but their songs are always popular, naturally out of their theatrical context. Deep in my Heart deserves to be seen.The songs are still highly enjoyable, and Donen, Spigelglass, Ferrer and the rest of the cast gave their best to the film.

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9/10

Ferrer and "The Stupid Prince"

weezeralfalfa26 April 2012

Warning: Spoilers

My title comes from Ferrer's twice burlesquing of the title of one of Sigmund Romberg's most popular musical plays "The Student Prince", the lyrics of which were done by his Irish- American friend Dorothy Donnelly, here played by Merle Oberon, who serves as his quasi-girlfriend in the film, until he meets the woman who will become his second wife: a rather faceless Lillian Harris, played by Doe Avedon. Unlike Dorothy, who was Romberg's contemporary in age,Lillian was 18 years younger than her aging fiancé. Dorothy never married and, as indicated in the film, died unexpectedly at the height of Romberg's career. Although not hinted in the film, like so many of America's famous theater people of the early 20th century, Romberg was a Jew, who fled the pre-Hitler anti-Semitism of eastern Europe, Germany, and Russia. Thus, he had to learn a new language and musical culture before embarking on a new musical career. As shown in the film,he did begin by playing the piano and occasionally composing songs in various NYC restaurants, later to be hired as a composer for shows, before becoming an independent composer. Most of the plentiful melodrama relates to disputes with show producers over his compositions, or problems with his future wife's domineering mother, who initially was not impressed with his style of popular compositions.

I was initially attracted to purchase a DVD of this film because it mentioned that Romberg was the composer of "Desert Song". I have treasured my very hard to find DVD of the 1953 film adaptation, starring Gordon MacRae and Kathryn Grayson.I see that, very recently, the 1955 TV version, starring Nelson Eddy, was released on DVD. Incidentally, both this site and the Wikipedia article on the present film got the source for Anne Miller's "It" performance wrong. Obviously, it's not from "Desert Song", as indicated, but rather from "Artists and Models": a burlesquing of the roaring '20s... Other film adaptations of Romberg's works include the 1954 "Student Prince", featuring Mario Lanza'a voice, if not troublesome body, and "Maytime", as well as "New Moon", both starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, back 15-20 years before. Thus, there was a rash of Romberg revivals on film or TV within a few years after his death in '51.

Getting back to this film, I was disappointed that not more songs from "Desert Song" were included. Also, Oscar Hammerstein II, who wrote or co-wrote the lyrics for several of Romberg's best known works(including "Desert Song"), wasn't mentioned until nearly Dorothy's death, and was barely included at all in the film. I didn't find Helen Traubel's singing voice very engaging, which is unfortunate, since she got 5 numbers to sing, whereas everyone else got only one. Jeanette MacDonald was the original choice to play her character, and I'm sorry this didn't work out. While her "Stout-Hearted Men" was OK, this was obviously meant for a man to sing, thus I will continue to prefer Nelson Eddy's rendition, for example. Actually, I see no necessity for Helen's purely fictional character, other than perhaps to provide some additional continuity to the story, besides Ferrer and Oberson, as Dorothy. Also Ferrer's singing voice is quite mediocre, as displayed in the finale "When I Grow Too Old to Dream". Thankfully, a chorus finished up this song. On the other hand, I found him quite engaging as Romberg. You may or may not find amusing his impromptu impersonation of the various characters in his then current project., about midway in the film. Clearly, his future mother-in-law wasn't impressed. I did find it rather good, including the derisive song "Fat, Fat, Fatima", lyrics by Ballard McDonald.

Turning to the various 'guest' performers: noted ballerina/dancer Tamara Toumanova, as Gabe, sings(dubbed) and dances a bit to "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise", in a very gaudy outfit and set, which Romberg clearly doesn't like. It was fun seeing the two Kelly brothers sing and dance a bit. They did look amazingly alike, thus it wasn't necessary to resort to trick photography, (as in "Cover Girl"),to see Gene dancing with a double of himself. Jane Powell and Vic Damone did a good job in a romantic outdoor scene with "Road to Paradise" and the classic "Sweetheart", from "Maytime". Anne Miller does a great job with a charleston-tap dance hybrid, to "It", with various outrageously- dressed or costumed roaring '20s characters as a preliminary and backdrop. This production was certainly the highlight of the film for me. William Olvis does an excellent job with the classic "Serenade", from "The Student Prince". Cyd Charisse, in a strange opulent set, sings(dubbed) "One Alone" from "Desert Song", followed by a very entwining ballet with wooden-faced James Mitchell. Howard Keel then belts out the patriotic "Your Land and My Land", from the Civil War-oriented "My Maryland". A bit later, Tony Martin warbles the romantic "Lover, Come Back to Me", from "The New Moon". My DVD has an outtake of George Murphy singing "Girlies of the Cabaret", featuring a parade of outrageously costumed 'girlies', representing various countries, with Esther Williams representing 'Miss USA'. This should not have been deleted! The opening symphonic medley was also very good.

