Amor Entre Ruínas

Katharine Hepburn and Laurence Olivier both put in great performances in this quiet, bittersweet romantic comedy. The writing is wonderful and the direction sublime. Olivier, in particular, as a lawyer (Sir Arthur Manville-Jones) defending a long lost love Jessica (Hepburn) in a "breach of promise" case, comes to life in a way that is far too rare on film. He is each of us remembering that one person we can never forget - and now he has the chance to reconnect with her.

But the ways of love are never smooth and Jessica's involvement with (and subsequent rejection of) a younger man who clearly is interested in her money (and played with precise sliminess by Leigh Lawson) now has her entangled in a court case and probably not in as strong a position as she (or Sir Arthur) would like.

To complicate matters, Sir Arthur is still in love and reminds her of how they met these long years ago. Jessica's memory may not be so good, but Sir Arthur is determined to do all possible to save her from the slimey young man.

The film centers around three kinds of scenes: almost all are focussed on Olivier. In some Sir Arthur remembers his earlier time with Jessica and plots his performance in court - with his clerk and others. In these we see Sir Arthur and the feelings he still has for Jessica and his hope that maybe you can go back again.

In other scenes the focus is on Jessica and Sir Arthur, his memories, her current situation, his plans for the trial. Sir Arthur's feelings are sometimes concealed (though not always well) while Jessica (once an actress) is better at masquerading.

Finally, there are the courtroom scenes in which Olivier transcends both Olivier and Sir Arthur and shows us a barrister putting on a performance in the court that is entirely different from all we have seen Sir Arthur do before.

But Jessica is also putting on a performance, and when the depth of this performance and the deliberateness of her deceit are revealed, you suddenly have a second chance to see who Jessica is and was and maybe who she will be.

There have been a number of great filmed love stories (and Hepburn is no stranger to them), but this is a bit different - its about young love - between two people who are far from young. Its about hope and how things work out sometimes. Its funny and sad - often at the same time. It may not be a great film - but its a very good one indeed, well worth watching and rewatching.

But since it was made for TV it seems to have been destined to be quietly ignored - this is a shame as it is far better than most of the stuff thats endlessly recycled on cable.

Witty dialogue and a great script, combined with acting greats Hepburn and Olivier, prove that our memories persist, the decisions of our past are never really left behind us, and that love is not reserved for the "under 30" set!!

The music of John Barry, in any film, influences one's reaction, between head and heart, greatly enhancing the experience. The powerful performances of Hepburn and Olivier are markedly amplified by 'The Barry Effect.

Both Sir Laurence Olivier and Katharine Hepburn were born in 1908 which would have had them make their earthly debuts during the reign of Edward VII. I guess it's fitting that they do their one an only film together in a romantic comedy about two elderly people brought together by a lawsuit.

Hepburn's solicitor, Richard Pearson, brings Hepburn and Olivier together. Hepburn is being sued for alienation of affections by a young man who swears she promised marriage to him, he who is old enough to be her grandson. Olivier is a barrister of great repute and they happen to be neighbors on the same block in London.

What Pearson doesn't know and Hepburn seems to have forgotten was that a long time ago, almost forty years, Olivier was a young law student in Toronto who was crushing out big time on young actress Hepburn. Like a good stage door Johnny, Olivier waited for her and had evening out with her and never saw her after that. She married a wealthy title and Olivier went on to a great legal career, but he's been crushing out on her since.

In today's terminology they would call the suit against Hepburn palimony. The trial portion of the film is the best with Hepburn almost seeming to work at cross purposes with her own attorney. The opposing barrister is Colin Blakely who played a lot of sleazy types in films. If the British have lawyer jokes in their culture, Blakely would seem like a great candidate. The man just oozed shyster from his very pores.

Thirty years earlier had this film been made it would have had a theatrical release. Movie public tastes change so it got relegated to the made for TV status. Still though with the presence of those two star names it should not be missed.

Love Among the Ruins was directed by George Cukor and deserved Emmys were won all around, by Cukor, Olivier, and Hepburn. They should all get our thanks for showing that quality still had an audience.

The pairing of Katharine Hepburn and Laurence Olivier for this delightful production was a stroke of casting genius! Although they had known each other since 1934, this was their first and only professional collaboration, and came to be as a result of Hepburn's suggestion. Olivier, in his book, "On Acting," called it "my happiest professional film experience."

These two celebrated veterans of theatre and cinema, with a wealth of experience between them, played off one another brilliantly -- Hepburn as the wealthy dowager, Jessica Medicott, who is being sued for breach of promise by a much younger man, and Olivier as the renowned barrister, Sir Arthur Granville-Jones, who is retained to defend her in the lawsuit. The irony here is that Jessica had, almost 50 years before, jilted Sir Arthur, when he was a young law student, and he has carried a torch for her ever since -- but SHE, long-married and now widowed, doesn't even remember him! Now, Sir Arthur must subdue his own feelings of resentment and longing, for a passion which has consumed him for over forty years, as he presents her case to the court.

The acting is perfection, including that of a strong supporting cast, the script is intelligent, witty, and well-written, the sets and costumes are beautiful (it is set in England in the early 1900's), and the direction by George Cukor, in his first venture into television, is sensitive and masterful. It is one of those rare productions which leaves the viewer with an overall sense of pleasure at having witnessed storytelling and acting at its VERY best!