Love Affair
Love Affair is a 1939 American romantic film, co-starring Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne, and featuring Maria Ouspenskaya. It was directed by Leo McCarey and written by Delmer Daves and Donald Ogden Stewart, based on a story by McCarey and Mildred Cram. Controversial on concept, the official screenplay was re-tooled and rewritten to appease Hollywood censorship and relied on actor input and improvisation, causing long delays and budget extensions.
Plot
One December, French painter (and famed womanizer) Michel Marnet (Charles Boyer) meets American singer Terry McKay (Irene Dunne) aboard a liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean. They are both already engaged, he to heiress Lois Clarke (Astrid Allwyn), she to Kenneth Bradley (Lee Bowman). They begin to flirt and to dine together on the ship, but his worldwide reputation makes them conscious that others are watching. Eventually, they decide that they should dine separately and not associate with each other. At a stop at Madeira, they visit Michel's grandmother Janou (Maria Ouspenskaya), who bonds with Terry and admits wanting Michel to settle down.
More details
| author | Delmer Daves Donald Ogden Stewart Leo McCarey Mildred Cram |
|---|---|
| contentLocation | New York City |
| director | Leo McCarey |
| editor | Edward Dmytryk George Hively |
| genre | drama |
| keywords | advertise atlantic ocean build christmas eve closing time empire state building engage french painter liner madeira morning music teacher new year ocean liner paint paralyze philadelphia physiotherapy sing time travel |
| musicBy | Roy Webb |
| nomination | Academy Award for Best Actress Academy Award for Best Picture Academy Award for Best Production Design Academy Award for Best Story Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| producer | Leo McCarey |
| productionCompany | RKO Radio Pictures |
| publisher | RKO Radio Pictures |
| theme | romantic drama |