Comparing Love Affair (1939) and An Affair to Remember (1957)

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Love Affair is a 1939 romantic drama directed by Leo Mc Carey, starring Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne. An Affair to Remember is the 1957 remake, with Mc Carey again as the director, but Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr as the main cast.

Love Affair revolves around the clandestine affair between the famous playboy, Michel Marnet, and Terry McKay, a nightclub singer. They are both engaged and meet aboard a liner traveling from Europe to New York. Michel is in fact on his way to get married to his wealthy fiancée in New York. An Affair to Remember follows the same storyline, with the difference that the male protagonist is named Nickie Ferrante instead. In both films the female lead has the name Terry McKay.

The main events and most of the dialogue of the 1939 movie are also included in the 1957 remake. There are some slight differences that have to do with minor details, and do not affect the main plot. Specifically, Michel Marnet and Terry McKay in Love Affair meet for the first time when she finds a romantic letter addressed to him by the friend of his fiancée. In An Affair to Remember, the first encounter takes place as Terry finds this time Nickie Ferrante’s cigarette case, which is a romantic gift from the friend of his fiancée.

Terry is sent every year by her husband on a cruise in the 1939 film. In the remake she is sent by her husband while he will be back making a business deal.

Additionally, there is a scene with a young boy. In Love Affair the boy stands precariously at the stairway banister and is advised by Terry to sit properly. At the remake it is seen fearful hanging at the banister and pleading for help. It is saved by the male protagonist.

Later the ship makes a stop and Michel/ Nickie is about to visit his grandmother. He invites Terry to come with him. In the 1939 movie Michel’s grandmother is 77 years old and her house is located in Madeira. At the 1957 remake Nickie’s grandmother is 82 and her house is at Villefranche-sur-Mer. In terms of cinematography, Love Affair (1939) is a black and white film, while An Affair to Remember is a color motion picture movie. The remake lets the viewer have a much more realistic gaze at the magnificent garden of Nickie’s grandmother. All this thanks to its colorful cinematography.

It is important that we take into account that the remake’s duration is longer than that of the 1939 movie. There are some extra scenes included, which aid the understanding and help with the film’s cohesion. For example, Nickie is giving a painting he drew as a gift to his grandmother at a still of the 1957 version . Moreover, there are two memorable romantic moments, where the two leads are secretly interacting at a stairway. At the second part, Nickie and his fiancée appear at an interview on television. This totally makes sense, since they are both famous to the public. The characters and the storyline become even more convincing. This also works with the case of the photographer who secretly takes photographs of the illicit couple.

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Purchase Love Affair Blu-ray (Criterion Collection) on Amazon.com

In Love Affair (1939) it is Terry’s idea to meet at the Empire State Building after six months, while in An Affair to Remember (1957) it is Nickie’s idea to choose that location.

Last but not least, the female protagonist starts working as a music teacher at an orphanage after being heard by its headmaster playing in the 1939 movie. In the remake Terry finds a job as a music teacher with the aid of a pastor.

Both movies are burdened by a slow pace. Love Affair (1939) is such a slow film in the first half, but its second part is rushed. To elaborate, some important events are overlooked in terms of screen time. An Affair to Remember (1957) on the other side, comprises of the scenes needed for a better understanding. The second part, which is post- cruise, is longer than the on-board part, and fails to show something intriguing till the very end. Meanwhile, the twenty year- gap makes the viewer wonder whether it is possible for two people to lose contact for a long time after such an incident. Since the remake is much more contemporary it looks unpersuasive. The Christmas songs in Love Affair are moving, but in the remake they were indifferent. As I mentioned, the second part of the remake looks devoid of life, but for the enchanting dresses and the visual aesthetic.

In my opinion Cary Grant is the ideal person to cast at the role of a male playboy in the remake. Deborah Kerr delivers an amazing performance as well, playing Terry. What I did not like about their characters is the lack of chemistry, until Terry spends time with Nickie’s grandmother. Then she starts falling for him. That is a bit unrealistic.

On the contrary, in the 1939 film the chemistry between Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne is remarkable. Both deliver performances that are worth mentioning! Charles Boyer makes Michel look a little snobbish, still, his acting is better than that of Cary Grant. Sometimes I could not pay attention to what Grant was saying as he seemed lifeless! Each actor portrays their character in a different way and this is what matters to me. The emotions evoked by Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne as a duo cannot be compared to those in the remake. This is not only an acting related problem necessarily.

Purchase An Affair to Remember on Blu-ray on Amazon.com

Purchase Love Affair on Blu-ray (Criterion Collection) on Amazon.com

• Rating Certificate: Approved
• Studios & Distributors: RKO Radio Pictures | Jerry Wald Productions | Twentieth Century Fox
• Director: Leo McCarey
• Written By: Delmer Daves | Donald Ogden Stewart | Mildred Cram
• Country: USA
• Language: English
• Release Dates:
  • Love Affair : 7 April 1939 (United States)
  • An Affair to Remember: 19 July 1957 (United States)