Cinema Tuesdays {An Affair to Remember}

An Affair To Remember is Leo McCarey's 1957 remake of his 1939 film Love Affair, which starred Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne an is in public domain. In general, the only remakes that I find acceptable are ones in which the director is remaking their own work and this is an almost scene-by-scene remake. But in colour and with Cary Grant.

You probably already know the story, either from watching it or from Sleepless in Seattle. Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr meet on an ocean liner but both are involved with other people. The first half of the movie is a romantic comedy with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr falling in love amidst witty dialogue. They agree to sort their lives out and meet on the top of the Empire State Building in six months. The second half is more of a romantic drama, but with a happy ending.

I love the Grandmother.

Cary Grant: Style Icon

Cinema Tuesdays {Harold and Maude}

I once got talking to one of the shop assistants in my favourite vintage store about Harold and Maude and we both agreed that it was one of the most optimistic films ever made and that the daisies speech is quite profound. If you haven't seen this 1971 cult classic, then you are truly missing out on a cinematic treat.

Framed by a fantastic soundtrack by Cat Stevens, Harold and Maude tells the story of two funeral crashers who form an unlikely bond. Harold is an 18-year-old who is obsessed with death and is looking to gain some form of meaning and purpose in his life. Maude is a wise, carefree and quirky 79-year-old who lives a life rich with meaning and purpose. Harold is part of a generation that can see no purpose in life and therefore cannot see the meaning of life. Maude contrasts Harold's nihilism by having endured and survive the horrors of the first half of the century and sees the meaning and purpose of her life is to enjoy each and every day and to seek out new experiences in the short time that we all have on earth.

Did I also mention that Maude lives in an old train carriage? Wouldn't that be an awesome place to live in?

Despite it being a cult movie, Harold and Maude is quite hard to find. There is a torrent out there. The Region 1 DVD appears to be out of print and therefore expensive. However, the Region 2 is quite cheap. But I really think that it deserves to be re-mastered and issued by Critereon. I'd buy it, wouldn't you?