Love Affair (1939)

Written by CinemaSerf on June 22, 2022

A classy feature from Leo McCarey, this one. Charles Boyer is a playboy crossing the Atlantic on a luxury liner; he meets and falls in love with Irene Dunne, a talented chanteuse heading to New York. They agree to meet six months later once he has become less of a rake and is able to support them both. On that fateful day, she arrives at the Empire State Building only to be involved in a paralysing car accident of which he - already at the top of the tower - is and remains unaware. It's a gentle, well acted melodrama with a simple, engaging plot and two charismatic leads. The writing is a touch on the sentimental side at times, but it's still a lovely film to watch 80 years after it was made.