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{{For|other titles|Passionate Friends (disambiguation)}} {{Seealso|The Passionate Friends (1922 film)}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox_Film |
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
⚫ name = The Passionate Friends|
{{Infobox film
⚫ image =The Passionate Friends FilmPoster.jpeg
⚫ | name = The Passionate Friends
|
⚫ | image =The Passionate Friends FilmPoster.jpeg
caption = |
director = ]| | caption =
| director = ]
|based_on = '']'' by H.G. Wells
writer = ]<br>]<br>]<br>]|
starring = ]<br>]<br>]| | writer = ]<br>]<br>David Lean<br>]
| starring = ]<br>]<br>]
producer = ]|
music = ]| | producer = ]
| music = ]
cinematography= ]| | cinematography= ]
⚫ distributor = ] (UK)<br>] (US)|
| editing = ]
released = 26 January 1949|
| studio = ]
⚫ runtime = 95 minutes|
⚫ | distributor = ]
⚫ country = UK |
language = English | | released = {{Film date|1949|01|26|df=yes}}
⚫ | runtime = 95 minutes
|budget=£346,800<ref name="money">Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 354.</ref>
|gross=£219,400<ref>Chapman p 354. Income is in terms of producer's share of receipts.</ref>
⚫ | country = United Kingdom
| language = English
}} }}


'''''The Passionate Friends''''' is a ] ] ] ] directed by ]. The film is based on '']'', a 1913 story by ] It describes a coplicated romantic love triangle in which a woman cannot give up her romantic love affair with another man for another. The film was entered into the ].<ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4173/year/1949.html |title=Festival de Cannes: The Passionate Friends |accessdate=2009-01-11|work=festival-cannes.com}}</ref> '''''The Passionate Friends''''' is a 1949 British ] ] directed by ] and starring ], ] and ]. The film is based on '']'' (1913) by ]. It describes a love triangle in which a woman cannot give up her affair with another man. The film was entered into the ].<ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4173/year/1949.html |title=Festival de Cannes: The Passionate Friends |accessdate=11 January 2009|work=festival-cannes.com}}</ref>


==Plot== ==Plot==
At the Hotel Splendide on a lake in Switzerland, the staff starts their day. Cut to Mary, seated in a luxury aircraft. Her voiceover recalls her excitement and delight at the first holiday with Howard for years,
The story is told through episodes of memories by the woman (Mary, played by ]) while on holiday in ] waiting for her banker husband (Rains) to arrive from work. It had been nine years since they have been on holiday, and nine years since she last talked to the man she is deeply in love with (Steven, played by Trevor Howard).


She is half asleep when a man is shown into the adjoining room.
The movie then goes into the past and tells of the mutual romance love between Mary and Steven. While Mary loves Steven, she refuses to marry him, believing that a marriage of romantic love would be too stifling, while Steven tells her that two people in love should want to 'belong to each other'. Mary insists that she wants only to 'belong to herself' and runs away as Steven tells her that her life would then be 'a failure'. She then marries Howard, who gives her affection, stability and security. When they meet again nine years later on ], Steven is with his-then girlfriend while Mary is with Howard. Howard dryly pretends not to recognize Steven 'So the enemy wouldn't know he was being observed'.


She remembers a New Year's party, 9 years before: We see that it is that same man, Steven. Driving home from the party, Mary remembers her affair with Steven and how much in love they were. She dreams of how she refused his proposal because she “wants to belong to herself.”
Steven later pursues Mary again and almost persuades her to change her mind and leave Howard. While Howard accepts his wife's socialising with Steven, he notices they have forgotten their tickets for the theatre. They then lie to him when he inquires of their evening. In a dramatic scene Steven tells Howard Mary is in love with him and Howard should step aside, while Mary asks him to leave so she can talk things over with Howard.


Howard goes to Germany and Italy on a business trip. Steven calls Mary. She goes to his apartment for lunch. The sun is setting as he recalls their love and they kiss. They begin an affair, not thinking about consequences.
Mary sends Steven a letter, but Steven goes to their residence and demands to see Mary. He sees Howard first, who tells him he knows and understands Mary, while Steven, despite being in love, hardly knows Mary at all. Howard understands that their marriage is not one of romantic love, but one of romantic affection and mutual freedom. Howard is confident that a marriage of love, where partners 'belong' to each other, was not what Mary wants, and all that is needed is for Mary and Steven to stay away from each other. Mary later confirms what Howard said and runs away before Steven can dissuade her.