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8/10

Deep In The Past.....

ptb-829 April 2004

This is such a strange film for MGM to have made in 1954, given the decline in the interest of studio head Dore Schary in actually making new musicals.... they made an old musical instead, and used up the dwindling contracts of their roster of stars who were about to be abandoned. It is almost the "That's Entertainment" of operetta scenes and using Sigmund Romberg as the excuse to link together well staged and quite beautiful sequences that showcase many of his tunes. As played by Jose Ferrer, Siggy comes across as yet another overweight (overfed) mommies boy composer with an un natural attachment to the usual Euro cliché parent in which MGM specialised. I guess MGM couldn't get Danny Thomas and Jose owed them some weeks work like the guest stars we see. The production values are splendid and by far the best scenes are the most erotic Desert Song sequence with Cyd Charisse and James Mitchell and the very funny Anne Miller scene from Artists and Models recycling all the Singin In the Rain clothes.

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The Life and Great Music of Viennese-American composer Sigmund Romberg

sami-929 March 2003

With a running time of 2 hours and 12 minutes, this film is a bit long, but well worth it. Where else can you see all this talent except in a beautiful M-G-M film from the 1950s? The music, acting as well as the clothes and sets are wonderful. Jose Ferrer, though not a favorite of mine, is a really great actor and he gives a tour de force when he performs his entire show, playing all the parts, in front of the woman he loves and her disapproving mother. It's quite funny and unlike how we usually think of Ferrer. He also smiles more in this film than any other and he possesses some charm. Aside from Ferrer, the music is the star and there is plenty of it, all displayed and performed by the top stars at Metro. We get to see and compare Gene Kelly and his brother Fred who have a cute number. There is also the only pairing of Jose Ferrer and his wife, the spectacular Rosie Clooney to whom he was twice married, for a total of five marriages in all. Tony Martin, Cyd Charisse, Howard Keel, Jane Powell, Ann Miller and Vic Damone all add their talents and are exceptionally appealing. The story is devoid of all the falsifications of other biographies such as Gershwin's and Porter's.

There is also great sentiment as when Romberg performs his Carnegie Hall concert and dedicates it to his wife. Helen Traubel sings quite a lot of songs in this film, but her voice is excellent, despite the rather simple role of restaurant owner-friend-singer.

Also nice, is seeing some actors who are still with us in character roles such as Robert Easton, Russ Tamblyn, and I do believe I detected a very young Robert Wagner as the "football player" in the Artists and Models stage scene, as an extra.

In all, this is an excellent film of the period, with very cute humor, and helps educate fully about Romberg's music.

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8/10

One of the better 1940s-1950s composer musical biopics

TheLittleSongbird26 November 2016

In fact, for me, a close second best to 1950's 'Three Little Words', which just gets the edge for having a little more energy pace-wise and never giving the impression that it should have been shorter.

Despite pretty much all of them being heavily fictionalised, with some like 'Till the Clouds Roll By' and 'Words and Music' really coming to life in the musical numbers and losing interest pretty significantly in the biographical sections, all of the 1940s-1950s composer musical biopics (titles being 'Till the Clouds Roll By', 'Rhapsody in Blue', 'Night and Day', 'Words and Music', 'Three Little Words' and this) are worth watching at least once.

Based on the life of operetta composer Sigmund Romberg, whose magnificent tunes often paired with librettos that could be silly and thin but with enough elegance and charm, 'Deep in My Heart' is very loose biographically but as a piece of entertainment in its own right it does excel. It is let down only really by the story dragging pretty badly in the middle section where there's less emphasis on song and more on biography, with the biographical sections despite being nicely written and excellently played lacking the momentum shown when the music/dancing takes centre stage. At over 2 hours, with parts dragging, it does feel like a long haul at times and did feel like it could have been 15-20 minutes shorter.

However, 'Deep in My Heart' is a beautiful-looking film, photographed with elegance and lavishly designed. Can't get enough of Jane Powell and Cyd Charisse's dresses either. The music is magnificent (more on the highlights later), with none of the singers and dancers not doing justice to it, while the script has some cute, witty and sometimes sophisticated humour and also some emotional moments like the very moving Carnegie Hall finale.

Jose Ferrer gives a bravura performance in the title role, essential for being the one holding everything together. He is very well supported by a lovely Merle Oberon and a fine Walter Pidgeon. Stanley Donen directs beautifully in the first and last thirds, if plodding a little in the middle act. The choreography in "It" and "One Alone" is on the same level as the music, electrifying in "It" and erotic in "One Alone".

There are many musical/performing highlights here. A big standout is the Cyd Charisse/James Mitchell dancing in "One Alone", sensuous doesn't describe it, while Ann Miller electrifies in "It" and Jane Powell and Vic Damone make hearts swoon in "Will You Remember". Helen Traubel also sounds great, and 'Deep in My Heart' offers rare and delightful chances of seeing Ferrer and real life wife Rosemary Clooney together in "Mr and Mrs" and brothers Fred and Gene (yes that Gene) Kelly in "I Love to Go Swimmin with Wimmen". Tony Martin sounds glorious in "Lover Come Back to Me" as does Howard Keel in "Your Land and My Land".

In conclusion, flawed but with so many wonderful things. 8/10 Bethany Cox

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