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Une affaire troublante

Original title: Personal Affair
  • 1953
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 22m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
654
YOUR RATING
Une affaire troublante (1953)
CrimeDramaMysteryRomance

In a 1950s British village, a teenager, who is in love with her Latin language teacher, disappears, prompting the police to investigate the teacher, amidst public rumors of rape and murder.In a 1950s British village, a teenager, who is in love with her Latin language teacher, disappears, prompting the police to investigate the teacher, amidst public rumors of rape and murder.In a 1950s British village, a teenager, who is in love with her Latin language teacher, disappears, prompting the police to investigate the teacher, amidst public rumors of rape and murder.

  • Director
    • Anthony Pelissier
  • Writer
    • Lesley Storm
  • Stars
    • Gene Tierney
    • Leo Genn
    • Pamela Brown
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    654
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Anthony Pelissier
    • Writer
      • Lesley Storm
    • Stars
      • Gene Tierney
      • Leo Genn
      • Pamela Brown
    • 23User reviews
    • 3Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos13

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    Top cast26

    Edit
    Gene Tierney
    Gene Tierney
    • Kay Barlow
    Leo Genn
    Leo Genn
    • Stephen Barlow
    Pamela Brown
    Pamela Brown
    • Evelyn
    Walter Fitzgerald
    Walter Fitzgerald
    • Henry Vining
    Megs Jenkins
    Megs Jenkins
    • Vi Vining
    Michael Hordern
    Michael Hordern
    • Headmaster Griffith
    Thora Hird
    Thora Hird
    • Mrs. Usher
    Glynis Johns
    Glynis Johns
    • Barbara Vining
    John Adams
    • Police Constable
    • (uncredited)
    Pamela Binns
    • Young Sally
    • (uncredited)
    Martin Boddey
    Martin Boddey
    • Police Insp. Fred Garland
    • (uncredited)
    Michael Brennan
    • Police Officer
    • (uncredited)
    Peggy Ann Clifford
    Peggy Ann Clifford
    • 3rd Gossip
    • (uncredited)
    Shirley Eaton
    Shirley Eaton
    • Schoolgirl
    • (uncredited)
    Norah Gorsen
    • Phoebe
    • (uncredited)
    Everley Gregg
    Everley Gregg
    • Mrs. Welsh
    • (uncredited)
    Lucy Griffiths
    • 2nd Gossip
    • (uncredited)
    Philo Hauser
    • Thin Man in Telephone Box
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Anthony Pelissier
    • Writer
      • Lesley Storm
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews23

    6.5654
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    Featured reviews

    8AlsExGal

    Interesting British thriller

    You can't really call it a noir because it's not like the characters here are unsympathetic, nor can you call it a crime drama because it's not clear until the end whether or not any crime has even taken place.

    The film revolves around Stephen Barlow (Leo Genn), who teaches Latin to teen-aged girls at the nearby school. 17 year old Barbara Vining (Glynis Johns) is a student in the school with a major league crush on the rather bland Barlow who appears as a cultured and even rather mysterious man of the world in her young eyes. Barlow's wife, Kay (Gene Tierney), is for some reason jealous of the girl and suspicious of the entire relationship. One night, when Barbara is at their home studying Latin with Stephen, Kay waits until she and Barbara are alone and confronts the girl about her feelings for Stephen. Barbara flees from the house understandably humiliated about the subject of their conversation. Stephen, angry with his wife for embarrassing Barbara, runs out after the girl to try to put things right.

    That would be the end of it except that Barbara Vining does not return home that night nor the next day, and her parents contact the police and initiate a search. Tongues in the small town begin to wag about the fact that this 30-something schoolmaster was walking about in the middle of the night with his teen-aged student. Barbara's father is a newspaper reporter and, having seen murderers who are quite calm after the passion of the crime is over throughout his career, does not have his fears allayed by seeing Stephen's composed and civilized demeanor. Even Stephen's own wife has her doubts when she catches Stephen in a lie relating to that night's events. Add to all of this that some male obscene caller keeps phoning the Barlow home - did he kill or abduct the girl himself and is he tormenting this very public suspect?.

    Plus, one of the creepiest persons ever committed to celluloid is Barbara's own aunt. Now about 40, she is morbidly consumed with a love affair that ended disastrously for her some twenty years before and seems almost elated that history might have repeated itself for her niece. Neither Rebecca's Mrs. Danvers nor Uncle Fester have anything on Aunt Vi Vining in the way of weirdness.

