An Affair to Remember (Leo McCarey 1957)

You might remember this classic romantic movie from the numerous re-enactments in the 1993 hit Sleepless in Seattle. Indeed, this is the very “girly” movie that causes the women to cry uncontrollably, and the meeting at the top of the Empire State Building is inspired by the missed rendezvous in An Affair to Remember. This charming romance tells of the budding romance between the handsome playboy Nickie Ferrante (Cary Grant) and delightful nightclub singer Terry McKay (Deborah Kerr). Both are engaged to marry, but having fallen hopelessly in love, arrange to meet in six months at the top of the Empire State Building if “everything goes right”. Love, it seems, can never be that simple, and Terry is unable to make their date because of a tragic accident. This accident takes place just moments away from their meeting place and the ambulance sirens can be heard as Nickie anxiously awaits his lover. Needless to say the emotional impact of this is intense, as are the scenes which follow as the two lovers try to accept a life apart. Even the audience is unaware of the extent of Terry’s injuries until her first unexpected meeting with Nickie – a meeting which pulls at the heart string with a satisfying force. She cannot bring herself to tell him what happened and he, it seems, cannot bring himself to ask… but can he forget?

The couple’s first kiss is perhaps one of the most intriguing shot of the whole film. Rather than zooming in on the kiss, McCarey has his two mains move out of shot. The audience is left in no doubt that they have kissed – how their legs can tell such a story is a mystery – but the absence of visual confirmation leaves them longing for something more. This longing is not satisfied by their hurried pecks on the cruise, nor by the unwanted kisses of their spouses, but is somehow quenched by the emotionally charged embrace of the finale.

Does the film live up to the hype created by Sleepless in Seattle? I would have to say yes. It is both well made and emotionally charged. The characters are believable and the relationship between the two leads is skilfully developed. The finale too is stunningly effective and drawn out to just the right point. This film is certainly entitled to its status as a “classic”.