The Passionate Friends (1949)

Sadly Over-hyped

Let's be realistic.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Based on an H.G. Wells novel, this film has a familiar look to it for those who have seen Lean's brilliant masterpiece, A Brief Encounter. Both films were directed by David Lean; both star Trevor Howard; both are about extramarital love affairs; both are narrated—in flashback--by the unfaithful wives, Celia Johnson in A Brief Encounter and Ann Todd in The Passionate Friends; and both were released in the late 40s. But after that, the two films start to diverge a bit. This movie is a masterpiece, no doubt about it, but not in the same way as A Brief Encounter!! While A Brief Encounter takes place over a few days and seems plausible, The Passionate Friends occurs over years and seems almost impossible. In addition, in A Brief Encounter, the flow of Celia Johnson's thoughts--linked by the Rachmaninoff theme that runs throughout the movie—is a stroke of genius that has no parallel in The Passionate Friends. So, while Celia Johnson's character seems temporarily confused, Ann Todd's seems selfish and immature. Another word you could use for Todd's character is 'stuck.' I mean, anyone who can't get over an old love affair after nine years is really 'stuck.' As the movie begins, Mary Justin (Ann Todd) is on holiday in Switzerland where she will later be met by her husband, Howard Justin (Claud Rains). Howard is an international banking executive, more geared towards realism than romance. When Mary arrives at her Swiss hotel, she finds that the room adjoining hers belongs to her old romance, Steven Stratton (Trevor Howard). At this point, she starts remembering the last time she had seen Steven, nine years ago.Her memories are shown to us in flashback---In the flashback, she meets her old boyfriend, Steven, at the New Year's Eve party welcoming in 1939. Mary and Steven rekindle their old love while Howard is out of town on business. When Howard returns, he thinks that their friendship is innocent until he discovers, on his desk, the tickets for the play that they were supposed to be attending. When Howard goes to the theater and sees that those seats are empty and they aren't at the play, he and Steven openly confront each other. However, even though Mary had planned to divorce Howard to marry Steven, she relents and gives up Steven's romantic love to maintain the financial security of her marriage.As the movie returns from Mary's memories to the Swiss holiday (in the present), it appears that her faithfulness is again be tested. But, nine years have passed since her first affair with Steven. All three people had matured a bit. Steven is now married with two young children. Yet, as Steven and Mary go up into the Alps alone together, Mary still sees to imagine things as they were nine years ago, and acts accordingly...There are some fine moments in this movie, especially those with Claude Rains, who can be very cleaver and controlling. (At times, you hate him for his treachery; at other times, you feel sorry for him.) If you think about Claude Rains, he is one of the most talented actors of the 30s and 40s for portraying non-physical villains.) The movie also seems well directed, with different scenarios fitting together perfectly like a giant jigsaw puzzle. It also presents interesting dilemmas about idealism versus realism and the contrasting notions of romantic love affairs versus the loyalty and fidelity of marriage.

Although it bears many similarities to David Lean's excellent Brief Encounter (released in 1945), this effort adds a decidedly darker dimension to the familiar tale of illicit lovers. The Passionate Friends contains a wonderfully creepy Noir feel, with an almost Hitchcock-like suspense, especially in the way the camera angles in on the characters, emphasizing the inherent volatility of their situation.Much of the foreboding Noir doom can be attributed to the wonderful Ann Todd, who can't help but possess the dangerous look of the quintessential femme fatale, even when she's happily drinking in the excitement of a speedboat ride on a sun-drenched lake. She in fact might well have made the perfect "Hitchcock Blonde" ten years later.The venerable Claude Rains and Trevor Howard suit their roles to good effect, especially Rains as Todd's suspicious husband. The film ends predictably, with a production code-approved resolution. But it's well worth a look, and stands up well alongside Lean's earlier Encounter.

Lovers meet again after they had gone separate ways years earlier when she married an older man. With the parallels to "Brief Encounter," there is little doubt that Lean was going for another success like the 1945 classic. He even has Howard again playing a man involved with a married woman, but the magic is not there. In fact, it's quite a dreary affair based on a novel by Wells of all people. Not only is the script meandering, but the story is poorly structured, with flashbacks within flashbacks. It's a shame because a good cast is wasted. Todd, whom Lean married shortly after making this film, is radiant as the woman at the center of the love triangle. Howard as the lover and Rains as the unromantic husband are both fine.

As countless people on this board have pointed out, comparisons of David Lean's "The Passionate Friends" and David Lean's "Brief Encounter" are inevitable, though probably not correct. This is a very different story.Told through the narration of the main character, Mary Justin (Ann Todd), it's the story of a man, Steven Stratton (Trevor Howard) and woman (Todd) in love who don't marry because he can't give her the good life. Instead, Mary marries financier Howard Justin (Claude Rains), whom she likes but doesn't love. Howard knows this, and, not being in love with her, so he thinks, doesn't mind.Five years later, she meets Steven again, and they become re-involved. Steven is unattached and, when Howard finds out, he expects Mary to run off with him. She doesn't. She asks him to leave and not see her again.Ten years later, while Howard is on a trip, both Mary and Steven run into one another in Switzerland. This time, Steven is happily married. Nothing goes on between them, but Howard doesn't believe Mary when she tells him that."Passionate Friends" is an interesting psychological drama, really focusing on Howard and Mary. Claude Rains dominates throughout the film - restrained through most of it, when he lets loose, it's really something. Howard is very likable as Steven, who is jerked around by Mary over the years.My feeling is that the film was supposed to focus on Mary, but this was derailed by Claude Rains' performance and Todd's (Mrs. Lean) detached quality. She's very good, but the character remains an enigma. Mary can't make a commitment. At the end, when she realizes the devastation the situation will bring, she's ready to sacrifice everything so that it doesn't.Parts of "Passionate Friends" are very strong, but some of it, due to the flashback within a flashback, gets a little confusing. Nevertheless, the performances are strong, and, if it's not entirely successful, it's at least a fascinating "not entirely successful" instead of just being bad.