An Affair to Remember: My review

A classic film from 1957

This is one of my favorites from my classic movie collection. It's a romantic story but it's not sugary and gooey - probably because of the excellence of the actors.

Deborah Kerr & Cary Grant

I enjoy reading about Hollywood gossip from the old days and yet I've never read anything to indicate that these two fine actors had a relationship away from the screen. Nevertheless, there is an electricity between them which is outstanding.

That special sparkle

There was a previous version made of this story (featuring Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne) which was as flat as a pancake compared to this. Although I haven't compared them 100%, the script seems to be identical in both movies (and a wonderful story it is too) but the earlier version lacks that special sparkle between the two leading characters.

A girl-meets-boy movie?

Oh yes, but it's more of an engaged-to-someone-else girl meets an engaged-to-someone-else boy. They are unquestioningly in love with each other due to a shipboard romance but realize that they have their other relationships to untangle. They plan to get their lives on order and meet at the top of the Empire State Building in six months time. Will they?

I am saying no more!

If you haven't seen this magnificent movie, I'm not going to spoil it for you. If you have, then your eyes are probably watering already.

You'll thank me for this

I said that this isn't one of those cloying, over-sweet romances but there is one scene that I invariably have to use the fast-forward button on. It's bloody awful. For some reason best known to themselves, producers seem to like to film Deborah Kerr singing with children. Ugh. When you get to that part, reach for the remote. It adds nothing to the plot and is really pretty cringe-worthy.

Fast and funny

This is a comedy as well as a wonderful love story. I can (and do) watch it time after time.

This is so strange,I have goose pimples just thinking about this film. That should give you some idea about how very powerful it is.

Deborah Kerr is quite brilliant in this movie. I'd only seen her before in The King and I which is wonderful, but that's thanks to Yul Brynner (pom pom pom) and I really didn't care for the schoolmistress character - she's too po-faced.

And as for Cary Grant - well, how can you go wrong?

Oh, and that theme tune... in the trailer below (near the end) you can see what I mean. Goosebumps.

The trailer

I'm pretty disappointed with You Tube today. I wanted to show you lots of wonderful clips but it could be that there's a copyright issue or something. This trailer only gives you the merest hint of the wonderfulness of the film and unbelievably, although it is only a three minute trailer it devotes nineteen precious seconds to those awful children. Skip from the 1.00 minute mark to 1.19 minutes! It's beyond me why they thought that could be a selling point. The awfulness of this trailer shows just how good this movie is - it succeeded despite it.

I just found this clip too. There's no sound (apart from a pretty slushy sounding French song) but you'll get an idea of some of the scenes - and see more delicious 1950s fashions.