Unvollendete Liebe

I saw this memorable movie when I was 15, 45 years ago. It made an indelible impression on me, especially Dana Wynter, and, as I remember, a powder blue Ford convertible. I have been trying for several years now to find out if it's available in video.So far, no luck. Does anybody know if it can be had, if so how?

Lush soap opera with many signatures of the big budget 50's studio era, beautiful locations and production design, Cinemascope and an eye for detail..there's a scene where Egan pulls up beside a house and the colors of his suit, car interior & exterior and house all compliment each other and and his complexion and he's in a ghetto! Where it misses is in the casting of the leading man.

Richard Egan was a reliable journeyman actor but he wasn't strong enough to carry this sort of film. His character, who to put it mildly has many conflicts, required the intensity of a Richard Burton or the movie star charisma of a Rock Hudson to make him work, Egan possesses neither. Dana Wynter, Cameron Mitchell and Marjorie Rambeau all provide the requisite punch to their characters but with Egan's bland reliability failing to give them a spark to ignite off of the film never pulls the audience in.

It's not an awful film just empty.

After several attempts at watching blurry copies, I finally found a decent copy with satisfactory sound and was then able to view the entire film. I found this film to be quite absorbing and beautiful. The performances were very convincing. Richard Egan as usual is a very powerful and engrossing presence here always balancing restraint and erotic tension. Dana Wynter is lovely but could have been more impetuous. I read that Jean Simmons was considered for the Dana Wynter role. Perhaps she would have added that fiery impetuousness that was lacking in Ms. Wynter's performance. The acting accolades go to Marjorie Rambeau who was truly commanding in every scene. Sidney Blackner and Cameron Mitchell contribute very strong performances as well. Visually, the production is stunning. The colours, light, shadows and scenery were extremely lush and well thought out. The farewell scene at the train station for me ranks as one of the most beautiful "train station" scenes ever, along with " A Man and a Woman", "Love in the Afternoon" and dare I say, "Brief Encounter." It is unfortunate that a fully and meticulously restored version of this film is still unavailable. I can only imagine what the experience of watching this film must be like on the big screen. I should also not neglect to mention Elmer Bernstein's sweeping music score and moving love theme.

In 1955 when this early CinemaScope film was released and came to the Tucson Fox Theater, I was thirteen years old and I recall vividly sitting entranced in the large movie house utterly captivated by Richard Egan and Dana Wynter, who have to be one of the most stunning couples ever to grace the silver screen. Talk about perfect casting. The director, John Dunne, certainly had an eye for putting together the perfect male/female combo, with Egan's rugged tanned looks and Wynter's porcelain skin and breathtaking beauty, what's not to like! The story took backseat to the CinemaScope spectacle of Egan and Wynter and although not a complete disaster, the story, thankfully, never got in the way of Egan and Wynter. But it was interesting enough to keep me going and the nice thing about having the DVD is that I could take breaks which actually helped make the film move a bit more quickly.

I saw this movie when I was 11 years old. It was a love story that has never left me. When Dana Wynter says, "Oh Sonny, I loved you so," I just cried and cried. I felt then, I would have some sort of sadness in my love life and later on, I did!