Movie Description Katharine Hepburn portrays the concert pianist Clara Wieck Schumann, wife of composer Robert Schumann (Paul Heinreid), in this solid historical melodrama. A devoted wife and mother, Clara gives up her own promising career to marry the brilliant but unsuccessful composer and raise their seven children. As Robert struggles to support their family, a young, brilliant student of his, Johannes Brahms (Robert Walker), becomes smitten with Clara. But as Brahms rises to glory as a composer, his teacher sinks into madness. Robert Schumann's downfall and eventual incarceration lead to Clara's own unwavering devotion to her husband's legacy; she is determined to popularize his gifted compositions by playing them herself. (Hepburn's piano playing in the film was actually done by Artur Rubinstein.) Similar in tone to Columbia Pictures' Song Series, which includes 1945's A SONG TO REMEMBER, a biopic of Chopin; and 1960's SONG WITHOUT END, the story of composer Franz Liszt, this historical biography captures the genius of the now well known composer and his staunch supporter. The film is filled with captivating music from Brahms, Liszt, and Schumann.
| Credits | | Writer: | Ivan Tors | | Producer: | Clarence Brown | | Cast: | Else Janssen, Gigi Perreau, Henry Stephenson, Robert Walker, Roger Walker |
Notes Additional cast: Else Janssen (Bertha); Tinger Furlong (Felix); Jimmie Hunt (Ludwig); Anthony Sydes (Ferdinand); Eilene Janssen (Elise); Konstantin Shayne (Reinecke); and Kurt Katch.
William Steinberg conducted the MGM Symphony Orchestra.
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