Howard returns. They agree he should know. Meanwhile, Howard is preoccupied with a pair of theatre tickets that Mary left behind.  He goes to the theatre and sees the seats are empty. Steven brings Mary home; Howard invites him in for a drink. Mary sees Howard's program. Steven tells Howard they have always been in love. Mary tells Steven to leave.
⚫ Nine years later Mary and Steven meet again while separately on holiday in the Alps. Howard is again late due to banking work, and Steven has a half a day before returning to ] to his work. They take a boat and then a cable car to picnic on a high mountain. They talk of their lives and Steven reveals that he has two children with his wife. Mary asks him if he is happy, and seems happier herself for that, but mixed expressions tell of regrets, as if she wishes herself in his wife's place.


In the morning he receives a letter from Mary. He finds the Justin house full of trunks and dust sheets. He confronts Howard, who tells him he does not really know Mary. They are leaving for Washington. Mary confirms what Howard said and runs upstairs, weeping.
⚫ When they come down from the mountains, Howard is back and just happens to see them disembarking the boat together. As he goes to the couple's suite, he notices the porter taking Steven's suitcase from the adjoining room. He was filled with suspicion. His pride is further hurt, when he watches Mary wave goodbye enthusiastically to Steven without noticing her husband's return. He storms out when Mary turns, her eyes glistening, and then files for ].


“That was 9 years ago,” Mary's voiceover returns, wondering what she would have done if she had known he was the man in the adjoining room at the Hotel Splendide.
Mary tries to contact Steven about the divorce, and her lawyer happens to tell him just as Steven's wife goes to see Steven off a train. Steven's family life is plunged into havoc. Mary decides she must see Steven and meeting for the last time, she tells him the divorce was stopped, so he could go back to his wife and lead a happy life. She then goes to see Howard, asking him to stop the divorce by telling him nothing happened in the Swiss hotel and she was innocent of the adjoining room to Steven. Howard then tells her the divorce is not about that. He had not expected love from their marriage, but only affection and some loyalty. Instead he was given 'love for a dog, kindness to a beggar, and the loyalty of a bad servant'. Yelling for Mary to get out, he loses his temper and breaks a vase. He then calms down and retracts what he said, but realizes Mary is gone and had left her handbag.


⚫ They meet at breakfast. Steven has a half-day before returning to London. They go by boat and cable car to picnic on a mountain. Steven reveals that he has two children with his wife. Mary asks him if he is happy, and seems happier herself that she is. Mixed expressions tell of regrets,
⚫ Mary runs from the house and walked through a ] station in a trance. Standing on a platform with an incoming train heading West London, she dazedly contemplates the tracks. As the train approaches she draws dangerously close to the platform edge and, just as she is about to leap, something catches her round the waist. It is Howard, who had come after her. He holds her as she shakes and the loving, romantic couple reconcile on the platform.

⚫ When they return from the mountain, Howard, who has arrived early, sees them disembarking together. As he goes to their suite, he notices the porter taking Steven's suitcase from the adjoining room and is filled with suspicion. His pride is further hurt when Mary rushes by him to the terrace, not realising he is there, to wave goodbye enthusiastically to Steven.

Howard storms out and soon files suit for divorce against her, alleging adultery.

Mary tries to warn Steven, but he is ] in his wife's presence. wreaking havoc on his family life.

Mary decides she must save Steven and tells him that Howard has withdrawn the divorce.

She tells Howard that nothing happened in the Hotel Splendide. She knew nothing of the adjoining room. Howard tells her the divorce is not about that. He had not expected love but only affection and some loyalty. Instead he was given 'the love you'd give a dog, the kindness you'd show a beggar, and the loyalty of a bad servant'. He yells at Mary to get out, but quickly calms down and retracts what he said in genuine remorse, revealing that he has developed the type of romantic love for Mary that he has always disdained, but his back is turned and Mary has already left.

