I Could Go on Singing [Blu-ray]

Director: Ronald Neame Ronald Neame

Overview

This is a standard yet uneven drama featuring Judy Garland as Jenny Bowman, a powerful singer who obviously has a passion for the stage and performing. At the same time, she once had a passion for a certain British doctor, David Donne (Dirk Bogarde), that resulted in the birth of a baby boy. Unwilling to be a mom at this point in her career, Jenny gives the boy over to David, and he raises him as though he were an adopted son. David marries, and he and Jenny go their separate ways until many years have passed and, finding herself in London again, Jenny decides to visit her son. David is now a widower, and romantic sparks fly once he and Jenny get together -- raising the question of whether her passion for the stage is still stronger than her passion for David.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/09/2023
UPC:	0850035985564
Original Release:	1963
Rating:	NR
Source:	Sandpiper Pictures
Language:	English
Time:	1:39:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Judy Garland	Jenny Bowman
Dirk Bogarde	David Donne
Aline MacMahon	Ida
Jack Klugman	George
Gregory Phillips	Matt
Pauline Jameson	Miss Plimpton
Jeremy Burnham	Young Hospital Doctor
Russell Waters	Reynolds
Gerald Sim	Assistant Manager of Palladium
Leon Cortez	The Busker
Mort Lindsey	Composer

Technical Credits

Mayo Simon

Stuart Millar	Producer
Ronald Neame	Director
Lawrence Turman	Producer
Mayo Simon	Screenwriter
Saul Chaplin	Producer

Editorial Reviews

As a total motion picture, I Could Go on Singing is only average. Essentially a backstage soap opera -- with a plot that takes in such genre-standard issues as an illegitimate child, an over-but-not-forgotten romance, the strength of a mother's love, and the harsh personal demands made on dedicated stage performers -- there's little in the script that hasn't been seen before (and often seen better). However, I Could Go on Singing has the advantage of being a musical soap opera, and of having Judy Garland, at the height of her interpretive power, as the woman doing the requisite suffering. Although her voice has lost the luster of its youth, it has gained the edge of a woman who has lived and been through it all. Her performance of the songs -- especially "By Myself," "It Never Was You," and the title number -- are remarkable, the performance of an artist at her peak. Had the script lived up to these moments, this could have been another A Star is Born. Garland is also quite good during the dialogue scenes, and Dirk Bogarde turns in another of his finely detailed characterizations. There's a surprising chemistry between the two stars, which is of great help, and their confrontation scene is excellent. I Could Go on Singing was Garland's final film.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler