Bitter Sweet

Bitter Sweet is a 1940 American Technicolor musical film directed by W. S. Van Dyke, based on the operetta Bitter Sweet by Noël Coward. It was nominated for two Academy Awards, one for Best Cinematography and the other for Best Art Direction by Cedric Gibbons and John S. Detlie. The film is based on Coward's stage operetta, which was a hit in 1929 in London. It was filmed twice, first in 1933 in black-and-white (in Britain, with Anna Neagle and Fernand Gravet in the leading roles). The 1940 film is much cut and rewritten, removing much of the operetta's irony. The opening and closing scenes are cut, focusing the film squarely upon the relationship between MacDonald's character, Sarah, and her music teacher, Carl Linden. The opening scene was a flash forward, in which Sarah appears as an elderly woman recalling how she fell in love. One reason for dropping this scene is that it had been appropriated for MGM's 1937 film Maytime. Coward disliked the 1940 film and vowed that no more of his shows would be filmed in Hollywood. In 1951, he told The Daily Express, "I was saving up Bitter Sweet as an investment for my old age. After MGM's dreadful film I can never revive it" on stage. Plot Set in late 19th century Vienna, the story focuses on the romance between music teacher Carl Linden (Nelson Eddy) and his prize pupil Sarah Milick (Jeanette MacDonald). Cast Jeanette MacDonald as Sarah Millick, later Sari Linden Nelson Eddy as Carl Linden George Sanders as Baron Von Tranisch Ian Hunter as Lord Shayne Felix Bressart as Max Sig Ruman as Herr Schlock Diana Lewis as Jane Lynne Carver as Dolly Edward Ashley as Harry Daventry Curt Bois as Ernst Fay Holden as Mrs. Millick Janet Beecher as Lady Daventry Charles Judels as Herr Wyler Veda Ann Borg as Manon Herman Bing as Market Keeper Greta Meyer as Mama Luden