Robert Young plays a man who comes from the cream of Boston society. His life is very organized and proper--yet there is a short period of his life where he is able to be his own person. After graduating from Harvard (naturally), he does a brief stint with a company in New York--where he comes in contact with normal folks and Young is just a normal guy. In the process, he meets lovely Hedy Lamar--a very bright and capable working woman. While she is intellectually his equal and a heck of a catch (not just because of her looks), you can tell that Young is head-over-heels for her BUT also a bit ashamed of her ordinary immigrant roots. While their romance is blooming, you always have the impression that Young is not willing to let go of his obligations and sense of what is proper and expected. So, when he later brings Lamar home to meet his family, he doesn't introduce her as his sweetheart, but a co-worker! Young later announces that he wants to marry her and bring her to live in his ancestral home--and she rejects him, as she likes to work and doesn't want to live in such a rigid life. Much of the film consists of flashbacks, as an older and regretful Young looks back at this love that was never to be. It also follows him as he marries a woman that he 'ought to' but for which he never felt any passion. They are content but never in love.
This film is interesting because it's not just a romance but more of a portrait of a man--the romantic and mundane aspects as well. Not surprisingly, Robert Young does his usual wonderful job in the film. But who really impressed me was Hedy Lamar. In many other films she made she just seemed like a very pretty lady and nothing more. Here, she is not just radiant but does a fine job acting. Plus, her slight accent (after all, she was a Czech) worked in this film because she was supposed to be a child of immigrants--too often in films she was supposed to be an ordinary American but the accent didn't fit.
Overall, this is a sad,...no, more of a wistful film about a man whose sense of duty seriously impairs his life. And, as a result, it's an interesting case of what might have been. And, it's also interesting seeing what happens when, after 20 years, the two meet once again and contemplate resuming their romance. Fascinating and different--and I adored the film's ending.
By the way, in some ways this film's theme is a lot like that in "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg"---a magnificent film.
This film is interesting because it's not just a romance but more of a portrait of a man--the romantic and mundane aspects as well. Not surprisingly, Robert Young does his usual wonderful job in the film. But who really impressed me was Hedy Lamar. In many other films she made she just seemed like a very pretty lady and nothing more. Here, she is not just radiant but does a fine job acting. Plus, her slight accent (after all, she was a Czech) worked in this film because she was supposed to be a child of immigrants--too often in films she was supposed to be an ordinary American but the accent didn't fit.
Overall, this is a sad,...no, more of a wistful film about a man whose sense of duty seriously impairs his life. And, as a result, it's an interesting case of what might have been. And, it's also interesting seeing what happens when, after 20 years, the two meet once again and contemplate resuming their romance. Fascinating and different--and I adored the film's ending.
By the way, in some ways this film's theme is a lot like that in "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg"---a magnificent film.