Moonlight Sonata  (1937)

Theatrical Release Information:
Moonlight Sonata

Shortly before his desultory political career, famed Polish concert pianist Jan Paderewski starred as himself in the British romantic drama Moonlight Sonata. The bulk of the film is set in Sweden, where Eric Molander (Charles Farrell) professes his love for beautiful young baroness Lindenborg (Marie Tempest). Nearby, a plane carrying Paderewski and several other passengers is forced to land due to bad weather. The travelers take refuge on Lindenborg's estate; one of them, worldly Mario de la Costa (Eric Portman), sweeps Lindenborg off her feet. With Paderewski's implicit assistance, Molander proves that de la Costa is a fortune hunter, paving the way for a fade-out clinch for the hero and heroine. In addition to the title song, we are treated to such Paderewski "standards" as Chopin's Polonaise and the pianist's own composition Minuet in G Major. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide