La chanson de l'adieu: A moody, dusty look at Chopin

Is this for you?

If you like movies that feel like they were pulled out of a time capsule—complete with all the dust and slightly stiff acting—you might enjoy La chanson de l'adieu. If you need pacing that moves faster than a polite stroll, skip this one. It's not trying to be a modern blockbuster.

It’s essentially a melodrama about Frédéric Chopin being torn between two women and his own ego. You’ve got the sweet neighbor Constantia and the intense, famous George Sand. It’s exactly the kind of stuff you’d expect from a period piece made back in the day.

Notes from the couch

The transition from his quiet life to the chaos of Paris feels a bit abrupt. One minute he's pining, the next he's being molded by Sand like a piece of clay. It’s funny how movies like this assume we know exactly why he's so special without showing us much actual piano playing. He just kind of stares off into the distance while the music swells.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of La chanson de l'adieu (1934) through its definitive frames.

Jean Servais has this way of looking haunted that actually works, even when the dialogue gets a little too flowery. I found myself thinking about Surrender while watching it—both films have that same heavy, dramatic weight that feels very much of their era.

• The lighting in the Paris scenes is weirdly moody.
• Chopin looks perpetually tired, which is fair, I guess.
• The scene where Constantia leaves? It happens so fast you almost miss the emotional stakes.

It’s not perfect. Sometimes the scenes linger on a reaction shot until it stops being poignant and starts being awkward. There's a particular shot of George Sand watching him write that just goes on for ages. I felt like I was intruding, but not in the good, dramatic way.

It doesn't reach the heights of something like Enthusiasm in terms of energy, but it’s not trying to. It’s just a quiet, slightly sad movie about people making choices they probably regret later. I wouldn't call it a masterpiece, but it’s a decent watch if you’re in a mood for something a bit melancholic.