Classic Movie Of The Week: An Affair To Remember (1957)

Starring: Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, 

Director: Leo McCarey

Nickie (Grant) is a well known man about town, notorious for his love affairs, and he is all set to marry a fabulously wealthy heiress. Terry (Kerr) is a singer with a steady boyfriend. When they meet on an ocean liner, they are complete opposites who disapprove of each other, but soon find themselves falling in love. They make a pact to meet at the top of the Empire State building in six months, if they have managed to sort out their lives and still want to be together. But as it gets closer to the agreed time, will they both still choose a future together? 

It sounds like it should just be another old romance film. A bit over the top and weepy. And in some ways, it’s a bit like that. But there’s also something about this film that grounds it and makes it a really lovely film. I’m not normally a fan of romances, but this one gets me. It feels like the two really do belong together. They are both really good people, underneath, with a lot to offer each other. And the decision to wait and see if they can work out as a couple feels like it grounds the film, rather than making it a plot contrivance. 

The film is actually a remake by the director of another film of his, which is an interesting fact. Hollywood has always recycled it’s stories with varied success. Leo McCarey worked with comedy a lot, famously with the Marx Brothers, and here the films gentle humour adds a layer to this story that might otherwise have been all emotion and might not have worked so well. 

And of course, this is the film referenced as the all time girls night in film in Sleepless In Seattle, and yet there is a reason for this. It’s a really good story with two main characters who you’ll really like. It’s romantic and sweet, but not too much so, and is undercut with just enough humour to balance it all out. You’ll be desperate to know what happens and if they get together in the end… even if you’re not a huge fan of the romance genre. 

See It If: perfect for a night in, this film will hit you in the feels. A really good film and a wonderful romance.