Heartbeat (1946)
Directed by Sam Wood, Heartbeat is a romantic comedy-drama starring Ginger Rogers as a mischievous young woman navigating love and larceny in the City of Light. Based on the 1939 Italian film Batticuore, the story was adapted for American audiences with a blend of charm, glamour, and a touch of screwball energy.
Plot Summary
Arlette Lafon (Ginger Rogers), a spirited 18-year-old (though Rogers was 34 at the time), escapes from a reform school and winds up in a Parisian “school for pickpockets” run by the suave Professor Aristide (Basil Rathbone). Her first assignment: steal from a wealthy diplomat, Pierre de Roche (Jean-Pierre Aumont). But instead of lifting his wallet, she steals his heart.
As Arlette becomes entangled in a web of deception, romance, and mistaken identity, she must choose between a life of petty crime and the possibility of true love. The film builds toward a whimsical resolution involving a ball, a watch-switching scheme, and a dash of redemption.
Cast Highlights
- Ginger Rogers as Arlette Lafon
- Jean-Pierre Aumont as Pierre de Roche
- Adolphe Menjou as Ambassador
- Basil Rathbone as Professor Aristide
- Melville Cooper, Eduardo Ciannelli, and Henry Stephenson in supporting roles
Behind-the-Scenes Trivia
- This was the first collaboration between Ginger Rogers and director Sam Wood since Kitty Foyle (1940), which earned Rogers her only Oscar
- The film is a scene-by-scene remake of Batticuore (1939), directed by Mario Camerini
- Arlette’s last name is often mislisted as “Lafron,” but the correct name is Lafon, as shown in a newspaper prop within the film
- Rogers was photographed in soft focus to appear younger, but critics noted she was miscast as a teenager
