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Young Man With a Horn
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Date  Helpful Rating 0 out of 0 users found this helpful  Hazzard HornPosted: 5/15/2003A review of Young Man With a Horn by lowellv70 First major appearance of Kirk Douglas. Rick Martin is a little boy nearly orphaned and solitary until he gains an interest in music thanks to a local rescue mission. While his guardian goes out late evenings to play the field, little Ricky discovers a nearby jazz joint featuring a man named Hazzard who sees the boy's potential and becomes his musical surrogate showing him the ins and outs of a jazz trumpet. Growing up on clubs, Rick matures into hotel orchestras blowing the restrained syrup of dance instead of the swing that he was raised on. When he finally gets a break from a rival band, he finds time to re-visit Art Hazzard and sit-in ultimately taking an interest in a superficial social climber incapable of relating to him. Stuck in a loveless marriage he begins to spiral down into alcohol having a true need to hit bottom if only to stay alive. Of all music films that I have seen or know of, this supposed tribute to Bix Biederbeck is the most plodding, miserable soap-opera of the bunch. I never could relate to Douglas as an actor. He always seemed "aloof" from whatever he attempted. I could never feel anything for him. He was just there. The Harry James horn begins to mercilessly drone in the face of a dragging plot. Curtiz, I'm sure was hoping that Bacall would lend the same 'punch' to this piece that she had to "Casablanca". But not even the grizzled Hoagy Carmichael or Orley Lindgren as Hazzard (probably the best-cast of the lot) can pull this thing out of the muck that it worms itself into. Perhaps it would have worked better as "The Art Hazzard Story". Was this review helpful? Sign In 1-1 of 1 Per Page | ||
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