An Affair to Remember

In Leo McCarey’s faith in Catholicism, the miraculous testifies to the eminence of love and endurance; the lovers’ failure to reunite culminates in a deeper union than they can ever hope for. In this remake of his own Love Affair, Cary Grant’s iconic flirtatiousness matches Deborah Kerr’s elegant restraint. Exploiting the possibilities of CinemaScope composition, An Affair to Remember embodies a refined mise-en-scene that contrasts the openness of public space with a love affair desperate to hide or, at times, deny itself. The nuanced narrative progresses in a more contemplative rhythm, simmering to an intense finale: a magnificent choreography of layered emotions bouncing and echoing in literally every frame and every possible space on screen, until they reach a sublime conclusion.

14/1 (Sun): Film talk with Lau Yam