The Third Wonderful Grace Kelly Blogathon
Welcome to the Third Wonderful Grace Kelly Blogathon, hosted by the Wonderful World of Cinema!
I watched The Swan (1956) for the first time. When I hear Grace Kelly, I immediately think of the her work with Alfred Hitchcock. The Swan isn’t on a par with those classics, but it does have several things to recommend it. Kelly and Louis Jourdan have good chemistry as the star-crossed almost lovers. Jourdan is Nicholas, the royal tutor, who’s treated like a servant. 
In a preview of things to come in her life, Kelly plays Alexandra, a princess. Alec Guinness, the third pick after Rex Harrison and Joseph Cotten, makes the most of a thankless role as Prince Albert, the hapless heir to the throne of a fictitious kingdom. There’s wide-screen Technicolor which highlights the period costumes by Helen Rose. Agnes Moorehead shows up late as Albert’s mother. It’s a light romantic comedy with a bittersweet ending that will probably please no one. For more on the making of the film and a detailed plot summary, visit Back to Golden Days curated by Cátia who wrote about The Swan for last year’s Royalty in Film blogathon. In the article, she writes:
Kelly met with Dory Schary, then head of production at MGM, and proposed the idea of making a film version of The Swan, with her reprising her television role. Schary said he would think about it and, shortly afterwards, presented the project to her agent, Jay Kanter, as if it were his own idea. In April 1955, Kelly signed the renewal of her option papers and agreed to return to Metro for The Swan, scheduled for production that autumn. Kelly found that she had a deep understanding of Alexandra — “a woman I thought I really had under my skin,” as she later said.
Kelly and Jourdan don’t sing but they do dance and fence.
Grace Kelly practices fencing with Director Charles Vidor as fencing master Jean Heremans looks on, just before the filming of MGM’s “The Swan” started.
Photo from Grace Film
Lovely article. I’m glad you were introduced to this film! 🙂 The first time I saw it, it was on big screen but, despite that, I only learned to fully appreciate it on the second. It’s one of Grace’s most underrated movies, but there are indeed many reasons to appreciate it. The ending is sad and, indeed doesn’t please anyone, but the only thing that makes me feel better about it is that Prince Albert seems to be an understanding person and he’s also rather amusing. So, even if Alexandra doesn’t love him, she can at least gain a friend in him. Thanks so much for your participation in the blogathon! 🙂
Thanks again for hosting and sharing your thoughts. Yes, Albert takes a long time to warm up but he shines at the end.
Though Grace Kelly is not my favorite actress, this is my favorite film of hers. She brings compassion and a real understanding of her character to the screen. I really think it is her most human character in all of her movies.
Great to hear a vote of confidence for this lesser known film. Yes, her compassion shows. Thanks for checking in.