An Affair To Remember (50th Anniversary Edition)
by Leo McCarey
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Cary Grant, Cathleen Nesbitt, Deborah Kerr, Neva Patterson, Richard DenningDirector: Leo McCarey
Brand: Fox
Cinematographer: Milton R. Krasner
Writer: Leo McCarey
Editor: James B. Clark
Producer: Jerry Wald
Writer: Delmer Daves
Writer: Donald Ogden Stewart
Writer: Mildred Cram
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Original Language); Italian (Original Language); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: Color, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 119 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-01-15
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Movie Reviews of An Affair To Remember (50th Anniversary Edition)
Movie Review: Amazing Love Story
Summary: 5 Stars
"An Affair to Remember" is said to be number 5 out of the top 100 romantic movies of all time by AFI. That's a pretty big claim and having never seen this film before, I really was curious if it would live up to the hype. This film has been referenced in the movie "Sleepless in Seattle" where Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan eventually met at the top of the Empire State Building and more recently in the TV Show, "How I Met Your Mother" where a tactic out of Barney Stinson's playbook is to go up to women at the top of the Empire State Building and say, "He's not coming." It's worth dusting this one off in your memory and watching it again and I dare say I might have a little old school crush on 1957 Cary Grant.
The Blu-ray disc is housed in a collectible book format, a very thin case, great if you need the storage space in your collection. Built into the case is 24 pages of images and stories from the film and behind the scenes of the film and personal lives of the actors, director, and producer. It is easy to see when the actors are on a sound stage versus a location, but the lighting and costumes are fantastic and the performances are so engrossing that those tiny details won't matter so much. The Blu-ray keeps the picture clean and crisp with the focus always on faces.
The premise is that two people have a chance meeting on a ship and have an instant attraction to each other. Nickie, played by Cary Grant, is a world traveling playboy engaged to a wealthy heiress and can't stop looking at other women, but is particularly intrigued by this woman who doesn't fall immediately to his charms and turns him down. Terry, played by Deborah Kerr, is an uptown English woman raised in Boston, a former night club singer, and has been groomed to be a good wife to her nice guy husband-to-be who wanted to take her away from her former life and put her in a penthouse. Nickie and Terry keep bumping into each other and when others on the ship begin to notice, they eventually give up the charade of indifference and spend some precious few moments together. They agree that if they are meant to be together, they should meet in six months on the Empire State building. I won't spoil the ending (which has already been spoiled if you've seen "Sleepless in Seattle") but I'll just say that while I didn't actually cry, my heart did swell up for the both of them.
The film itself still holds up amazingly well. Today we might scoff at the creative pursuits both leads attempt to make themselves worthy of each other apart from their rich significant others, but it still doesn't stop it from being endearing. It's unrealistic for Nickie to succeed as a painter under a fake name and Terry as a singer, but through goodwill, hope, and persistence, they make it happen despite bumps in the road. If I had to change one thing about this film, I would nix the kids. Terry's career takes a hit after an unfortunate incident and she decides to "coach" a children's singing group and they are a little annoying and could stand to go.
Bonus Features:
There are featurettes on both lead actors. Deborah Kerr's is from her husband's point of view. He had been previously married and she had been in a relationship when the two met and they eventually married and spent four decades together and he talks about how she was a model wife and mother. Cary Grant's is from his widow's point of view and once again, he and his future wife were both in relationships with other people when they met as well. She put off his advances at first and eventually realized he was interested in her. He was married four times before marrying Barbara Harris who was 47 years younger than him. They only had five years of marriage before he passed away.
There's also a feature on director Leo McCarey whose films were nominated for 36 Oscars and won 3. He had an amazing and tumultuous personal life before going into Hollywood. "An Affair to Remember" was actually a remake of a previous film he had done called "Love Affair." Then there's a featurette on the producer, Jerry Wald, a great storyteller. Last there are several short featurettes on the look of the film with lighting, set pieces, and making a sound stage feel intimate and concentrate on the actors. The AMC backstory talks about the impact this film had a pop culture, "Sleepless in Seattle" and the background of Cary Grant being in love with Sophia Loren while being married to Betsy Drake and having a short affair she ended and he attempted to continue during the film.
All in all, a well-done collector's Blu-ray of a wonderful timeless romance in a thoughtfully thin book case to better fit on your shelf.
Summary of An Affair To Remember (50th Anniversary Edition)
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