Thrill of a Romance

THRILL OF A ROMANCE is a film that encompasses many crowd-pleasing elements. Made in 1945 and starring Esther Williams and Van Johnson, it was one of those big-budget, "everyman" movies that were churned out with big stars and decent production value. It tells of a newlywed wife, Cynthia (Williams), who is on her honeymoon alone. Her husband is back in Washington, continually postponing his arrival while his wife remains alone and anxious. This anxiety works for a while, and Cynthia parades about the resort to a point where her actions, and thus the film becomes gaudy. Because of who Esther Williams is, its easy for the film to gorgeously attire her surroundings, with her at the center: the polestar of beauty. She swims, which is helpful because of William's real life persona, and they even include that swimming plot point into the story. This is accomplished when, as Cynthia dives impeccably, she spots out a young navy-man named Tom. He's played by Van Johnson, who brings a sweetness to his role. He and Cynthia begin a relationship, but its an awkward one. Cynthia is too conflicted to her title of "newlywed" to completely succumb to the lovestruck Tom, but even the other residents of the resort begin to side with the inevitable result of a Cynthia + Tom relationship. The film beautifully implants a role played by opera singer Lauritz Melchor. He livens up the film quite often, although his frequent singing only adds to how schmaltzy the film is. This is the real conflict of THRILL OF A ROMANCE, for, like the other residents of the resort, we are quite aware of how the film will end, if only because it is that kind of film. Thus, the schmaltz becomes problematic, and the gaudiness of the still-appealing Williams. Melchor is an amiable presence, and so is his subplot, Williams & Johnson are also appealing, but this isn't really much of a film. It's more like an appealing romance, and considering most of the awful romantic-comedies of today, its certainly a better choice in that realm. Despite THRILL OF A ROMANCE's schmaltz, its charm works.
Thrill of a Romance: ★★★