Sometimes original classics and their remakes are so similar in plot sequence and script it begs the question “Why did they ever feel the need to do it over?” One look at our first pair of movies will answer that question.
Love Affair (1939)
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| Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer vow to meet on top of the Empire State Buidling in six months to see if their love is lasting or just another affair. |
Produced by RKO Radio Pictures, the original screenplay for this movie was co-written by its director Leo McCarey and popular American authoress Mildred Cram, both of whom received Academy Award nominations for Best Writing, Original Story.
The movie stars Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne and centers around the deep and unexpected love which arises between a ladies man and a kept woman while on a cruise. When the cruise comes to an end and they are about to be reunited with their former lives, the lovers are forced to confront the question of whether their love will last or will be just an affair. To find out, they give themselves six months apart to change their lifestyles, vowing to meet each other at the top of the empire state building when that time has passed. But many obstacles stand in their way.
His typical suavity aside, Boyer delivers a well-turned performance, which lacks the passionate fervor of some of his more famous roles (such as Conquest and Gaslight, for which Boyer received two of his four Academy Award nominations), but creates instead a simpler, more finely wrought character for a more realistic romance. His wry humor is an excellent foil for Dunne’s spritely repartee. Dunne, in turn, goes beyond her usual comic genius (earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress)and presents a delicate and evocative image of a woman who finds being in love no simple affair.
Together, Boyer and Dunne cap the film with an excellent final scene, with expressively delivered dialogue that is as delightful as it is compelling.
For those not dependent on the splash and pop of Technicolor, this original classic is worth a look. Keep an eye out for the touching but all-to-brief role of Maria Ouspenskaya as the grandmother- “Janou”- of Boyer (which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress).
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An Affair to Remember (1957)
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| Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant vow not to forget their love for each other in this sparkling romantic remake of "Love Affair" |
An Affair to Remember is perhaps better known than its predecessor after being immortalized for more-modern audiences in the 1993 cult classic Sleepless in Seattle, which featured scenes from and repeated allusions to the film (Sleepless also borrowed themes for its plot from both movies i.e. the romantic rendezvous on the top of the empire state building.). Starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, the remake was issued by Twentieth Century Fox who no doubt (though this is unsubstantiated) bought the screenplay from the soon-to-be defunct RKO Radio Pictures.
Kerr acts perhaps less inspiringly but with greater skill in this her second role previously acted by Dunne (Dunne starred in Anna and the King of Siam in 1946, while Kerr took on the role in the 1956 Roger’s and Hammerstein remake The King and I.), managing to hold her own opposite Grant. Though failing to create as endearing a character as Dunne had in the original, Kerr nevertheless makes Terry McKay her own, a challenging feat given the almost verbatim screenplay.
Though Grant doesn’t seem to put as much effort as Kerr into making the character his own, he still approaches the role of Nickie Ferrante (the renaming of the male lead truly is one of the few changes in screenplay) with his usual and seemingly effortless charm, bringing also the more subtle humor presented in many of his later performances.
Cathleen Nesbitt shines as Grandmother Janou, providing this remake with some of its most beautiful and touching (yet notably not nominated) moments.
Kerr acts perhaps less inspiringly but with greater skill in this her second role previously acted by Dunne (Dunne starred in Anna and the King of Siam in 1946, while Kerr took on the role in the 1956 Roger’s and Hammerstein remake The King and I.), managing to hold her own opposite Grant. Though failing to create as endearing a character as Dunne had in the original, Kerr nevertheless makes Terry McKay her own, a challenging feat given the almost verbatim screenplay.
Though Grant doesn’t seem to put as much effort as Kerr into making the character his own, he still approaches the role of Nickie Ferrante (the renaming of the male lead truly is one of the few changes in screenplay) with his usual and seemingly effortless charm, bringing also the more subtle humor presented in many of his later performances.
Cathleen Nesbitt shines as Grandmother Janou, providing this remake with some of its most beautiful and touching (yet notably not nominated) moments.
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In contrasting these movies, the true elements which set them apart are
1) the performances of the actors: Boyer smolders where Grant only smokes, and Dunne sparkles where Kerr only glows. There is a passionate chemistry between Boyer and Dunne that isn’t quite present for Grant and Kerr (whose chemistry, though undeniable, feels more professional than genuine) until the final scene, where both actors give a wonderfully poignant performance.
2) the different filming techniques (e.g black and white vs. color) : with its use of Cinemascope, rich and vivid colors and vibrant costume designs, An Affair to Remember in many ways surpasses Love Affair in the visuals.
In comparison, both films possess a crisp dialogue and refreshingly simple plot, as well as gorgeous soundtracks. Worth mentioning is An Affair to Remember’s whimsical original song of the same name, which is not found in Love Affair.
In comparison, both films possess a crisp dialogue and refreshingly simple plot, as well as gorgeous soundtracks. Worth mentioning is An Affair to Remember’s whimsical original song of the same name, which is not found in Love Affair.
Terry McKay asks a delightfully arch question, only slightly altered between films. “Do you ever think it will take the place of baseball?” Well, if I pretend either of these movies are the it in question, my answer would have to be: if only for one night, it’s a worthwhile trade.