⚫ Mary runs into  a ] station. Standing on a platform, she stares at the tracks, drawing  dangerously close to the platform edge. Just as she is about to leap, someone catches her round the waist. It is Howard. She trembles and weeps as he holds her. They go home.


==Main cast== ==Main cast==
* ] - Mary Justin * ] – Howard Justin
* ] – Mary Justin
* ] - Professor Steven Stratton
* ] - Howard Justin * ] – Professor Steven Stratton
* ] - Pat Stratton * ] – Pat Stratton
* ] - Miss Layton * ] – Miss Layton
* ] as Smith the Butler

==Production==
Wells' novel had been filmed in 1923.<ref> at Variety</ref>

The film was originally going to be directed by Ronald Neame, who arranged for Eric Ambler to write and produce. The three stars were to be Ann Todd, Marius Goring and Claude Rains. Prior to filming however Neame's partners in Cineguild, Stanley Haynes and David Lean told Neame the script was poor and wanted it rewritten. Neame agreed, his confidence shaken. Filming was postponed while Ambler rewrote the script under the supervision of Lean and Haynes. Filming started under Neame's direction with only forty pages of the script written. It proceeded for a few days but was an unhappy experience – Neame says Ann Todd "played up" as she was unsure of her character. Filming was shut down to enable the script to be completed and David Lean would take over the film. Trevor Howard replaced ]. Lean and Todd, both married to other people, fell in love during filming, and left their spouses to get married. The conflict behind the scenes on the film contributed to the disintegration of Cineguild.<ref>{{cite book|page=250-164|title= David Lean : a biography|last=Brownlow|first= Kevin|year=1997 |publisher=A Wyatt Book for St. Martin's Press }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|page=116-123|url=https://archive.org/details/straightfromhors00neam/page/122/mode/1up?q=+%22passionate+friends%22|title= Straight from the Horse's Mouth: Ronald Neame|first= Ronald|last= Neame|year=2003}}</ref>

==Critical reception==
The film received mostly positive reviews, and holds 78% positive reviews on ]. Many critics praised its direction, but some criticized it for lacking substance.<ref>{{Citation|title=The Passionate Friends (1948)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/passionate_friends|access-date=2020-08-05}}</ref>

==Box office==
The producer's receipts were £83,500 in the UK and £135,900 overseas. It lost money.<ref name="money"/>


==References== ==References==
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==External links== ==External links==
*{{imdb title|id=0041735|title=The Passionate Friends}} *{{IMDb title|id=0041735|title=The Passionate Friends}}
*{{Rotten Tomatoes|passionate_friends}}
* {{Amg movie|105679|The Passionate Friends}} * {{tcmdb title|85776|The Passionate Friends}}
* at Variety
⚫ {{David Lean}}


⚫ {{DEFAULTSORT:Passionate Friends (1949 film), The}}
⚫ {{David Lean's films}}
{{CinemaoftheUK}}

⚫ {{DEFAULTSORT:Passionate Friends, The}}
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] ]
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Latest revision as of 11:04, 22 December 2024

See also: The Passionate Friends (1922 film)

1949 British film
The Passionate Friends
Directed byDavid Lean
Written byEric Ambler
Stanley Haynes
David Lean
H. G. Wells
Based onThe Passionate Friends by H.G. Wells
Produced byRonald Neame
StarringAnn Todd
Claude Rains
Trevor Howard
CinematographyGuy Green
Edited byGeoffrey Foot
Music byRichard Addinsell
Production
company		Cineguild Productions
Distributed byGeneral Film Distributors
Release date
  • 26 January 1949 (1949-01-26)
Running time95 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£346,800
Box office£219,400

The Passionate Friends is a 1949 British romantic drama film directed by David Lean and starring Ann Todd, Claude Rains and Trevor Howard. The film is based on The Passionate Friends: A Novel (1913) by H. G. Wells. It describes a love triangle in which a woman cannot give up her affair with another man. The film was entered into the 1949 Cannes Film Festival.

Plot

At the Hotel Splendide on a lake in Switzerland, the staff starts their day. Cut to Mary, seated in a luxury aircraft. Her voiceover recalls her excitement and delight at the first holiday with Howard for years,

She is half asleep when a man is shown into the adjoining room.

