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The Passionate Friends

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7.0/10 • 52

1949-01-261h 30m

DramaRomance

Their affair took on a life of its own.

A woman is torn between the love of her life, who is married to someone else, and her older husband.

Directors
David Lean
Editors
Jack Harris

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Ann Todd

    Ann Todd

    Mary Justin

  2. Claude Rains

    Claude Rains

    Howard Justin

  3. Trevor Howard

    Trevor Howard

    Prof. Steven Stratton

  4. Betty Ann Davies

    Betty Ann Davies

    Joan Layton

  5. Isabel Dean

    Isabel Dean

    Pat Stratton

  6. Wilfrid Hyde-White

    Wilfrid Hyde-White

    Lawyer

  7. Arthur Howard

    Arthur Howard

    Smith - the Butler

  8. Guido Lorraine

    Guido Lorraine

    Hotel Manager

  9. Marcel Poncin

    Marcel Poncin

    Hall Porter

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jul 9, 2022

7/10

Ann Todd puts in quite a strong performance in this quite sensitively presented drama as "Mary", a lady contentedly if not ecstatically married to financier "Howard" (Claude Rains). One afternoon she bumps into "Prof. Stratton" (Trevor Howard) and that rekindles memories of a pre-war romance. When her husband has to go to Switzerland on business, she accompanies him and yes, you've guessed, she encounters "Stratton" again - though this time her husband spots her distress when they part and she is rumbled. This is another solid effort from David Lean that allows the performances to develop at their own pace; the characters each have flaws and strengths and his adaptation of this lesser known HG Wells story is quite a poignant and characterful look at how the choices we make evolve and change over time. The title is a bit misleading - for passion is really the one thing that is truly absent throughout, but Rains and Howard - two distinctively different style of actors work well as the foils to Todd's uncertain and needy "Mary" who is probably far more excited by the idea of love rather than actually experiencing or enjoying it. I could have done without her narration - it distracted me from an otherwise superior drama that is certainly a delight to watch, if not necessarily one with characters to admire.

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  • The Passionate Friends poster
  • The Passionate Friends poster
  • The Passionate Friends poster
  • The Passionate Friends poster
  • The Passionate Friends poster
  • The Passionate Friends poster
  • The Passionate Friends poster
  • The Passionate Friends poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
forgivenessswitzerland