DVD/150: THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS (David Lean, 1949)

David Lean followed his vibrant OLIVER TWIST with the listless THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS; despite his affair with star Ann Todd, no passion transferred to the screen, she gives her usual glacial performance

Ronald Neame was to direct Eric Ambler's adaptation of HG Wells' novel but Lean disliked the script so co-wrote a new version, moved Neame to producer and became the director.

Former lovers Mary and Stephen meet again nine years after she rejected his marriage proposal to live independantly; she is now married to the banker Howard (or Haaaard as Todd says) for the security of his wealth.

They grow closer but Howard demands the relationship ends.

Nine years on, while waiting for Howard at a Swiss hotel, Mary meets Stephen by accident and they spend the afternoon together before he flies home.  Howard sees them however and starts divorce proceedings.

Desperately, Mary tries to resolve the situation...

 

Shelf or charity shop?  It's part of a David Lean box-set, if I ever break it up I suspect it will be the first to go.  Lean seems less interested in his performers than finding other ways to tell the story such as a double-flashback (which comes too early in the film) and a showy way of speeding up the action by tracking his camera along telephone poles and wires while we hear back-to-back phone calls on screen.  It's unsurprising that it failed at the box-office, Lean just cannot make you care for his characters.  Nice camera-work and a good sense of London locations however... There had been a previous silent version made in 1922.