Les amants passionnés

H. G. Wells wrote his novel in 1913 and it was first filmed by Maurice Elvey in 1922. By all accounts David Lean was reluctant to take it on and did so only as a favour to Ronald Neame. Once he agreed to do it however nothing less that the very best would do. Although Eric Ambler is credited with the screenplay, he was aided considerably by Lean and Stanley Haynes. Ann Todd with whom Lean had initial 'temperament' problems and Trevor Howard are both superb as the lovers. Howard replaced Marius Goring who would not have suited. Lean had a habit in his films of sometimes making an actor in the cast feel 'left out'. In this case the victim was Howard. The film actually belongs to Claude Rains for whom Lean had the deepest admiration. His portrayal of the betrayed husband is consummate and a masterclass in great film acting. Lean's own verdict on the film? 'Very nearly very good but a little cold'. I feel he was being unduly harsh on himself as anyone who is left unmoved by the final scene has a heart of stone. The film was criticised at the time for its extensive use of flashbacks. Ones heart goes out to those poor souls in the audience who get so easily confused! Lean's mastery of the visual, his 'cutter's' instinct and the excellent performances make this an absorbing and immensely satisfying film.

This film surprised me a lot. I watched it merely out of curiosity; by the end of the film, I was struck by Ann Todd's performance and had to watch the film twice back-to-back. She expressed her character's inner turmoil so well that I wonder if she was playing herself. I profess I don't watch a lot of movies, barely up to 2,000 films. However, that is only because I am damn picky.

This is rather a mature story of romance. How a relationship could evolve from a marriage of convenience to a real thing of beauty between two people. How one's maturity could evolve from a real thing of passion to a mental state of contentment and stability. It's also a story of irrational jealousy that could potentially negate a prosperous family life.

This is a good example of a film where filmmakers do not have to resort to gratuitous, meretricious scenes to portray lust or passion.

This David Lean romance seems to have been swept under the carpet and yet it may be his most underrated masterpiece, (it's infinitely preferable to such elephantine fare as "Ryan's Daughter" and "Doctor Zhivago"). It marked the first time Lean would abandon the studio for more exotic locations, (in this case, the Swiss Alps), and seems designed as a vehicle for his wife, Ann Todd, who is outstanding as the respectable English wife who dallies with an old flame who happens to check into the room next door at the hotel she's staying in while on holiday. He's Trevor Howard and it's as if this is what might have happened in "Brief Encounter" had the lovers a bit more chutzpah.

Howard, too, is superb, (he always was; he remains one of the most underrated of all the great actors), and Todd's husband is the consistently excellent Claude Rains at his very best. As a tale of a genteel marriage threatened by genteel adultery it's beautifully done and why it isn't more highly appreciated is something of a mystery. If, like me, you believe Lean to be one of the great directors then this is essential viewing.

The Passionate Friends is the first of three films that director David Lean made with Ann Todd in and she gives a fine performance in this mannered British melodrama that evokes in ways two other popular British films of the era, Lean's Brief Encounter and the Todd starring The Seventh Veil.

Former lovers Mary Justin (Todd) and Steven Stratton (Trevor Howard) meet accidentally at a New year's party and rekindle lost feelings. Trouble is she is married to a wealthy banker Howard Justin (Claude Rains) and Stratton's in a committed relationship. Justin discovers the affair however and puts an end to it. Nine years pass and they meet again while vacationing. Stratton is now married with kids but Howard thinks otherwise and files for divorce. Mary becomes desperate and suicidal.

With quality performances (especially Rains) from all of the leads The Passionate Friends is credible melodrama that overachieves with Lean displaying his superb grasp of film language, employing jump cuts, montage and juxtaposition for maximum effect. With a few Hitchcock like flourishes along the way he does an excellent job of keeping the audience guessing right up until the final minutes. It is this subtle triumph of form that makes The Passionate Friends a superior example of its genre.

I was surprised to learn that the original story for The Passionate Friends was written by H.G. Wells. Someone nowadays we identify with the science fiction genre. Certainly it seems to be what has survived best in English literature.

The original story was written in 1913 so some considerable updating was done to make it 1949 contemporary. Lovers Ann Todd and Trevor Howard had an affair back in the day which was ended when Todd's husband Claude Rains found out.

Eleven years go by and Todd and Howard meet at a mountain ski resort in Switzerland. Howard's now married and moved on, but they spend an innocent afternoon reminiscing. Rains catches them and misinterprets with near tragic results.

Ann Todd may be one of the most beautiful women ever to grace the silver screen. She's probably best known in America for being Gregory Peck's loyal wife in The Paradine Case. No wonder Rains is so jealous.

Trevor Howard is essentially doing the same part for David Lean that first got him stardom in Brief Encounter. In fact the story could almost be what happens to the protagonists in Brief Encounter if they met up again in the future. Claude Rains is always right on the money with his portrayals. There's a lot of what John Barrymore did in Maytime in what Rains does here.

If it were done here in the USA, this would have been labeled a woman's picture. It is in fact a nicely done romantic story.