The Swan
Director: Charles Vidor
Year: 1956
Rating: 7.0
I had never heard of this rather lush MGM production till I saw it on TCM,
which is rather surprising considering the stellar cast of Grace Kelly, Alec
Guinness, Louis Jourdan, Agnes Morehead and Leo G Carroll. Also in the cast
much to my delight was Van Dyke Parks as the youngest child. I had no idea
that he had been a child actor - some years later he became a fine composer
not only of film soundtracks, but also of his work in the pop world, especially
with Brian Wilson.
Kelly plays a princess in hopes of becoming the Queen, which must have been
good training as soon after this film she was to quit acting and became a
Queen in real life. As in many of her films she plays an ice maiden, with
those blonde precise Nordic features. Jourdan is the romantic tutor secretly
in love with her and Guinness plays the Prince in search of a wife - not
so far afield of what was going on in Kelly's life.
The first hour is rather amusing light fun before it takes a turn for the
clumsy melodramatic, but I will give the film credit for not going where
you expect it to. Usually in films like this the Prince will be either a
swine or an idiot and Guinness is neither. And the ending isn't quite what
you expect. Apparently, this is a remake of a 1920 film and it made me wonder
what a remake from today would be like - because films like this are so removed
from what current audiences are looking for - so no doubt a fair dollop of
sex and cynicism would have to be added and the indifferent Prince would
be bi-sexual with an eye for the tutor as well. I confess to never being
a fan of Grace Kelly - just immobile icy beauty that never gets to me.
