The year: 1957. The movie: An Affair To Remember. The stars: Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr.
In this movie, Cary Grant plays Nickie Ferrante, a well-known playboy who has become engaged to a rich heiress. Taking a boat to New York from Europe, he meets Terri McKay (Deborah Kerr), a nightclub singer on her way home to her boyfriend. They end up falling for each other, but they try to resist it. It becomes a lot harder when Nickie brings her along when he visits his grandmother. When they get back on the ship, they make a pact to meet again in six months on the top of the Empire State Building. In the meantime, they both try to deal with their current relationships, and Nickie tries to find a way to earn a living from his paintings. However, tragedy strikes on the day they were supposed to meet.
I would say this movie kind of qualifies as a Christmas movie. The end of the movie takes place around Christmastime, with Deborah Kerr’s Terri helping a group of children who are preparing for a Christmas concert. Of course, we also see Cary Grant’s Nickie giving Terri the gift of a shawl from his grandmother. To say much more would spoil the ending (although, for this type of movie, the idea of both Nickie and Terri getting together is a foregone conclusion).
I am coming off my first viewing of this movie, but I enjoyed it very much. The movie is apparently the remake of the 1939 film Love Affair, also directed by Leo McCarey. Apparently, he tended to give his actors room to improvise, and some of those improvisations would end up making their way into the movie. All I know is that what they did for this movie worked. The movie can be funny. It can be sad. It can be romantic. Whatever the mood they go for, you can feel it! I haven’t seen the original version, but for my money, this one is absolutely wonderful, and I would highly recommend it!
This movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Twentieth Century Fox.
Film Length: 1 hour, 55 minutes
My Rating: 10/10
List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections
Room For One More (1952) – Cary Grant – Operation Petticoat (1959)
Thoughts From The Music(al) Man 