So a few
days ago I watched An Affair to Remember
(1957). I’d seen it before a number of times but oh what a joy it is to
re-discover how much you love a great film! And An Affair to Remember is definitely one of the greats in romantic
drama. It’s number five on the American Film Institute’s list of greatest love stories, and one of the best and greatest "chick flicks" ever. Call me a die-hard
romantic, but it’s one of those films that always gives a giant yank on my
heart-strings. Sure, the plot is pure, unadulterated tear-jerker stuff, but if
you are in the mood for unabashed romance and a good old-fashioned cry, then oh boy, this is your
film.
The plot is
simple. A former night-club singer, Terry McKay, and Nicki Ferrante, an international playboy, meet on an ocean crossing. They fall in love – but they’re
each already committed to other people. They agree that as a test of their love,
they will wait to meet each other in six months’ time at the top of the Empire
State Building. The ship docks and they go their separate ways – but will they
both show up for that date six months later?
The actors in this film are what takes it from good to great. I love both
lead actors. Deborah Kerr is never not
fantastic, and she’s one of the female stars I personally admire the most. She
is sometimes overlooked because of her type-casting as a saint-like character,
but I love her. She is tremendously graceful – like Audrey Hepburn, another
ballet-trained actress, she has incredible poise and physical presence. Her
light, refined voice and delicate features belie a certain “steel magnolia”
quality. Intelligent, passionate, and with an indestructible dignity about her,
she is an exquisite screen personality. Kerr is one
of the actresses I find the most perfect match for Grant – she is witty,
sophisticated, has a faint wispy air of upper-class refinement but also a
down-to-earth intelligence; like most of Grant’s best co-stars, she is
ultra-feminine, with a certain elegant yet slightly repressed sensuality.
Grant and Kerr's chemistry is fantastic. Every time I see the film, I marvel at it – their
passion is perfectly convincing, but they hardly kiss! This is
a perfect example of what my friends wistfully refer to as “romance like it used
to be” – and for me, it beats more explicit displays hands-down. It's also a good
example of the mixed legacy of screen censorship. Under the Production Code, any kind of onscreen sex was
totally off-limits, yet some films, the greatest films, managed to transcend
the restrictions. And the best of them were usually the films where the actors have the greatest natural chemistry, communicated through look and gesture. Of
course, onscreen chemistry is a combination of many things – acting skill,
direction and editing, as well as the natural attraction between the actors.
But most of the great actors of the Old Hollywood era could transmit that
romantic charge through the smallest look or gesture. That, for me, is a sign
of true acting greatness and authentic screen presence, and something I really, really
miss in contemporary cinema.
Grant and Kerr's chemistry is fantastic. Every time I see the film, I marvel at it – their
passion is perfectly convincing, but they hardly kiss! This is
a perfect example of what my friends wistfully refer to as “romance like it used
to be” – and for me, it beats more explicit displays hands-down. It's also a good
example of the mixed legacy of screen censorship. Under the Production Code, any kind of onscreen sex was
totally off-limits, yet some films, the greatest films, managed to transcend
the restrictions. And the best of them were usually the films where the actors have the greatest natural chemistry, communicated through look and gesture. Of
course, onscreen chemistry is a combination of many things – acting skill,
direction and editing, as well as the natural attraction between the actors.
But most of the great actors of the Old Hollywood era could transmit that
romantic charge through the smallest look or gesture. That, for me, is a sign
of true acting greatness and authentic screen presence, and something I really, really
miss in contemporary cinema.
I wouldn’t
say this is one of my absolute favourite Cary Grant performances – nevertheless, he’s in
top form as the charming man-about-town. Their initial ‘meet cute’ is one of the best scenes – the twinkle in his eye when he asks her ‘did you write the song I’ll Never Smile Again?’ – I laugh no
matter how many times I see it. As always, Grant is pure class – he pulls off
his character of a famous womaniser without seeming seedy or sleazy. Melodrama
doesn’t suit Grant’s economical acting style – he’s often most eloquent when he
doesn’t speak – and some of his best
moments are when he just looks. Near the end of the film, there's a moment where he wordlessly kisses her hand. It reduces me to a puddle of tears every time. But telling
you any more than that would risk spoiling the plot. Suffice it to say that Grant proves once more that he's the master of small romantic gestures.
An Affair to Remember has an interesting history of multiple remakes and spinoffs. It has even become something of a cultural icon in film romance. The 1957 version I'm reviewing here is actually a remake of directer Leo McCarey's original 1939 version starring Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer. The story was re-remade in 1994 (rather unsuccessfully), and more successfully, in 1993 as Sleepless in Seattle. Sleepless is a loose knock-off of the original plot, and has numerous references to the Grant and Kerr version. In a very funny scene (containing major spoilers), one of the Sleepless characters tearfully describes the final scene of Affair to Remember. It's worth watching because it's probably the kind of thing you'd get if I was to give you the film review in person!
Like any good romance should be, An Affair to Remember is absolutely full of sob-inducingly romantic quotes. I'll post some of them shortly after this review goes up, with some big gorgeous promo shots from the film.
This is the
perfect film to watch on a rainy night, with a friend or two, big hot
chocolates and a big box of tissues. If one or more of you is unhappily single
or going through a break-up, all the better. It just might rekindle your faith
in romance. Movies can do that sometimes.
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Film info:
An Affair to Remember (1957)
Director: Leo McCarey
Starring: Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr
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Sources:
Second image: http://seriesfilmesandluly.tumblr.com/
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Film info:
An Affair to Remember (1957)
Director: Leo McCarey
Starring: Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr
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Sources:
Second image: http://seriesfilmesandluly.tumblr.com/
