Dear Heart

I don't know about Chimale1025's claim that "Children under 35" won't enjoy it unless they are exceptionally mature, but I am currently in my mid-20s and have loved this film since I saw it on TCM in my early 20's. Then again, many of my favorite films deal with the loneliness of not quite fitting in to society's big picture.

This is a lovely story of two lonely people who find each other at just the right time, and the growing closeness between the two forces them to look at their lives more clearly and see what they really want out of life. The title song by Mancini is rather cloying and irritating, but I can overlook that for the wonderful performances by Ford and Page. Lansbury is also quite good as the supposed shrew and "tomato", but even she is not entirely unsympathetic in the end. She is also lonely, you see.

Anyone who has been truly lonely or is sympathetic to that position will react emotionally to this film. True, it is a little dated, but that is a large part of its charm for the innocence and hope that fills it. Definitely worth a look, and hopefully it will appear on DVD soon enough!

The lives of a woman and man intersect at a New York hotel in this sentimental story from 1964. Glenn Ford plays Harry Mork, a traveling salesman who has decided to slow down and settle down after years of schmoozing, boozing and extracurricular intrigues. Geraldine Page plays Evie Jackson, a small-town postal worker who annually visits the big cities for the industry convention and a chance to let loose a little and take in the sights.

Evie is the person who has never met a stranger. Outwardly she is an eternal optimist and delights in knowing everyone's names, as if that knowledge makes them friends. Under the surface, though, she might be "Miss Lonelyhearts" from Hitchcock's "Rear Window" in a few years, if her life situation doesn't resolve into a satisfactory conclusion. Ms. Page's portrayal of Evie is so fascinating that she dominates the film. Frankly, my attention is always riveted to the screen when this film plays, even though I know how it turns out. As others have pointed out, this is a performance worthy of an Oscar.

The screenplay is very well written, allowing the viewer to observe every aspect of the characters, learning their way of life, their fears, and even their hidden dreams. The acting is good across the board. The end result is very satisfying, especially for viewers who can identify with the emotional vulnerability of the two main characters.

A lonely and single woman look for love and companionship in New York City at a postmasters' convention. This sweet film brought tears to my eyes watching it. Dear Heart was wonderfully acted by Geraldine Page, Glenn Ford, and Angela Lansbury. It was a delight to watch.

This is a film about two middle aged people in search of their soul mates. It is a very adult film. Children under 35 usually don't find it very rewarding unless they possess an unusual emotional maturity. I loved it the first time I saw it when I was about 22, but I didn't understand its depths until I was about 38. It shows the despair of lonely singles. It shows the "innocence" of the never attached. A spinster (what an ageist and sexist term) and a not too old jaded and bored bachelor try to make relationships which don't really fit work for them. The efforts they go through and the situations they find themselves in make for a lovely and sweet ride. The resolution is extremely gratifying and not so unrealistic. Its tone, mood and pacing as the two meet and learn about each other build beautifully. I don't want a remake, but I miss movies of this maturity, thought and charm. No glamour, no glitz, no silly gags, no pretty young things, this film shows ordinary people with ordinary problems trying to find someone to love in a world that isn't always kind to people past their "prime". Geraldine Page is revelatory as the slightly ridiculous woman who grows more lovely as the story progresses. Glenn Ford's charms are used to their maximum effect and Angela Landsbury adds the right shrewish tone. This is a must see for people who love a good complicated normal romance.

I note that a DVD version of this charming film is available in Great Britain, but not here . (Our VHS version is not in stock from one major source and one wonders if the British DVD is also out-of-stock.) This title boasts two truly fine actresses, Geraldine Page and Angela Lansbury (although the latter has little more than a cameo, of which she makes the most, as always), plus a wonderful supporting cast as well. Ordinarily I've found Glenn Ford to be rather dull in several of his big screen performances but in this one I recall finding him well-suited to his role and giving an entirely sympathetic and amusing account of himself opposite Ms. Page in a role she obviously relished.

With a well-remembered theme song and a nice music score by the prolific Henry Mancini, there's probably no danger of this one being remade, I suspect, and, since it's close to perfect in this original telling, let's just hope that a DVD release will eventually allow us to revisit the qualities that made it genuinely appealing for mature audiences forty years ago and, I feel sure, still would today.