The Young Lovers

It's a pleasure for a French to watch highly talented Odile Versois in an Asquith movie;born a Russian (Poliakov) ,this part was tailor made for her:her three sisters were/are also actresses ,the most famous of them being Marina Vlady.In France she was not often given the parts she deserved and she prematurely died in the early eighties.

This could be subtitled "Romeo and Juliet in the cold war" ;An American falling in love with a Russian ambassador's daughter in those somber years is a dead end.Both become suspects,accused of being traitors to their countries.Chased by their own compatriots ,on both side (of the iron curtain although it takes place in england),they take a rebel stand and send a message of love,hope and tolerance to the world.

This is a touching melodrama,well acted by the two principals.

Billed as a romantic drama, this film starts out as a very touching, "Romeo and Juliet" style love story, with the star-crossed lovers coming from opposing sides of the Iron Curtain. It then builds up into a suspenseful, cold war thriller, finishing with a thrilling chase across England through railway stations, boatyards, and small towns, with Metropolitan Police, MI 5, CIA, and KGB agents in hot pursuit of the runaway lovers.

As other reviewers have noted, the ending seems to be quite open ended, leaving a lot to the cinema audience's imagination.

However, David Kossoff gives a strong political speech towards the end of the film when reading aloud his daughter's farewell letter, with social comments about the futility of the enmity between East and West, saying that it will one day be the downfall of both sides.

The uncredited performances read like a Who's Who of the British Cinema with actors such as: Robin Bailey, Dora Bryan, Joan Sims, Betty Marsden, the ubiquitous Sam Kydd - and am I the only one who noticed Raymond Francis in a similar role to what he played in No Hiding Place as Chief Inspector Lockhart?

This is one of the many films that have a promising synopsis and fail to really engage.

It's the story of two young lovers who meet at the ballet in London. One works in the code room at the US Embassy, the other the daughter of the Soviet ambassador. They decide that love transcends politics and run away together. They have an unconvincing escape across the channel during a violent storm and are last seen sailing away together (to where no-one is sure).

All the potential for drama and conflict between the two bitter enemies is lost and the actors themselves seem unconvinced.

Probably captured the mood of the times but looking extremely dated now. This was made at the height of the Cold War,so presumably people were hoping for a raproachment. Whereas attitudes of the two countries involved would have been far more cynical.

Trust me, it is well worth watching! 2 young people meet at the ballet and start a romance, but politically, they can not be together. He is on one side, she the other, and "there is no 3rd side". Yet they defy everyone and continue to see each other, playing a very dangerous cat and mouse game with their superiors.

The movie itself seemed either very pre-code, or very modern, with the details of their relationship and eventually the news that Anna is to have a baby; when of course she is not married to Ted!

Overall I gave it a 10. It held my interest for the entire time, it was happy, sad, heartwarming and heartbreaking, and some of the suspense would have made Hitchcock proud.