There are stories that change dramatically in how they are seen over time. What seems normal for one era becomes bizarre or even disturbing for another. Such is the case with The Constant Nymph, which goes the Lolita route a decade and a half before Kubrick’s Lolita and plays things straight, not a hint of comedy. This may well have been the poignant story of a young girl madly in love with an older man in 1948, but seen today, the love comes off more as obsession. For what it’s worth, the obsession does come off as realistic. A great deal of that is thanks to Joan Fontaine.
A composer named Lewis Dodd (Charles Boyer) has received unkind notices on his latest composition. He decides to get away for a bit and goes to visit his friend and fellow composer Albert Sanger (Montagu Love), who lives with his third or fourth wife and multiple daughters in a Swiss chalet. Dodd is a frequent guest and everyone knows and loves him. This is especially true of Tessa Sanger (Joan Fontaine), Albert’s 14-year-old daughter. Evidently unknown to everyone but obvious to anyone, Tessa is madly in love with Dodd, and it’s evident that the two have some level of spiritual connection. For Dodd, this is not romantic, but for Tessa, it is the stuff that romantic dreams are made of.
When Albert Sanger dies suddenly, it throws the Sanger clan into panic. The latest wife has no interest in raising the daughters, so a family cousin, Charles Creighton (Charles Coburn) shows up with his adult daughter Florence (Alexis Smith) to take things in hand. With one of the Sanger daughters married off to a theater owner and family friend named Fritz (Peter Lorre), something needs to be done with the younger ones. It is determined that they will return with Creighton to England and go to finishing school. Meanwhile, Florence and Lewis Dodd make goo-goo eyes at each other and get engaged, heartbreaking Tessa.
“Heartbreaking Tessa” is important here, because we slowly learn that poor Tessa has a heart condition. It’s never fully explained to us, but excitement or stress causes her to faint because her heart can’t take the strain. Being separated from Lewis Dodd is a part of that strain. Realizing that Lewis isn’t deliriously happy in his marriage is another part. And he’s not. Florence wants him to be charming and witty and social and all he really wants to do is work on his music. Thus Tessa and her sister run away from school, causing additional problems. And then, finally, someone starts to notice Tessa’s obsession with Lewis and the connection the two seem to have.
Tessa’s medical condition is one of the issues I have with The Constant Nymph. It’s only mildly explained in the course of the film and only really seems to affect Tessa when the plot requires it. I’m not saying I want a full medical history on the girl, but having something that would better explain exactly what is wrong with her would make the film make a lot more sense.
That’s only a minor problem, though. The biggest issue I have here is the weird love triangle. Both Tessa and Florence are in love with Lewis, although Tessa’s love is far closer to unhealthy obsession. But that’s not really the way we’re supposed to believe things are happening. Instead, the film gives the impression that we’re supposed to think of Tessa’s love for Lewis as something pure and untainted. Maybe it came across that way 60 years ago, but it doesn’t now. Things are even more disturbing when it comes to Lewis. Again, we’re led to believe that Lewis may not truly love Florence, or at least isn’t “in love” with her because the two fight at times and because he’s uninterested in her social butterfly ways. I see him instead as a man who probably does love her, but is so involved in his own work that she merely isn’t the most important thing in his life.
It’s that Lewis evidently reciprocates Tessa’s feelings where I have a real issue. And it’s Florence’s evident acceptance of this that really creeps me out. I know Tessa is played by a 24-year-old Joan Fontaine here, but the character is 14.
Charles Coburn is a bright spot as the comic relief. I love that he can’t ever get the pronunciation of the servant Roberto correct. After learning that the man’s name is Robert, he starts calling him Robert-o, which I find funnier than I probably should.
I didn’t dislike The Constant Nymph, and I even liked parts of the story pretty well. The performances are very good throughout. But I don’t love it and probably never will.
It’s worth noting that this was a real rarity of a film until quite recently. Margaret Kennedy, the author of the original novel, stipulated in her will that after the film’s theatrical run, it could only be displayed in museums and at universities. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that TCM managed to acquire the rights to show it. That alone makes any viewing of it something worth seeking out.
Why to watch The Constant Nymph: Joan Fontaine gives a great performance.
Why not to watch: The ending is pretty creepy.
Tessa's illness was an irritating plot device, but I suppose necessary for the bizarre ending. And, I agree, the twisted love triangle was cringe-worthy at times.
ReplyDelete"Irritating" is a good word for it. Tessa seemed only to be sick so we could get that ending--it had no relevance in the rest of the film.
DeleteI was lucky enough to see this at the TCM Classic Film Fest for the first screening after they got the rights (so, the first screening anywhere in over 50 years). I imagine the energy in the room affected me, but I enjoyed the film quite a lot even though I do have many of the same reservations as you. I do think Joan Fontaine did an incredible job of making such an weird and off-putting storyline work as well as it does.
ReplyDeleteFontaine is very good in this. I won't disagree. And it's not a terrible film. It just leaves me feeling a bit icky.
DeleteI hadn't realized that this was unavailable for so long, I'm not the biggest Fontaine fan so I never put any real effort into finding it and happened upon it on TCM. I only made a point of watching it because of Alexis Smith who as was usually her lot was wasted again as the regal bitch, she was very good at that-how she was never cast as Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby for which she would have been ideal is beyond me, she had a key component that none of the Daisys I've seen have had...her voice was full of money, but as she proved once she left Warners she was capable of much more.
ReplyDeleteHowever Fontaine is the best thing in the film, I wouldn't nominate her-none of this year's nominees would make my personal ballot though Jean Arthur would be close, playing the longing for Boyer just right. Her "heart condition" was something I found very much a convenient plot device as well so I'm glad I wasn't alone in finding it intrusive.
That's a good point about how perception of the main plot has changed and how you something have to look at films historically. When this was made 16 year old brides were not an uncommon thing so the longing of a 14 year old I suppose wouldn't seem so out of place since she would be only two years from marriage. But now when it's so obviously beyond a schoolgirl crush it's icky.
It's important to remember sometimes exactly when a film was made and to view it within the context of its time. Sometimes I am capable of doing that and other times I can merely try. This is one of those cases where I can merely try.
DeleteI have a 12-year-old daugther who will be 13 in a couple of months. I can't imagine her claiming to have a mature love of someone within the next 15 months. If we lived 75 years ago...I still don't think I could buy that. It seems so foreign to me regardless of when the film was made that I just can't get my mind around it.