• It has a lofty reputation as one of the great classic romances – it’s a fine film, and in the archives, but artistically it is dwarfed by comparison if you look at what say Douglas Sirk was doing in the melodrama genre during this stretch
  • They are much more prevalent in contemporary cinema of course- but there were remakes and sequels even back in the day—for McCarey this is remaking his 1939 film Love Affair—and that’s after doing a sequel for Going My Way
  • This is more trivia than anything but this film had quite a renaissance in the 1990’s when it became almost a character in the 1993 film Sleepless in Seattle
  • Shot in cinemascope for some reason—McCarey doesn’t use the canvas at all
  • I think it is an achievement for Cary Grant—he has to overcome an underwritten character and he’s very good here.
  • Vic Damone crooning over the opening titles—Mr. Damone- you are no Sinatra, sir- sorry
  • The original Love Affair is 88 mins and this one is almost 2 hours and you feel it here
  • Populist and broad humor- it’s a McCarey film so he plugs in a cute five year old for a sketch, throws in a goofy kids choir- he wields the sentiment like a weapon
  • The empire state building – there is actually a great shot at 70 minutes with it reflecting on the glass with Deborah Kerr in the frame
the iconic Empire State Building scenes
  • A great shot of the two of them separated by a divide – this isn’t exactly Antonioni using objects and space to tell a story in L’Eclisse —but still a nice shot
A great shot of Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr separated by a divide – this isn’t exactly Antonioni using objects and space to tell a story in L’Eclisse —but still a nice shot
  • Recommend on the strength of the lead actors but not in the top 10 of 1957