Tweet The Constant Nymph (1943)

What a great film. A haunting performance by Joan Fontaine (age 26) as a teenager in lover with older musician Charles Boyer. I also cannot get the music out of my head (Erich Wolfgang Korngold).

So what's the legal tie up here? The music? To my knowledge this film has never been shown on TCM or available on VHS or DVD....

What a shame....

[Mike Gebert]

I believe it has to do with rights to the play it's based on.

The silent version is excellent too.....Ivor Novello, Mabel Poulton, Mary Clare, a cameo from Elsa Lanchester.....and great Alpine location shooting. Adrian Brunel's finest hour as a director.....again, it probably hasn't been seen in the US since the first time around, if then ??

I'd love to see the Ivor Novello silent version....

I found a blurb that says Margaret Kennedy (author) stated in her will that the film was to be shown at universities or museums ONLY ... after its theatrical run. I guess that's why TCM has never shown it and why it's never been released on DVD....

Ed

The 1928 Novello silent version was believed lost for decades....and was one of the Missing Believed Lost titles highlighted in the 1992 BFI book of the same name, which dealt with British sound and silent films. Fortunately a private collector had a copy, and the BFI have done the necessary; it gets shown as often as any British silent, I would think; I've seen it three times, IIRC - but it's a fairly recent find in the scheme of things.

it's great to know the film has survived.... I think Ivor Novello is just waiting to be rediscovered. I've only seen him in a few films. He may be the only actor to work for both Griffith and Hitchcock?

I'll keep an eye out for Novello's Constant Nymph as well as the earlier talkie version with Brian Aherne and Victoria Hopper.

The legal mess has been sorted out at long last and this long-unseen classic film with its fabulous Korngold score, will be screened at the TCM Festival in LA in May 2011 and presumably, will be released on DVD in the near future.

I'd love to see the silent version included in a DVD release of this.

I have suggested to WB that the earlier versions be included on the DVD. It will depend on negotiations with the national film archive in London.

Saw the 1933 version of The Constant Nymph and was blown away by the powerful performance of Victoria Hopper (age 24 or so) as Tessa. Also superb were Brian Aherne and Leonora Corbett (as Florence). Sometimes hard to make out the dialog but an absolutely terrific and disturbing film. I'll have to re-watch the Joan Fontaine version.

No luck yet in finding a copy of the silent version.