Viaje sin retorno

There are moments in certain movies that, once experienced, turn you, forevermore, into a movie-lover.

As those two glasses broke, in a bar in Acapulco, the sound nearly masked by New Years' celebrations and the strains of "Auld Lang Syne", I let out a sob that I can still feel, well more than fifty years later.

Dated, trite, corny, awful sound, loud voices, yeah, all of those. But put it aside and revel in this beautiful, gentle, glamorous and romantic love story. Even with all the available cinematographic bells and whistles, it simply could not be made today.

George Brent and Merle Oberon meet in a bar in Hong Kong, share a cocktail of his own concoction, break the glasses and part. He's promptly apprehended by Pat O'Brien, and taken back to be hanged for murder. She's on the same cruise ship, dying of heart disease.

It's a remake of 1932's ONE-WAY PASSAGE, the most romantic movie not directed by Frank Borzage. The musical theme is the same; Frank McHugh is the same; Binnie Barnes takes Aline MacMahon's role, and Geraldine Fitzgerald is present for Miss Oberon to make her illness apparent to. Everyone performs their roles well, but at 99 minutes, this lacks the tightness and sense of racing time that makes the original movie's 67 minutes such a sensation. Those high-speed Pre-Code movies from Warner Brothers made their points and moved ahead. This one works, but not as well.

If you like romance, you must see this movie. It is well written, beautifully directed, and superbly acted. The music, too, is memorable. Merle Oberon is perfection. George Brent is excellent. Binnie Barnes is masterfully restrained and right on the mark. Unless you are emotionless, make sure you have some tissues ready. This is a remake of an earlier movie that starred William Powell, but it is so much better thanks to the perfect casting of Merle Oberon in the lead. She is the force that propels this story. Along with the romantic thread of the movie, there is a compelling drama of two men, a criminal and a cop, bound together on a ship carrying the criminal back to prison. The drama and the romance are flawlessly blended in a tale that never drags.

I watched this movie tonight. It is a well done remake. Bette Davis & Marlene Dietrich passed on the lead, so it went to Merle. She made the part of Joan her own. But...there is little to no chemistry between her and George Brent. I saw no passion between these doomed lovers. George Brent was a popular star, but his acting is so wooden; I really had a difficult time finding why she loved him so desperately. I would recommend the movie to Merle Oberon fans.

George Brent stars as a murderer who has been traveling the world avoiding his execution. On his tail the whole way is the detective, played by Pat O'Brien. Once Brent is finally apprehended in China, he's taken aboard a cruise ship bound for America. There he meets Merle Oberon and they fall in love. However, they both are hiding secrets--Brent cannot bring himself to tell her he will be executed and Oberon cannot bring herself to tell him she's got a fatal heart condition. While this may sound a bit sappy and contrived, it did work reasonably well--mostly because the detective agreed to let Brent keep the secret until they docked in San Francisco.

Had I never seen ONE WAY PASSAGE, then I might have been tempted to score this picture much higher. That's because 'TIL WE MEET AGAIN is a remake of ONE WAY PASSAGE and in most every way, the original is a better picture. The original film starred William Powell and he was at his best in this film. While I always love George Brent in films, he just couldn't beat Powell's performance and so he was handicapped from the outset. The original film was also better because it was more concise, didn't rely as much on secondary characters and plots and just sparkled. Side by side, there just isn't much to merit watching 'TIL WE MEET AGAIN. The latter film adds too many plot elements and draws out the eventual parting too long. And, to top it off, create a possible loophole at the end of the film (depending on how you interpret it)--even though there is no way the lovers could have had a happy ending.

Nope...stick with the original.