Unlimitedia
Sick Product of a Sick System
InformationRap
This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
Kaydan Christian
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Neil Doyle
SONG OF NORWAY is an unbearably dull musical pastiche of clichés heard in every musical ever made that purported to be the saga of a composer's struggles to find recognition for his music. Edvard Grieg's struggles are so dull as to be non-stop in this awful compilation of Norwegian scenery by the truckload with no story to carry it.It is notable that the man who plays Grieg, TORALV MAURSTAD, never did make another American film, so disastrous were the reviews and box-office for this dull saga. Note also that FLORENCE HENDERSON was not able to make another film in Hollywood but went directly to television and stayed there for a very successful run on "The Brady Bunch". See the film and you will judge yourself why it was an abject failure. And don't be fooled by the presence of OSKAR HOMOLKA, EDWARD G. ROBINSON and ROBERT MORLEY in the cast. They have little or nothing to do.Music lovers may be enchanted by Grieg's works, but not the way they are presented here. Nor is there any resemblance between the zestful SOUND OF MUSIC and its picturesque way of dealing with the Von Trapp Singers and this dull as dishwater musical that would work better as a travelogue of Norway with the plot excised.See it at your own risk.
paskuniag
The reason Song of Norway is not hailed as a classic like The Sound Of Music is simple- the acting stinks. The music is wonderful, ditto the voices of Florence Henderson (Who backed up Mary Martin in the Broadway version of TSOM) and Frank Porretta. But once they stop singing, and Grieg (Toralv Maurstad(?)) stops playing, the whole thing just sits their like a cold smorgasbord- it looks very good, but it isn't really that appetizing. There is no warmth or rapport between any two of the leads. The bit parts by Mssrs. Robinson, Homolka, and Morley don't last long enough for anyone to forget how uninspiring the whole thing is. It is doubly so when the characters are talking, and there is a shot of the magnificent Norwegian landscape in the background. You'd think the dialogue could at least try to compete with the scenery. As it is, it comes in a distant third, behind the sweeping vistas and the music. By comparison, TSOM had first-rate actors with a first-rate script, songs by Rodgers and Hammerstein, and a budget large enough to support them all. If Julie Andrews was a little too sugary, well, at least she could act. And there was nothing sugary about her escape from Austria with the family. In the end, Song of Norway is dressed up with wonderful location shooting and memorable tunes, but the acting leaves this film with no place to go.
George-n-Kansas
One of the most ravishingly beautiful, and most entertaining, movie musicals in history, SONG OF NORWAY is a delight to ear, eye, and intellect! This is the film that introduced me to the great Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, and I have found hours of sheer delight in his musical genius ever since! The scenery of the film is some of the most stunning in all of motion picture history (Norway is, truly, one of the most beautiful places on Earth). The cast of this movie is superb, but the film really belongs to Florence Henderson, who gives the performance of her career! No one can fail to be moved by her poignant sacrifice for her beloved Edvard, nor avoid feeling overjoyed when love triumphs in the end and conquers all!SONG OF NORWAY also is perfect family viewing, as it lacks the lurid and smutty nature of most of the filth that is slopped onto screens these days. In these days of Janet Jackson re-defining the term "boob tube," SONG OF NORWAY is there to remind us of a purer, more innocent day when being entertained did not equate with sexual perversion, voyeurism or entrails being dangled in front of our noses. Male or female, young or old, SONG OF NORWAY is a movie for EVERYONE! Please, Hollywood, start making movies like SONG OF NORWAY again! I rate it a 10 out of 10 (and would rate it even higher if such a rating were possible)!
Ken K.
It took decades to bring "Song of Norway" from Broadway to the screen and what we get is a glorious mish-mash. Now, first and foremost, the star of the film is the scenery. Norway is an exceptionally beautiful country and never has it looked better on film. It must have looked even better on the huge, Cinerama screen for which it was designed. The editing, before the era of MTV, is a forerunner of a music video to Grieg's heady music. The editing flubs here and there but the opening credit sequence and the song "Song of Norway" is astounding. Next, many of the musical numbers are the most corniest ever directed which drags the film down tremendously. While the lyrics have a hard time keeping up with the incredible beauty of Grieg's music, they can be quite beautiful. Now, "Song of Norway" shines in its dramatic moments much better than its musical moments (a bad thing for a musical). And, the second half improves over the first. The dramatic acting is very good. Toralv Maurstad was Norway's premier actor at the time and he is good in the dramatic scenes, but sadly, he could not carry a note in a bucket. But on the large screen, barely detectable on video, his eyes are rimmed with tears as Rikard Nordraak sings the glory of their homeland. It is a moving moment. Florence Henderson is very good dramatically and musically, proving that there is more to her talent than just being the mother of "The Brady Bunch." Frank Porretta, an opera star, is classically trained. He displays the unbridled enthusiasm of Rikard and is inspiring with his singing of "Song of Norway." Christina Schollin is also very good as Theresa Berg, Grieg's patron and former lover. What is very disappointing is that this film had the opportunity to reach the heights of "The Sound of Music" with exceptional music and scenery but it required more ingenuity when it came to writing and direction. The talents of an Ernest Lehman and a Robert Wise would have been a great addition. SPOILER ALERT! Although the film ends with Grieg returning to Nina in a happy ending, the real-life ending is far from happy. Grieg was so heart-broken from letting down those closest to him that upon his return, he never wrote another note of music.
