dane-92

The plot is creative, interesting and romantic (though as a guy, I'm not going to admit any susceptibility there), and there are well developed characters, good acting, and a movie score to die for. Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, I mean, cummon, what a formula! But what really grabbed ahold of me in this movie is the scene in Europe with the grandmother. I don't know of very many other scenes in ANY movie to top that one for pathos. In both this version, and in the Charles Boyer version, that scene is the one that really imprints itself.

One interesting thing about this movie and its B&W predecessor, Love Affair, is how closely the second is patterned after the first. Much of the dialog, the layout of the sets, seems pretty much identical. Which goes to show, when you have something that's truly a classic, and the first version is already so good, all you need to do is bring it up to date a little, and not much else needs to be done.

One more thing I'd like to mention is the dialogue. I love the fun, flippancy of the two main characters and the way they relate to each other. They're both intelligent, articulate, poised people of the world who just happen to *get* each other really well and naturally mesh as personalities. They're also both artists in a real sense. His art is painting, and hers is music...so that may be another part of their personalities they find attractive in each other.

OK, one more thing. Admirable people. I really like movies where there are lots of people I can genuinely like, and this movie abounds with them. Even the spurned fiances are kind, gracious, and forgiving.

While the lead characters are all fabulous in this film, the person who really captured my attention was Patricia Collinge, who revived her Broadway role as the kind, but broken sister-in-law. Her heartbreaking performance steals the show for me...in the same way Academy award winner Claire Trevor stole my attention in Key Largo. Collinge was a brilliant actress, author, and playwright whose career spanned half a century, and my first exposure to her was her portrayal of Birdie in this movie. She's unforgettable in the role...and it's a shame she lost the Oscar to the rather breathy, stylized actress Mary Astor.

This movie obviously didn't have a lot of budget to work with, but a strong ensemble of actors really helps to humanize its story. Where there's an interesting storyline and believable, likable, three dimensional characters, I can forgive a sci fi movie's weak special effects.