jarrodmcdonald-1 This romance classic is truly enjoyable to watch. Joan Fontaine and Joseph Cotten play American passengers in Europe who miss their flight home-- a flight that crashes and kills all on board. They decide to take advantage of the opportunity to start a new life together under new identities, free of commitments back home. Of course, we start to wonder what will happen when September ends. When October and their rest of their life together is put to the test.Hal Wallis produced this lavish what-if that showcases several Italian locations. And Walter Huston recorded the film's theme song, which became a hit. Speaking of Huston, if you enjoy this type of film, you may want to check out DODSWORTH, an earlier story where he played a role not unlike Cotten's.

lhoebel If anyone thinks that Walter Huston's singing is the memorable aspect of this film, they are mistaken or just dead emotionally.Yes, a small amount of disbelief, some details not developed but such a context for a love affair. Very Beautiful. A simple post WWII romantic film shot with wonderful Italian backdrops. Joan Fontaine is of course the jewel in this film. Beautiful haunting displays of emotion and thoughts. A wonderful performance in a thought provoking film. If you ever had the opportunity, would you leave the life you live now for the life you imagine that would make you blissful?

jjsemple Eerily similar in storyline and backdrop to William Wyler's 1936 masterpiece, Dodsworth. It's not so much the script or the direction that doom this film, it's the premise and its execution. Don't get me wrong; I like the film. However, it could have been much better. As other reviewers stated, the actors, their chemistry were excellent. It's the character development that's faulty.Whereas in Dodsworth the triangle is played out logically, along the lines of solid character development so that the hero ends up in Naples with the other woman; in September Affair (1950), love takes a back seat to 1950's morality, or "family values" which state that if you sin, you must pay.To represent this on the screen, the screenwriter uses the deus ex machina device of having the wife morph from shrew to martyr, not by showing us, as a film should do, but by telling us, in a letter no less, that she won't agree to a divorce. But when we actually see her, she doesn't seem all that bad a person. She's not like the woman in the letter and she's not the woman Cotten makes her out to be. With Ruth Chatterton (star of Dodsworth), the character development progressed faultlessly. In September Affair, the wife's character arc is unbelievable. Which is she? A shrew or a noble, long-suffering wife? If the latter, the film couldn't end with Joseph Cotten walking away from that sort of woman. He would have lost favor with the audience.That means forcing credibility to depend on us buying the unbelievable character arc of the wife who somehow morphs from meanie to martyr.He goes back to his wife and I'll bet the first thing she does is revert to her original persona (you can't escape that easily) — her Ruth Chatterton ways, emasculating Cotten out of spite, and he'll end up with no way back to the woman he loves, who loves him because she's also foolishly played the martyr to the point of NO return.The film is a cop out. No film should hinge on the changes in a minor character; it should be the leads whose actions set the course. In fact, the ending even goes against common sense:1) the wife's new persona has accepted the split, so has the son. That he's alive is enough for her.2) As for Joan, he loves her and Joan loves him. They've taken it to another level — like John Huston and Mary Astor in Dodsworth, a level the wife can't understand. They are clearly superior in their maturity, their lifestyles, their tastes.Why not let them fade into the Florence sunset together, she with her piano, him with his engineering projects?

jotix100 "September Affair" was a film that stayed in our mind when we first watched it a long time ago. Seldom seen these days on television, it still keeps the romantic promise we remembered. The premise, which probably looked possible to the 1950 audience that saw it in its original release, seems unreal today, but this is just escapist entertainment, so it has to be watched in that context.One thing that surprises is the Italy of that era where street traffic was devoid of cars, not the nightmare it became as years went by. This is a romantic travelogue in which the action is set, much like some movies that were shot in that country later on. After all, even in black and white, Capri, Naples, Pompeii, Rome, and Florence are wonderful places to visit.William Dieterle's direction serves the film. The stars, Joseph Cotten and Joan Fontaine show great chemistry. Joseph Cotten, a serious actor, makes an excellent David Lawrence, the man whose marriage has reached an impasse. Joan Fontaine is quite likable as Manina Stuart, the concert pianist that falls head over heels and takes a chance with this practical stranger. Jessica Tandy and Francoise Rosay appear in pivotal roles."September Song" is heard in the background sung by none other than Walter Huston. This film even with its unlikely premise is still a nice way to spend time with pleasant company.