Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Salubfoto It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

bjs3 This is based on the life of Bix Beiderbecke. It was one of my Great Grand dad's books I read the summer I turned 13. Loved it! This movie is a pale shadow. Smoke , in the book , is black. He is also Rick's best friend since boyhood. This not treated as an aberration. There was no smarmy songstress. The character of Amy had a phi beta kappa key. But they just wanted her to be a stereotype rich, bored socialite . They wanted a "good girl/bad girl " dichotomy ". Ladies who sang with bands were not virginal and demure. Not an indictment , just a fact. And , of course, Rick and Bix died of alcoholism . The novel is brilliant. Poor Rick. Poor Bix. Mediocre movie.

Claudio Carvalho In the 30's, the outcast orphan Rick Martin (Orley Lindgren) is raised by his daughter without any care or love. One day, he overhears a song in a mission and owner of absolute pitch, he is capable to play it on the piano. When he sees a trumpet in a pawnshop, he falls in love with the instrument and works to raise the necessary money to buy it.One day, he meets the legendary trumpeter Art Hazzard (Juano Hernandez) and Rick (Kirk Douglas) becomes his protégée. Art teaches how to play trumpet to Rick that becomes a well succeeded but rebel trumpeter. Along his career, Rick Martin's friends are Art Hazzard, the piano player Willie 'Smoke' Willoughby (Hoagy Carmichael) and the singer Jo Jordan (Doris Day) and becomes the star of his orchestra. When Jo introduces her friend Amy North (Lauren Bacall), who is a medical student that loves to experience new sensations, Rick falls in love with her in the beginning of his downfall."Young Man with a Horn" is a beautiful movie by Michael Curtiz that tells the story of the rise and fall of a musician divided between his two loves: his trumpet and a woman. The story is basically divided in two parts – the first one before Lauren Bacall's character is uplifting, with the story of a boy that becomes a star through his friendship with a great trumpeter and his music, and the second part that is heartbreaking with his unrequited love by a strange woman. The performances are top-notch; the music score is magnificent; and the cinematography in black and white is wonderful. The cast seems to be enlightened and it is almost to highlight a performance - Orley Lindgren, Juano Hernandez, Kirk Douglas, Hoagy Carmichael, Doris Day and Lauren Bacall, they are all fantastic. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Êxito Fugaz" ("Rapid Success")

qormi On the whole, an excellent film. Kirk Douglas is a great leading man - he can read the phone book for an hour and go through a range of emotions. Doris Day played her role very well - a flawless performance. Lauren Bacall was perfect as the screwed up man eater. Hoagy Charmichael served as the narrator, bridging the stages of the story while playing Rick's best friend. The direction, the sets - Bacall's lavish apartment, the hotel bar, the African American church, the nightclubs.....all were unforgettable. The movie moved steadily along and got you involved. Douglas looked like he was actually playing he trumpet.It was so refreshing to see a black actor in a major role - as Rick's mentor. Also, the many black actors in the band and in the church - there were absolutely no stereotypes, as blacks were often depicted in a negative light at this time. The scene where it is revealed that Bacall's character is bisexual was very daring in 1950.The film could have been much better, however. The ending was rushed - more time should have been spent showing Rick's descent into alcoholism - instead, it was like he woke up one day and was a washed up alcoholic wandering the streets. Douglas should have been given the opportunity to depict all the heartache of gradually slipping into the hell he was in. He did a very good job, however, with what time he had - like I said, it was rushed. The ending was resolved as if by magic - it actually tarnished the entire film.

blanche-2 Kirk Douglas is a "Young Man with a Horn" in this 1950 film that supposedly is based on the life of Bix Biederbeck. It is highly fictionalized, and while very good for what it is, it doesn't really tell us much about Bix or jazz, though Harry James on the trumpet dubbing for Douglas is fantastic. The film also stars Hoagy Carmichael (who narrates as well), Doris Day as a band singer, and Lauren Bacall as the woman that Douglas falls for.Douglas is Rick Martin. As a child, he is sent to live with his sister, who ignores him, so that Rick is off on his own most of the time. He discovers music and becomes interested in the trumpet. He turns out to be supremely gifted and ends up connected to the great jazz trumpet player of the day, Art Hazzard (Juano Hernandez) who teaches and mentors him. Rick becomes famous and respected, and all goes well until he falls madly in love with a psychiatric student Amy North (Bacall) though a better choice for him might be the understanding band singer (Doris Day). Once in love with Amy, Rick loses his focus.I really enjoyed this film but I had a few problems with it. First of all, what year was this supposed to be set in? Before jazz, there was dixieland and the predominant black influence, yet we don't really see Rick listening to dixieland or becoming involved with it. The jazz in the film is the big band jazz that my dad listened to.Secondly, and here is the real problem, is the script. This purports to be the story of a man who is so emotionally damaged and so isolated and torn up inside that he can only express himself through the trumpet. Anyone get the impression that Kirk Douglas could only express himself through the trumpet? He seemed pretty chatty, charming, in touch with his anger, and passionate to me. I'm not blaming Douglas. He gives a terrific, honest performance of the script he was given. But the situations and dialogue have nothing to do with how the character is actually described in the film. Had the script been more reflective of the character, an actor who was more in his own head could have been cast - actually, someone like Montgomery Clift. Or don't describe him that way in the narration and in everyone's lines.A final word on probably the best performance in the film, that of Juano Hernandez as Art Hazzard. Hernandez is underrated and a footnote in Hollywood history, but a darned important one - his work paved the way for actors like Sidney Poitier. Here he gives a dignified, strong performance. A wonderful actor well worth seeking out in other roles.Doris Day is lovely and sings like an angel; Lauren Bacall, in an unusual role for her, does a good job as a cold woman who, in modern sensibility anyway, seems like she may have been gay. She doesn't like her husband touching her and she's ready to go to Europe with some woman she just met, so you tell me. The easygoing Hoagy Carmichael adds his smooth style to the proceedings.The music is heavenly in this film, and the story is interesting with excellent performances. In spite of some of my misgivings, this is well worth seeing.