Jungfräuliche Liebe (1943)

Jungfräuliche Liebe: Directed by Edmund Goulding. With Charles Boyer, Joan Fontaine, Alexis Smith, Brenda Marshall. The daughter of a musical mentor is hopelessly in love with her cousin’s husband, a handsome composer.

“Based on a novel by Margaret Kennedy, this film The Constant Nymph, starring Charles Boyer and Joan Fontaine, is a typical 1940u0026#39;s studio retelling of a classic style romance, the story of a fragile young girlu0026#39;s infatuation and adoration for an older, attractive musician.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhile I think the production values and the sensuality of Letter From An Unknown Woman are superior to this film, this story also manages to captivate the viewer with its own brooding romanticism, solid performances, and beautiful music by Erich Korngold (Amazon sells CDs of this music in several movie soundtrack anthologies). Thankfully my copy of this film is pristine and that improves oneu0026#39;s enjoyment of it.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eStriking Alexis Smith as the unloved wife delivers a mighty performance, and almost steals the picture from Joan Fontaine and Charles Boyer. The supporting actors are also very good, including Charles Coburn, Peter Lorre, Brenda Marshall, Dame May Witty, and Jean Muir. I admit I was a bit frustrated by the character of the musician played by Charles Boyer. Men who marry women just because they are attracted to them and not because they love them irk me to no end. That was the situation here and it sets the viewer up for a very frustrating experience by the end of the picture. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe Constant Nympth is a decent romantic melodrama, with a very touching conclusion, but itu0026#39;s not outstanding or unforgettable, like Letter From An Unknown Woman surely is.”