40 Quilates

This a breezy comedy based on a hit Broadway play and one of the few worthwhile comic tales depicting the relationship between a younger man and an older woman. While on holidays, visiting Greece, a divorced real estate agent encounters by chance a vital young man, and they have a brief romantic interlude.

She leaves him while he is sleeping and escapes back to New York. Regaining the cherrished stability she has conquered as a lady executive, she settles down on her lovely apartment where she lives with her daughter and her mother. Until - very much in the fashion of every Broadway farce there is - they receive an unexpected visitor. Peter Latham, the man our main character had an affair with while in Greece. But now, he is introduced as a friend of her daughter's.

After constant bickering, they decide to get married, but will their relationship last?

'40 Carats' is a light, entertaining and cheerful movie, filled with beautiful, rich people whose vain problems serve as the basis for an plot. The characters have social status written all over their foreheads and their reaction to the plot's major complications are clever one-liners encouraged by greek drinks and the prospect of a happy, happy ending. The film does not attempt to be deep, for it's subject is a rather delicate one - the producers were aiming for time-filling entertainment and they really did it.

But this film suffers mostly from the miscasting of Liv Ullmann, Ingmar Bergman's norwegian muse. No matter how versatile the wonderful Ms. Ullmann can be, she is a rather indelible case of typecasting - used to play such profound characters whose heartaches and emotional flaws we can relate to, she seems uncomfortable portraying a futile woman whose psyche isn't that complex, after all. The one scene in which her character really makes the transition between a woman caught in a whirlwind of happenings and a woman whose pain is overwhelmingly intense, nevertheless, is a cinematic gem. In this scene she confronts her future in laws.

Another highlight of the film is Michel Legrand's beautiful soundtrack that includes the love theme 'In Every Corner Of The World', and Gene Kelly's performance as Liv Ullmann's annoying first husband.

All in all, this is a movie whose delicate subject provokes a barrier that keeps it from being a great film, but is, nevertheless, sheer cinematic delight.

The second film directed by Milton Katselas.. he only directed six! and they were all off-beat thangs... i loved Butterflies are Free; that one had Goldie Hawn, and ALSO had Edward Albert. 40 Carats is a May-December story, with Ann (Liv Ullmann) having a quick romance with Peter (Edward Albert) in Greece. They meet again later, back in the states, but things are different, more proper. Keep an eye out for Nancy Walker (Rhoda's mom) and Natalie Schafer (Lovey Howell!) and of course, Gene Kelly with a mustache. Interesting cast. The story itself is silly and all over the place, but its fun to see the cast in this oddball work. Edward Albert died young at 55, only a year after his dad, the OTHER Eddie Albert. kind of fun. Liv Ullmann waaaaya over-acts. just go with it. Showing on the Cinémoi channel.

I do love this little film. I also think Edward Albert is the only actor is this film who isn't overacting. Or miscast. I could watch this film all day, just to watch Edward. He has to be about the most beautiful young man ever put on the planet. In this film he is charming and a complete breath of fresh air, however quaint that may sound. The premise of a woman old enough to be the man's mother become romantically involved was BIG at the time. When the scene is relaxed and the acting natural, it's a lovely film to watch. In scenes of awkward overacting, Edward stands out as a natural, his uniqueness, talent and intelligence radiate from his face. I am not so sure of the comedy rating of this film. It's actually quite serious part of the time. I wish he had been given more excellent parts to play throughout his career.

I managed to watch this one on Amazon streaming movies. It came out in 1973, the same year I moved to the New Orleans area to start a new job and the year my first son was born. The 1970s was a distinct time.

The way this movie starts seems like it will be a romantic comedy, and there is lots of comedy, but it really turns out to more be a statement on how we choose partners in life, with some serious young/old couple insight.

It starts in Greece, Liv Ullmann (about 34 or so) plays 40-yr-old Ann Stanley who is vacationing and her car breaks down. A motorcyclist shows up, Edward Albert (about 22 or so) as 22-yr-old Peter Latham. He offers her a ride into town but they end up sleeping on a small alcove at water's edge. She sees their almost 20-yr age difference as too great, she disappears as dawn breaks and goes back to her real estate job in Manhattan.

Imagine Ann's surprise when Peter shows up at her home to escort her teen daughter Trina to a party. Several comedic situations occur, everyone assumes Peter is after Trina, but instead he really is after Ann. Then a wealthy 43-yr-old client of Ann's from Tulsa takes an interest in 17-yr-old Trina. The points being made, an 18-yr difference or a 25-yr difference should not be the deciding matter. It also is a commentary on how society more easily accepts a younger girl pairing up with an older man than the opposite.

It was also great seeing Gene Kelly as Billy Boylan, Ann's ex-husband and Trina's dad. He was in his early 60s and still in fine form, and he didn't make many movies after this one.

Overall a very enjoyable movie with good actors, adapted from a stage play.

"40 Carats" is a surprisingly good movie. While Ullmann and Albert have little chemistry together, they nevertheless make a sweet pair, because they are both enormously appealing individually. Gene Kelly adds a few nice moments and leads a likable supporting cast. The film is slightly overlong but more mature than you might think.