An adequate but unexciting soaper, Interlude is a rather disinterested offering from Douglas Sirk, a director whose films tend to inspire a rather passionate response, pro or con. Sirk has indicated that, due to health issues and scheduling issues, he had less to do with the development of the script than was usual for him, and perhaps that accounts for the film's by-the-numbers feeling. Certainly the script could have used some help, being fairly standard-issue material with little flair. Sirk's direction also seems somewhat uninvolved; there are certainly some good sequences, and it's all professionally done, but it doesn't have the personal "Sirk" stamp that one expects. Matters might have been helped had Sirk been working with a different cast, but Rossano Brazzi is only passable and June Allyson is rather annoying; neither gets underneath the skin of the characters, and there's a crucial lack of chemistry between the stars. The film certainly takes advantage of the beauties of location shooting, but even here Sirk seems a bit off his form, perhaps because he's working with a cinematographer other than the one to which he was accustomed. Ultimately, Interlude is watchable but little more.
Interlude (1957)
Directed by Douglas Sirk
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