[.ca] An Affair to Remember (Widescreen)

Amazon.com Essential Video:
Get out your handkerchiefs for this four-star weepie, a 1957 remake of the 1939 Love Affair, directed by Leo McCarey, who also made the original. Grant and Kerr are strangers on an ocean liner, involved with other people, but who can't resist each other for a shipboard romance. They decide to test whether this is the real thing by agreeing to split up, then meet in six months atop the Empire State Building. Is there anyone who can resist that setup or the tragic romantic mishap that nearly splits them up? Can you keep dry eyes during the famous finale? Some prefer the original (with Charles Boyer); practically no one liked the underrated 1994 remake with Warren Beatty and Annette Bening. While occasionally a shade slow, this one soars on Grant's charm and Kerr's noble suffering. --Marshall Fine

Quality acting with humour, Romance and drama combined.:
I have watched this film over and over again and never get tired of it. The only thing that bothered me in the story is, Terry McKay deciding not to let Nickie (C. Grant.) know what really happened and why she could not meet him at the Empire State Building. Had she done that, he could have at least made some decisions accordingly. If he really loved her, he would have helped her get through this tragedy instead of her going it alone. Even the man she had been living with, offered to tell him, and she said "NO", and, I found that to be a bit cruel on Terry's part. Nonetheless, I still love this movie. The clothing/fashion back then was fantastic as well!

On my top-ten list for classic Hollywood movies:
This 1957 classic is one of the best romantic films I've seen yet... and as someone who has spent a lot of time (too much) searching for the perfect romantic comedy, I know what I'm talking about. My only complaints are that it may be overly dramatic that Kerr's character wouldn't want to tell Grant what happened to her; equally unreasonable is the motivation for Grant's character not looking for Kerr after she disappears. Love is likened to a perfect, spiritual state of being that is not a choice, and in Real Life, the whole drama could have easily been avoided... but then, why make a movie? From an ideological standpoint, the way disability is portrayed is problematic, what with the overcoming-all-the-odds bit, but it was the 50s. The children's musical interludes also drag a bit. However, the development of both the lead characters is phenomenal due to the exquisite acting and the delivery of intelligent, subtle dialogue. The tone is restrained and the dialogue is flippant and a little blasé, but this only serves to clearly convey the emotional truths of the characters - I'm a sucker for this one.

Practically nobody, huh?:
Amazon says "practically nobody" likes the 1994 remake with Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, but actually I would prefer that one to this any day. However, if you have to see the original, amazon is where to get it.

Overrated Tearjerker:
The first part aboard the boat seems convenient & affected. The bit where she takes him to meet her relative is charming and pretty but pointless. The accident and her subsequent behavior bespeaks of underlying insecurities and purhaps subconcious concerns about his character. I didn't feel particularly sympathetic toward either character and, thus, the reunion doesn't touch me.

One of my favourite movies:
While I haven't seen the remake of this film, I have seen the original, and this is by far one of my favourite movies ever. The picture is beautiful, the casting is flawless, and the story timeless. I would recommend this for chick-flick lovers and even those who aren't particularly fond of romantic-comedies.