She remembers a New Year's party, 9 years before: We see that it is that same man, Steven. Driving home from the party, Mary remembers her affair with Steven and how much in love they were. She dreams of how she refused his proposal because she “wants to belong to herself.”

Howard goes to Germany and Italy on a business trip. Steven calls Mary. She goes to his apartment for lunch. The sun is setting as he recalls their love and they kiss. They begin an affair, not thinking about consequences.

Howard returns. They agree he should know. Meanwhile, Howard is preoccupied with a pair of theatre tickets that Mary left behind.  He goes to the theatre and sees the seats are empty. Steven brings Mary home; Howard invites him in for a drink. Mary sees Howard's program. Steven tells Howard they have always been in love. Mary tells Steven to leave.

In the morning he receives a letter from Mary. He finds the Justin house full of trunks and dust sheets. He confronts Howard, who tells him he does not really know Mary. They are leaving for Washington. Mary confirms what Howard said and runs upstairs, weeping.

“That was 9 years ago,” Mary's voiceover returns, wondering what she would have done if she had known he was the man in the adjoining room at the Hotel Splendide.

They meet at breakfast. Steven has a half-day before returning to London. They go by boat and cable car to picnic on a mountain. Steven reveals that he has two children with his wife. Mary asks him if he is happy, and seems happier herself that she is. Mixed expressions tell of regrets,

When they return from the mountain, Howard, who has arrived early, sees them disembarking together. As he goes to their suite, he notices the porter taking Steven's suitcase from the adjoining room and is filled with suspicion. His pride is further hurt when Mary rushes by him to the terrace, not realising he is there, to wave goodbye enthusiastically to Steven.

Howard storms out and soon files suit for divorce against her, alleging adultery.

Mary tries to warn Steven, but he is served with process in his wife's presence. wreaking havoc on his family life.

Mary decides she must save Steven and tells him that Howard has withdrawn the divorce.

She tells Howard that nothing happened in the Hotel Splendide. She knew nothing of the adjoining room. Howard tells her the divorce is not about that. He had not expected love but only affection and some loyalty. Instead he was given 'the love you'd give a dog, the kindness you'd show a beggar, and the loyalty of a bad servant'. He yells at Mary to get out, but quickly calms down and retracts what he said in genuine remorse, revealing that he has developed the type of romantic love for Mary that he has always disdained, but his back is turned and Mary has already left.

Mary runs into  a London Underground station. Standing on a platform, she stares at the tracks, drawing  dangerously close to the platform edge. Just as she is about to leap, someone catches her round the waist. It is Howard. She trembles and weeps as he holds her. They go home.

Main cast

Production

Wells' novel had been filmed in 1923.

The film was originally going to be directed by Ronald Neame, who arranged for Eric Ambler to write and produce. The three stars were to be Ann Todd, Marius Goring and Claude Rains. Prior to filming however Neame's partners in Cineguild, Stanley Haynes and David Lean told Neame the script was poor and wanted it rewritten. Neame agreed, his confidence shaken. Filming was postponed while Ambler rewrote the script under the supervision of Lean and Haynes. Filming started under Neame's direction with only forty pages of the script written. It proceeded for a few days but was an unhappy experience – Neame says Ann Todd "played up" as she was unsure of her character. Filming was shut down to enable the script to be completed and David Lean would take over the film. Trevor Howard replaced Marius Goring. Lean and Todd, both married to other people, fell in love during filming, and left their spouses to get married. The conflict behind the scenes on the film contributed to the disintegration of Cineguild.

Critical reception

The film received mostly positive reviews, and holds 78% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Many critics praised its direction, but some criticized it for lacking substance.

Box office

The producer's receipts were £83,500 in the UK and £135,900 overseas. It lost money.

References

  1. ^ Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 354.
  2. Chapman p 354. Income is in terms of producer's share of receipts.
  3. "Festival de Cannes: The Passionate Friends". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 11 January 2009.
  4. Review of 1923 film at Variety
  5. Brownlow, Kevin (1997). David Lean : a biography. A Wyatt Book for St. Martin's Press. p. 250-164.
  6. Neame, Ronald (2003). Straight from the Horse's Mouth: Ronald Neame. p. 116-123.
  7. The Passionate Friends (1948), retrieved 5 August 2020

External links

Films directed by David Lean
Categories: