Break of Hearts (1935)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Philip Moeller

Writers:

Lester Cohen (story)
Victor Heerman (writer)

Release Date:

31 May 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Franz Roberti is a famous orchestra conductor who has a number of girlfriends. While talking with his old music teacher...

Plot Keywords:

Orchestra | Composer | Orchestra Conductor | Music Teacher | Music Publisher

Cast

Katharine Hepburn	...	Constance Dane Roberti
Charles Boyer	...	Franz Roberti
John Beal	...	Johnny Lawrence
Jean Hersholt	...	Professor Thalma
Sam Hardy	...	Marx
Inez Courtney	...	Miss Wilson
Helene Millard	...	Sylvia DeWitt
Ferdinand Gottschalk	...	Enrico Pazzini
Susan Fleming	...	Elise
Lee Kohlmar	...	Schubert
Jean Howard	...	Didi Smith-Lennox
Anne Grey	...	Lady Phyllis Cameron

Runtime:

78 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #801) | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Wilshire Ebell Theater - 4401 W. 8th Street, Midtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

After completing one scene in the role of Franz Roberti, Francis Lederer refused to shoot a particular set-up, complaining it showed his "bad" side. Katharine Hepburn and assistant director Edward Killy complained to studio head J.P. MacDonald, who fired Lederer and replaced him with Charles Boyer.

Soundtrack:

Symphony No. 1 in C Minor,

Intriguing look at careers and marriage.

In the 1930s, there were many "adult" dramas about marital maladjustments. This film is striking because the two main characters, played by Katharine Hepburn and Charles Boyer, have musical careers, she as a composer and he as a famous conductor. The movie is sometimes preposterous, but it has an unusual background of classical music, it's nontraditional in its endorsement of female independence, and it has fine performances.