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The Passionate Friends (1949)
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Reviews Counted:6
Fresh:4
Rotten:2
Average Rating:6.4/10
Synopsis: Based on 1913 H.G. Wells novel, David Lean's film tells the story Mary Justin (Ann Todd, who was Lean's third wife) an unhappily married woman living in the Swiss Alps. When she encounters Steven... Based on 1913 H.G. Wells novel, David Lean's film tells the story Mary Justin (Ann Todd, who was Lean's third wife) an unhappily married woman living in the Swiss Alps. When she encounters Steven Stratton (Trevor Howard), a man with whom she had an affair before but whose marriage proposal she refused due to his social standing, the flame between them is rekindled. Suddenly, she finds herself torn between the convenience and financial comfort of her marriage and the passion of her old flame. [More]
Starring: Claude Rains, Ann Todd, Trevor Howard, Wilfrid Hyde-White
Starring: Claude Rains, Ann Todd, Trevor Howard, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Betty Ann Davies
Director: David Lean
Director: David Lean
Screenwriter: Eric Ambler, Stanley Haynes, David Lean
Reviews for The Passionate Friends
The glossy direction of the talented Lean made it watchable but only mildly pleasing as soapy entertainment.
Rains is terrific as the enraged cuckold, though, while the Swiss scenery, captured in shimmering monochrome by DoP Guy Green, offers a telling metaphor for Todd’s glacial beauty.
It’s a fascinating snapshot of middle-class mores during the post-War socialist revolution, but it cries out for a heroine of Celia Johnson’s sensitivity.
There's a degree of emotional subtlety here that often went missing in the director's later work.
Somehow the simple expedient of raising their characters several rungs up the social and financial ladder and giving the roles to well-dressed stars has not brought a more impressive picture from the Messrs. Neame and Lean.
Its dated sensibilities remain crisp and provocative thanks to the combination of quality production values and an excellent cast.
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