An Affair To Remember

I used to think I would find my soul mate if that person could tell me the linkages among the 3 movies: An Affair To Remember, Love Affair and Sleepless In Seattle. Yes, these are all the so called chick flicks, but to me its a lot more than that. Who doesn't adore An Affair To Remember with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. Love Affair, an absolute labour of love from Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, was a remake of An Affair To Remember in 1994.

Sleepless Seattle made tons of references to An Affair To Remember, and it would have layered meanings when Meg Ryan met Tom Hanks at the top of the Empire State Building. But, you should watch all 3 movies to truly appreciate what I am saying.

While some knew that the 1994 Love Affair was a faithful remake of the 1957 An Affair To Remember. What most do not know was that An Affair To Remember was also a remake. The film is considered one of the most romantic of all time, according to the American Film Institute. The film was a remake of McCarey's 1939 film Love Affair,  starring Irene Dunn and Charles Boyer.  An Affair to Remember  was almost identical to Love Affair on a scene-to-scene basis.

SPOILER ALERT: The two main characters were involved with different people when they met on a cruise. They fell in love hard, and when the ship made an unscheduled stop near some islands, he brought her to meet her aunt (played by Hepburn in 94 version). She loved Hepburn's scarf. Later she made him paint again. They promised to meet at the top of Empire State building 6 months later when both have sorted out their respective partners (meaning to dump them). On the day they were supposed to meet, she knew he was up there and kept looking up at the building and got knocked by a car, she was nearly crippled. He thought she did not showed up because she chose to stay with her man. Months later they bumped into each other at a theatre, she was with boyfriend and seated. He knew nothing better than to think that was very final on her part. Later he had to find out where she moved to as he had to drop off a present from his aunt for her ... see the rest in the video below.

Some of the more memorable lines from the movie:
Annette Bening: How long were you married? (on learning that Kath's husband has passed on)
K Hepburn: Dearie, I am married ... (long pause)  .. even though he died 12 years ago. I am still married.

( Cary Grant ):
"Why didn't you tell me? If it had to happen to one of us why did it have to be you?"

Terry McKay ( Deborah Kerr ):
"What makes life so difficult?"
Nickie Ferrante ( Cary Grant ):
"People?"

Terry McKay ( Deborah Kerr ):
"Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories."

Nickie Ferrante ( Cary Grant ):
"You've been crying."
Terry McKay ( Deborah Kerr ):
"Beauty does that to me." 

Aunt Ginny
"He's always attracted by the art he isn't practicing. The place he hasn't been. The girl he hasn't met."

Aunt Ginny ( Katharine Hepburn ):
"The trick is life is not getting what you want. It's wanting it after you get it. For people like you and Mike, the getting is easy."

Kenneth Bradley (the boyfriend): I really hope you've found happiness, and if you're ever in need of anything, like someone to love you, don't hesitate to call me. 

Terry McKay: The Empire State Building is the closest thing to heaven in this city. 

The 1957 version was sublime. Though many did not like the 1994 version, I thought it was excellent and the music was brilliant, in particular they inserted my favourite Beatles tune as well, "I Will", so appropriately. Cannot really discuss the movie without revealing the plot, rest assured its easily the most romantic movie of all time, next to Somewhere In Time (Jane Seymour, Christopher Reeve).

When you watch these two movies, the modern day chick flicks such as Sleepless In Seattle and You've Got Mail pale into insignificance. The only good one for the last 20 years has to be When Harry Met Sally. I think its time they do another remake of An Affair To Remember, maybe with George Clooney and Zooey Deschanel.