Remade a couple of times now, and reworked into at least one modern classic rom-com, Love Affair is unbelievable, melodramatic, and full of characters all being so bloody nice to one another that it's sometimes sickening. It's also heart-warming and wonderful, and anyone in the mood for something appealing to their more cynical side should simply look elsewhere for a while.
Irene Dunne is Terry McKay, a singer who has made a successful career with her talent. Charles Boyer is Michel Marnay, an artist who hasn't made any kind of career for himself. In fact, Marnay is the more famous of these two individuals, but that is because of his reputation as an international playboy. These two major opposites meet while spending time on the same ship, and they start to flirt with one another and enjoy each other's company. The time on the ship is a bit of time away from reality, however, with Terry due to marry a Kenneth Bradley (Lee Bowman) and Michel due to marry Lois Clarke (Astrid Allwyn). Reconsidering their futures, Terry and Michel agree to meet at the top of the Empire State Building in six months if they think they can have their lives in order by then. But fate has other ideas.
Directed by Leo McCarey, who came up with the idea for the story with Mildred Cram, Love Affair is a film that moves like a swan, graceful and beautiful above the surface while a lot of frantic paddling is done underwater to keep things moving properly. The metaphorical paddling, in this instance, concerns the morals of the lead characters, moving the pieces around to show them falling in love with one another while never quite crossing a line until they can change their circumstances. It's difficult material to get just right, but writers Delmer Daves and Donald Ogden Stewart manage to turn everything to their advantage. They play up the cheeky charm of Boyer's character initially, making it seem more of a pleasant surprise when he is shown to be someone who CAN be genuine and sweet, and the central idea of waiting six months to meet again is one that makes the whole thing more romantic, and allows it to feel lovely and chaste.
Dunne and Boyer are both wonderful in their lead roles, perfectly embodying their characters and, most importantly, showing a real warmth and affection towards one another. Bowman and Allwyn have much lesser roles, but both try their best with what they’re given, with Bowman being one of the most gracious men to ever be sidelined in a film of this kind. The other notable performer here is Maria Ouspenskaya, playing the grandmother to Boyer’s character, and the person who helps show him in a different, more flattering, light.
This is a lovely film. It maybe isn’t up there with the very best, the meet-cute aspect is a bit too rushed and cinematically untidy, but Dunne and Boyer work magic with the decent script, and McCarey adds another easy crowd-pleaser to his accomplished filmography.
8/10
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