Reunion at Fairborough

After three movies together from 1957-1960, Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr were reunited for a fourth pairing in 1985, and the wait was definitely worthwhile!

Robert Mitchum play a former WW2 pilot who now lives alone and unhappily, forty years after the war. His fellow soldiers plan a reunion of the surviving members of the brigade, to be held in Fairborough, England, where they were originally stationed. Bob, Barry Morse, Shane Rimmer, and Red Buttons cross the big blue in preparation for the big reunion, and they get together with old friends and share their feelings they've held onto for forty years. Bob has an extra special reason for travelling to England: he wants to look up his wartime sweetheart, Deborah Kerr. The moment when they're finally reunited is so moving, especially since they hadn't made a movie together in 25 years!

Everyone in the movie gives a wonderful performance, and Deborah and Bob once again make a smoldering couple. Interspersed with real WW2 footage, the movie has a great feeling of nostalgia and successfully straddles the issue of being anti-war while appreciating the war effort by our troops. If you like old-timer romances, or want to see a Deborah and Bob reunion, definitely check out Reunion at Fairborough!

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not your friend. There's a scene towards the end where Robert Mitchum flies a plane, and the POV might make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

In some ways, I enjoyed "Reunion at Fairborough"...and in other ways, it reminded me of the expression "you can never go back". In other words, it left me with very mixed feelings.

When the film begins, Carl (Robert Mitchum) is feeling blue. He's been forced to retire, his wife had left him and he didn't feel much of a sense of purpose in his life. But when he gets word that his old bomber group from WWII is having a reunion back in England where they were based, he seems to get a new lease on life. Before he goes, however, he wants to find an old buddy and take him along with him. This won't be easy as Jiggs (Red Buttons) is an alcoholic and doesn't seem interested in the trip. But Carl is insistent and he takes his old friend with him.

Once in England, Carl is in for a huge surprise when he looks up his old sweetheart. It seems that Sally (Deborah Kerr) had his baby long ago...and never bothered to tell him. That baby grew up and died...but she produced a daughter.... Carl's granddaughter. But this is not one big happy family reunion. Sally doesn't seem that eager to reignite old passions and the granddaughter is a very idealistic AND obnoxious teen...too obnoxious to make her character likable or relatable. She also is incredibly inconsistent and needlessly rude. What's to come of all this family bonding?

There were some very nice performances in the film...particularly by Mitchum and Barry Morse. But it also seemed to be a mistake including so much of the granddaughter and not enough of her grandmother, Sally. Considering this was the fourth pairing of Mitchum and Kerr, you are confused why this so often seems to take a backseat in the story. More Kerr and less granddaughter would have made for a more enjoyable story. Still, it IS Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr...so it is still a nice time-passer.

By the way, I didn't mind that the script had a granddaughter who was ideologically so dissimilar to her grandfather. It was more how obnoxious and one-dimensional the character was that annoyed me. Her character just wasn't written well and proved unnecessary to the story.

I watched this for the first time in 2003, during a time when it seems the whole world was angry at the U.S. for its "militarism." It was fascinating to be reminded that this isn't the first time we were accused of this. The story could have taken place today ... so much has not changed (okay, the lead characters would have been a LOT older!!!).

The story itself was a sweet love story, and the acting is first rate (Red Buttons, as always, is a scene stealer). But the social commentary is what intrigued me and made this movie such a winner.

So many movies I have watched with Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr. They are wonderful together. So believeable. I have watched this movie twice this year. I am sorry I didn't know about it in 1985. The nicest romance that anyone can see. Thank you. Florence Forrester-Stockton, Reno, Nevada

Please help me to find this video or see it on tv.It is one of the finest movies i think of Robert Mitchum in his career,and the supporting cast is excellent.Deborah Kerr also stars in the movie and is outstanding.Red Buttons is one of the excellent supporting actors and has another outstanding part.