An Affair to Remember

"What makes life so difficult?"
"People."

Aboard a cruise from Europe to New York, wealthy playboy Nickie Ferrante (Grant) meets nightclub singer Terry McKay (Kerr).  Nickie is engaged to American heiress Lois Clark (Patterson) and Terry is in a serious relationship with Kenneth Bradley (Denning).  Despite their relationships, they are drawn to each other, although they try to keep it from the other passengers.

Nickie invites Terry for a day trip to visit his grandmother, Grandmother Janou (Nesbitt).  The visit changes their relationship and they realize that they are in love.  As the voyage comes to a close they agree to meet at the top of the Empire State Building in 6 months.


This film is considered one of the most romantic films of all time; it was #5 in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions lists (Cary Grant starred in the most films on the list: 6).  It was nominated for 4 Academy Awards.  The film is a remake of director Leo McCarey's 1939 film Love Affair, starring Irene Dunn and Charles Boyer.  It was a beloved film that was nominated for several Academy Awards.  In 1994, Warren Beatty and Annette Bening starred in a remake of Love Affair (and used the same title).

This marks the second (of 3) film collaborations between Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr.  In 1953 they starred in Dream Wife and in 1960 they starred in The Grass Is Greener.  This film is the most successful of the three.

Grant and Kerr have excellent chemistry.  They ooze charisma and are perfectly suited for their roles.  The rest of the cast pale in comparison.  The script draws you in from the beginning, with only a few rough / slow patches (is it really necessary to spend that amount of time with Terry's students... sure, they are adorable, but do we really need to see them perform twice?).  The film had a renaissance in 1993 when it was featured heavily in Nora Ephron's Sleepless in Seattle.

It is a wonderful film, that everyone should see at least once.

An Affair to Remember (1957) 119 minutes
Director: Leo McCarey
Starring: Cary Grant as Nickie Ferrante
Deborah Kerr as Terry McKay
Richard Denning as Kenneth Bradley
Neva Patterson as Lois Clark
Cathleen Nesbitt as Grandmother Janou