Jeannette MacDonald is an English woman who falls in love with her teacher (Nelson Eddy) and runs away with him to Vienna in "Bitter Sweet," a 1940 musical based on a play by Noel Coward.Sarah (MacDonald) gets away from her family and a man she doesn't love to be with Carl (Eddy) who sings and composes. They have a hard time making ends meet but eventually start making money performing in a club. When a top producer is brought to the club to hear Carl's music, the future looks rosy. It's just an illusion.The film was given a top-notch production in color, and Jeannette not only looks lovely but wears the most glorious gowns! I have always preferred Jeanette's acting to Nelson's and Nelson's singing to Jeanette's. Both of them sound wonderful singing Noel Coward's music, including the beautiful "I'll See You Again." For some reason, both MacDonald and Eddy had uncredited "vocal stand-ins" - I would assume these people did not sing for them but perhaps rehearsed with the musicians, because Nelson and Jeanette sounded like themselves. MacDonald's voice had a fluttery quality and her tone tended to straighten at the top, but the middle voice and lower tones sounded beautiful. And you can't beat her presence. Eddy, of course, was a magnificent singer, totally suited to the operatic stage. He just never seemed that comfortable in front of the camera.Reminiscent of "Maytime," this is a treat for Eddy-MacDonald fans.

An obvious attempt to rework the studio hit Maytime and to an extent it works. The plot though slight, is not common as it actually tries to follow the trials and tribulations of a starving artistic couple, at least for the first hour. A few classic songs with those famous operatic voices is unleashed occasionally and the comedy is obvious but prudent. George Sanders as the heavy is very good and if not for his voice is almost unrecognizable. This movie contains a grand musical finale with technicolor used to its palest, so to speak with dancers following and trailing Jeanette as she dashes around the stage. Not great, not serious, not intelligent but pleasing, fun and touching.

Saw this film recently on a Turner Classic Movies TV broadcast and was dazzled once again by an incredibly deluxe production number in which the color palette was limited to aquas, subtle shades of pinks and rose, dazzling whites and ivories and that's about it. It's a song, mounted as part of an operetta, "Ziguener" ("The Gypsy"), in which Jeanette MacDonald is pursued over an enormous, multi-level stage by a flotilla of violin-playing, elaborately costumed musicians as she trills her heart out. It's Hollywood extravagance at its most eye-filling, and the gorgeous Technicolor justifies the Oscar nominations for art direction and color cinematography which this film received. M-G-M gave its "Singing Sweethearts," Jeanette and Nelson Eddy, a lovely vehicle with this one and its like will probably never grace a first-run screen ever again. Thank goodness that TCM occasionally exhumes this one from its vault to delight us every once in a while.

In the style of the great "Maytime " , director W.S.Van Dyke(San Francisco, Tarzan, the ape man ) adapted the original operetta by Noel Coward . The movie is a glamorous, romantic piece , wiht a magnificent photograhy, wonderful songs and a pair of unforgettable stars, Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy . Music, tragedy, love , all the elements are present in this beautiful picture , a joy for the moviegoer .Nelson and Jeanette sang with passion and his magic is beyond the scenes , his magic truly touched our hearts.