No Sad Songs for Me (1950)

Review by All Movie Guide
Fans of weepies will relish No Sad Songs for Me, an effective but routine tearjerker that is saved from total mawkishness by the stellar late-career performance of the luminous Margaret Sullavan. Make no mistake about it: without Sullavan, Sad Songs would be a fairly ridiculous affair. Not concerned with seriously exploring a "death with dignity" issue, Sad Songs opts for a pure Hollywood soap approach, calling for the kind of long suffering, selfless nobility that would be sheer masochism in real life. Fortunately, in Sullavan's flawless performance, it is transformed into the ultimate in saintly self-sacrifice. The grace and graciousness displayed by this actress, combined with much more restraint than others would bring to the role, saves Sad Songs from itself. Sullavan gets valuable support from Wendell Corey as her husband, Viveca Lindfors as her soon-to-be successor, and Natalie Wood as her adorable daughter, but the film belongs to her. {Rudolph Mate deserves points as well for his sensitive and stylish direction, and for his help in molding Sullavan's performance. The star deserves a better vehicle, but she drives it like the winner she is. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide