A Song to Remember
| A Song to Remember | |
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Video cover for A Song to Remember
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| Directed by | Charles Vidor |
| Produced by | B. F. Zeidman |
| Written by |
Ernst Marischka (Story) Sidney Buchman |
| Starring |
Paul Muni Cornel Wilde Merle Oberon Nina Foch |
| Music by | Miklós Rózsa |
| Cinematography |
Tony Gaudio Allen M. Davey |
| Edited by | Charles Nelson |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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113 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
A Song to Remember is a 1945 Columbia Pictures Technicolor biographical film which tells a fictionalised life story of Polish pianist and composer Frédéric Chopin. Directed by Charles Vidor, the film starred Cornel Wilde (as Chopin), Merle Oberon (as George Sand), Paul Muni (as Józef Elsner), Stephen Bekassy (as Franz Liszt), and Nina Foch.
Chopin, played by Cornel Wilde, is first presented to the audience as a child prodigy playing a piece by Mozart. He suddenly starts to bang on the piano keys when he notices out the window that Polish people are being taken prisoners by the Russian authorities. Years later, Chopin takes part in secret meetings to work on saving Poland with his young friends. Director Vidor depicts patriotism as a major motive for Chopin playing the piano. Despite his family's apprehension, Chopin is egged on in his clandestine political activities by his devoted piano teacher, Professor Eisner.
He attends a secret meeting instead of showing up on time for an important concert in front of a count and distinguished guests. When he finally performs at the concert, he stops playing when he sees the Russian Governor of Poland enter the room. Chopin stands up and announces, "I do not perform for Czarist butchers." He storms out of the room as his famous Revolutionary Étude starts in the background. The resulting scandal forces Chopin to flee to France, along with Professor Eisner. Before leaving for Paris, Chopin clutches Polish earth in his hands. When he arrives in Paris, he says: "I’m thinking of my people back home. You see, there was a purpose in coming to Paris."
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