MovieChat Forums > The Constant Nymph (1943) Discussion > believable acting- exceptional

believable acting- exceptional

posted 12 years ago by kateyk12
3 replies | jump to latest

I first saw this movie when I was around 20. Joan and Charles were so believable in these parts that I was all ready to make up siqns and picket this movie in protest. (Not sure where I would have done this, since it was already over 30 years old) I found it so disturbing that an adult man could fall in love and want to leave his wife for an under age girl. It wasn't until years later, when I saw it on AMC and I knew that Joan was 24 when she made this, that I realized it was just a good story and darn good acting that had stirred me so much. I am so glad they showed it on TCM! I still believe it is the very best acting.

[–] karen-293-256584 12 years ago

I am currently editing my mother's diaries and found this entry from December 1946:

"Last night I went to see A Constant Nymph. The theme and the way it was acted got under my skin. I wept after we came out not only for the tragedy of the story, but for a 100 things it roused in me and I felt I had lost. It was as if the picture touched a wellspring deep in my soul and brought to life emotions that can only be borne in silence. The contact of soul between Lewis Dodd and Tessa made me yearn again for the blinding radiance of two souls that know each other, in a moment, perfect, complete and final."

When and where can one see this film?

[–] kateyk12 12 years ago

Unfortunately Karen, I don't believe it was ever released on dvd. I had to catch it on TCM after waiting several years since it was shown on AMC and it really stuck with me. I do miss movies with stirring emotional storylines.

[–] loocheeuh 12 years ago

I thought this movie was actually pretty disgusting. He's in his 30s. She's a teenager. I know Joan was over 21, but her character was a teen--and a pretty manipulative teen at that. Some of her facial expressions--she knew exactly what she was doing in driving a wedge between two adult married people. And Boyer's character was just slimy enough to fall for it.

Hollywood always loved these "young girl in blush of first womanhood meets much older man" stories (see: SUSAN SLEPT HERE, etc). If I were Alexis Smith's character I'd've packaged Tessa back to boarding school where she belonged.