    This movie is more about character development than action, but it is by no means boring and should keep you engaged if not on the edge of your seat throughout. One strange thing about the casting - Gene Tierney is playing a woman about her own age at the time - 33. However, Glynis Johns is playing a teen aged girl when she was less than three years younger than Ms. Tierney. However, both carry out their roles quite convincingly.
    7blanche-2

    Talky but still good

    "Personal Affair" is from Rank Films and stars Leo Genn, Gene Tierney, and Glynis Johns. Johns was nearly 30 when she played Barbara Vining, a student in love with her teacher, Stephen Barlow (Genn). Stephen has Barbara come to his home for tutoring; while she's there, Barlow's wife Kay confronts Barbara about her feelings. Embarrassed and upset, Barbara runs from the house. A distressed Stephen calls her at home and arranges to meet her in an out of the way area. When Barbara doesn't come home, suspicion falls on Stephen.

    This is a really neat and suspenseful film, thanks to its good cast, writing, and direction. The audience (this audience anyway) isn't really sure what went on between teacher and student, if anything, so it keeps you guessing as to what happened, and the gossip condemns Barlow.

    Pamela Brown is terrific as Barbara's bitter aunt who seems to get a lot of pleasure out of the suffering of others; Walter Fitzgerald and Megs Jenkin are wonderful as Barbara's agonized parents. Johns is very sweet and comes off as very young and innocent. Leo Genn is always good. Tierney has probably the most interesting role as a beautiful, somewhat snobby woman who nevertheless is insecure. She does it very well.

    Well worth seeing.
    6adrianovasconcelos

    Talent-wasting oddity - thankfully brief!

    Anthony Pelissier directed films for just five years, so his output did not amount to much in terms of quantity. That said, all his films reflect a high degree of personal filmic style grounded in solid B&W cinematography. PERSONAL AFFAIR remains an example of that, though sadly the middle segment suffers excessive shots of backwater town settings and close-ups of people commenting on the disappearance of Barbara (Glynis Johns) and her possible amorous liaison with her Latin teacher Stephen Barlow (classily played by Leo Genn).

    New York-born Gene Tierney is the American attraction so common in European films of the 1950s and 1960s. She plays Kay, Barlow's beautiful wife (perhaps too beautiful to marry a Latin teacher of dubious income, and even more incredibly, jealous of teenager Barbara). That ain't all, either: she appears in bursts during the film, and struck me as too tongue-impulsive to attract my sympathy. She had hardly spoken a word to Barbara and already accused her of improper feelings for hubby Stephen, then seemed to feel guilty about Barbara's disappearance, inexplicably leaving home to wander around, seemingly in two minds about her hubby's real role in the teenager's disappearance... messy characterization that simply does not work.

    The other major flaw that I found very tough to swallow was Barbara's reason for disappearing for a couple of days, after a brief meeting at night with her teacher. The film never enlightens you as to what teacher and student discussed at night, or why an intelligent and polished teacher of Latin classics would risk his career over a young female supposedly carrying a torch for him.

    Perhaps PERSONAL AFFAIR is intended as a cautionary tale for teachers engrossed in attractive alumni, but it misses the mark and in process wastes superior talent like Tierney, Genn, Johns, Walter Fitzgerald and Michael Hordern, among others in smaller parts in a dodgy script by - anyone heard of her? - Lesley Storm. 6/10.
    8richardchatten

    Village People

    A quietly flashy (the image even turns to negative at one point) cross between 'Le Corbeau' and 'Term of Trial' adapted from her own play 'A Day's Mischief' by Lesley Storm that once more lifts the lid on the passions simmering not far below the surface of conservative fifties Britain.

    Obligatory American star Gene Tierney melds unobtrusively with a cast of largely female Brits ranging from bitter, chainsmoking maiden aunt Pamela Brown to an unbilled Nanette Newman as a gossiping teenager; the best performance as usual coming from Megs Jenkins as Glynis Johns' careworn mother.
    7filmalamosa

    suspenseful well acted intelligent

    A school teacher (Genn) is implicated in the disappearance of one of his female students (Johns). This student who has a crush on the teacher is humiliated when the teacher's wife (Tierney) accuses her of the truth.

    The girl flees the house teacher follows and girl disappears. We are left in suspense as to what actually happened to her as we see the small town net close in around the teacher.

    More of a filmed play than a movie this film is intelligently directed and well acted and holds your suspense very well up to the denouement.

    As other reviewers have stated the only casting flaw is the girl (Johns) who is too old for the role.

    Nice suspenseful well acted watch.

    RECOMMEND

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Glynis Johns (playing a 17 year old) was 30 when this film was released. Megs Jenkins who played her mother was 36.
    • Quotes

      Vi Vining: You see sex in everything!

      Evelyn: Sex is everything.

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • April 16, 1954 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Affaire personnelle
    • Filming locations
      • Bedford, Bedfordshire, England, UK
    • Production company
      • Two Cities Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 22 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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