evanston_dad "Love Affair" is probably most famous for being the film that resulted in the more well known remake "An Affair to Remember," but I enjoyed this version more, if only because it's much shorter and crisper. Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer have tremendous chemistry together, though I will acknowledge that the conflict at the middle of the film doesn't make a whole lot of sense as played by Dunne, mostly because she takes her injury and subsequent disability so much in stride that one wonders what the hang up is about letting Boyer know about it. Deborah Kerr, who played the Dunne role in the remake, does a better job with the character, and the latter version gets the BIG scene more right than this one. But "Love Affair" is the one I'd rather watch again if I had to choose.Maria Ouspenskaya gives a lovely, aching performance as Boyer's elderly grandmother who knows her time is limited and plans to make the most of it."Love Affair" was nominated for six Oscars in 1939, that golden year for Hollywood, but won none of them in the year that juggernaut "Gone with the Wind" dominated the awards. Its nominations included Best Picture, Best Actress (Dunne), Best Supporting Actress (Ouspenskaya), Best Original Story, Best Art Direction (B&W), and Best Original Song for "Wishing," a tune played ad nauseum throughout the movie.Grade: B+

richard-1787 The first half of this movie, through the arrival of the steamship in New York, is as good as it gets. Dunne and Boyer are marvelous as the young individuals who discover that, though they are engaged to others, they love each other. Maria Ouspenskaya gives a touching performance as Boyer's grandmother. (Why they are speaking French on Madeira I have no idea, but I guess it doesn't matter.) Once they arrive in New York and Dunne is injured in a car accident the movie seems to lose its focus, however. It's not bad, but it lacks the power it had in the first part.The last scene, however, when Boyer's character, without uttering a word, realizes that Dunne's character cannot walk, is very moving, as is the last several minutes.I haven't seen the remake, An Affair to Remember, in a long time, so I can't compare them. But this is definitely A Movie to Watch.

iamyuno2 (If I could have given this an 8.5 star review I would have. But it's up there as one of the best.) If you're a romantic and love fine acting, few films beat the story and acting in this fine film. And you'll never forget it - which is, of course, the sign of a great film. One reason it is so moving is it demonstrates the best in humanity and loving people, with a subtlety and nuance that is rarely seen in films - certainly since the '30s and '40s. And if you are not yet a fan of Charles Boyer, you will be after this film. And...Irene Dunne - to say this is one of her finest movies is really saying something because she put in some really stellar performances in film. If you're not crying at the end, like a baby, you don't have a heart! What a great great story - and so unique. Although it was remade later (at least twice that I know of) - and An Affair To Remember with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr was quite good - this is the original version and the very best telling of the story. This defines true romance and love!!!

Steffi_P It says something for the strength of a story when it can be made twice and still be just as good second time round. Remakes are usually odious things, second-rate bastardisations of a sacred classic that should never have got the green light. However when director Leo McCarey remade Love Affair in 1957 as An Affair to Remember it worked just as well as the original. The later picture has become better known, but Love Affair is still a wonderful thing in its own right.Arguably the biggest difference between the two versions is the cast. Love Affair sees Irene Dunne in what is perhaps the finest performance of her career, showing off all the varied strands of her talent. Dunne was one of the first stars who could combine a fantastic singing voice with real acting ability. When she sings she puts feeling into every note and gesture, making the songs blend seamlessly into her character's emotional development. And she could do comedy as well as the boys, often developing a ballsy rapport with her leading men as she does here with Charles Boyer. Boyer is not quite as breezily likable as Cary Grant would be in 1957 (and ironically, Grant could just as easily have played this role in 1939), but he is a strong dramatic performer and certainly fits the bill. Maria Ouspenskaya is very good too. Her role is negligible in terms of screen time but it has a bearing on the whole plot, and despite her frailty and quietness Ouspenskaya has the necessary presence to deliver a suitably memorable performance.The cast may vary, but the director is the same for both versions, and when McCarey came to do the remake he followed the original almost shot-for-shot. The implication is that his earlier work was already good enough, which it certainly is. McCarey calls upon his silent comedy background as usual, making use of long takes, subtle manoeuvres and compositions in depth. Sometimes this is as comical as it is meaningful – Dunne and Boyer sitting side-by-side at their separate tables for one is like a sight gag. Other times it is dramatically poignant. The couple's heartfelt talk on the last night of the cruise is shot in one very long take, but rather than making it completely static, the director shows us the gentle rocking of the ship as a tender counterpoint. That's typical McCarey, finding ways of keeping things moving without looking artificial or going against the mood of the scene.But perhaps the biggest secret to the dual success of the two versions is that wonderful screenplay. We have an original story by McCarey and Mildred Cram, fashioned into a screenplay by Delmer Daves and Donald Ogden Stewart. McCarey always had a nose for a heartrending love story and Stewart pretty much defined the romantic drama of the 30s and 40s. The romance develops naturally – it's not one of those misogynistic quasi-abductions you often see in movies of this period. The fateful twist is perhaps a little trite and melodramatic, but everything that comes before has been set up with such an easygoing realism that the bolt-from-the-blue is acceptable. The final resolution is just what we would expect, but it is done with a delicate simplicity that makes its impact very real. An Affair to Remember may be the better known picture, but both versions seem to fit into their own era with really very little difference between them. The reason of course is that Love Affair has that uncomplicated timelessness, which still makes it a moving experience today.