Dono d'amore

Watching The Gift Of Love tonight made me wonder about the original film made from this story, Sentimental Journey. Having never seen that one I wondered if it was marginally better because this one is a two bath towel special.

There is a brief prologue of sorts where a doctor's receptionist Lauren Bacall meets scientist Robert Stack who's gone in for a consultation about insomnia. She decides to take the case personally and her cure is a couple of martinis. Before you know it they're in love and married.

Married for five years and no children. Then Bacall learns she's got a serious heart ailment that will cut her life short. Her concern is for Stack because even after five years the passion is still intense. Her solution is adopt a child even though she'll not be an adoptive mother long. Redirect his passion with what she believes will be The Gift Of Love.

The gift in the flesh is little Evelyn Rudie, a strange child who can't seem to get adopted. Still she and Bacall take to each other. The crisis comes for Stack and Rudie when Bacall dies.

Stack and Bacall are reunited as a husband and wife as they were in Written On The Wind. There Stack played an unhinged character and here he's a bit unhinged as well as being all consumed with his scientific research until Bacall gives him a domestic life as well. The two of them make this film bearable.

Otherwise The Gift Of Love is awash with sentiment and bathos. It's definitely a film to prepare yourself with a pair of bath towels at the ready.

I still remember this movie through the eyes of a 12 year old girl and while I may not be a good critic of quality acting & scripts, I do know that this movie has haunted me since I was 12. It must have had some good qualities but the only other reviews I've read criticized it. I started going to movies with my mother when I was 3 and of the thousands I've seen, this is one of my all time favorites.

From the very beginning, where Vic Damone sings the BEAUTIFUL Title Song, to the end where I sit teary-eyed, again, I LOVE this film. I also loved the original, "Sentimental Journey" just as much. Both may be a bit unrealistic in today's no-room-for-sentiment world, but they are heartwarming and wonderful movies that most women of my generation appreciate and WANT to see-----------often! This movie is NOT shown often enough. Lauren Bacall is as beautiful as beautiful gets and Robert Stack gives a fine performance. I did notice that the lovely background music played throughout both films, is basically the same song, but played to a somewhat different beat. In both films, even the music pulls at your heartstrings. One of my favorites!

Maybe not as good as Sentimental Journey - 1946, but then I've never seen the original. I did enjoy watching The Gift Of Love, if only for little Hitty (Evelyn Rudie). She was so adorable and I've always liked Lauren Bacall and Robert Stack. I don't think this movie was at all bad, as some have purported it to be. It was the 50s and movies were like that. B movie or not, it's certainly better than the garbage you see today. Just look at all the remakes of many movies today; they're all terribly done. I can't help being partial to classics and old movies because I was a child in the 50s. Some of my favorite moments were watching these movies. Unlike today's TV fare, you could always expect to watch something entertaining, and without all of the foul language, sexual content, etc. that you generally see today.

I just saw this movie for the first time on TCM and I'm an older adult. Why anyone would think this movie would appeal only to teenagers or younger is a little pessimistic to say the least. I love the movie - Lauren Bacall, Robert Stack and adorable little Evelyn Rudie are wonderfully talented. Of course, no one will ever compare with Shirley Temple - that's a given. Even tho there have been many talented young actresses, they threw away the pattern with Shirley. The storyline is - as it's supposed to be - rather melancholy - and for the period of time it was made it's rather marvelous I feel. The outcome of the story - which most of us could have guessed of course - is quite a lesson that teaches just how grief can make someone go off the deep end, dealing with just their own pain, and not considering the feelings and welfare of someone else, especially a child. Who knows, maybe Julie's spirit did come and encourage more searching for Hitty - it's possible.