52 reviews
An overlooked gem!
I echo the sentiment of the other reviewer. This is so much more than a soap opera...
I caught this movie on the late show about 20 years ago and if recall correctly, was going through the end of a relationship at the time. The movie struck a chord, though frankly I'm not sure why I received it's message so deeply. This is my favorite Kirk Douglas movie by far. Kirk is not known for subtlety but he's great here.
I typically judge movies by their ring of truth, and this one has it in spades.
A must see...
I caught this movie on the late show about 20 years ago and if recall correctly, was going through the end of a relationship at the time. The movie struck a chord, though frankly I'm not sure why I received it's message so deeply. This is my favorite Kirk Douglas movie by far. Kirk is not known for subtlety but he's great here.
I typically judge movies by their ring of truth, and this one has it in spades.
A must see...
Close to real life
What I liked in this movie was the way the screenplay, as well as the director, gets close to what happens in real life. I mean, the doubts that assault many people when they think they have already got what society makes us consider as the right stuff: a job, a wife, sons. People in this situation one day realize that their life is empty in many senses, and they search for understanding in someone else outside their home inner circle. Only one thing annoyed me: the ending leaves the character played by Douglas in a very comfortable situation, considering he's the real motor of all the thing; besides, Maggie's (Kim Novak) husband (John Bryant) disappears from action in a very important, in my opinion, moment. Leaving apart these last things I consider as faults, the whole movie deserves to be watched; I think it's profitable and can make all of us take a minute or two for a meditation.
I changed my mind about this film.
In an earlier commentary I said that the only good things in this film were Barbara Rush and the final scene. Besides, Leonard Martin gives it only **1/2. Well, Leonard Maltin and I were wrong. I have just seen it once more and now I think it is a honest and real look at the dissatisfaction and crisis of the conjugal life in the middle class. The characters and scenes between Maggie and her husband are underwritten, Kirk Douglas overacts as usual, but:
Very intelligent the relation between Altar and Larry, being the first a counterpoint of the second. At last, Altar "did it" but he is alone and envies the conjugal life of his friend ("Don't throw everything away").
Very real and moving the crisis between Eve and Larry. What a good and wasted actress was Barbara Rush!, her character almost steals the show.
Other good moments: Larry stress and lack of control in the party at his home, his wife smiling and saying: "I want you sober", the fight between Larry and Felix under the rain, the cross cutting between Maggie in the kitchen as a housewife and herself putting her earrings in the motel "after the sin", etc., etc.
A great idea is the parallel between the building of the house and the love story, the beautiful visit at the house with the tape measure and the moving farewell in the already finished house.
Last but not the least, the visuals: The elegant use of the widescreen and the long takes, the smooth camera movements and tracking shots (for instance, the first scene in the Larry's kitchen or in the "tape measure" scene or at the very beginning of the film). The beautiful cinematography and color, always a pink or red spot in the frame (the Larry's jacket, a cushion in the Altar's apartment, the Maggie's dress, a fruit dish in the kitchen), etc.
Well, as you can see one can't trust his first impressions. I like this film
Very intelligent the relation between Altar and Larry, being the first a counterpoint of the second. At last, Altar "did it" but he is alone and envies the conjugal life of his friend ("Don't throw everything away").
Very real and moving the crisis between Eve and Larry. What a good and wasted actress was Barbara Rush!, her character almost steals the show.
Other good moments: Larry stress and lack of control in the party at his home, his wife smiling and saying: "I want you sober", the fight between Larry and Felix under the rain, the cross cutting between Maggie in the kitchen as a housewife and herself putting her earrings in the motel "after the sin", etc., etc.
A great idea is the parallel between the building of the house and the love story, the beautiful visit at the house with the tape measure and the moving farewell in the already finished house.
Last but not the least, the visuals: The elegant use of the widescreen and the long takes, the smooth camera movements and tracking shots (for instance, the first scene in the Larry's kitchen or in the "tape measure" scene or at the very beginning of the film). The beautiful cinematography and color, always a pink or red spot in the frame (the Larry's jacket, a cushion in the Altar's apartment, the Maggie's dress, a fruit dish in the kitchen), etc.
Well, as you can see one can't trust his first impressions. I like this film
One of the sexiest movies ever made!
Kim Novak and Kirk Douglas positively steam up the screen in this well-done film depicting a torrid suburban affair in Eisenhower's sexually repressed America. It is a great story and is singlehandedly responsible for my being a huge Kim Novak fan. Not only was (is) she undeniably beautiful, she is a remarkable actress. Look for Walter Matthau in a villainous turn, and the great Ernie Kovacs in one of his final performances.
- bethster2000
- Apr 3, 2001
- Permalink
What a girl wants, what a girl needs
- Noir-It-All
- Sep 2, 2006
- Permalink
Well-acted Tale of Infidelity and Desire
I've seen much commentary depicting this film as little more than a soap. If the themes of marital infidelity and dissatisfaction are soap-operish, then I guess it is.
That said, I want to add that the subject matter is handled quite delicately and skillfully by all involved. Kirk Douglas is good as the architect who finds himself attracted to his new neighbor. He delivers the dialogue quite well, not falling into the easy trap of overacting. The only dissatisfaction may come with the Ernie Kovacs subplot, but that is so minor, it barely registers. More lasting are the scenes between Douglas and Kim Novak. One scene in particular, when they find themselves together at the beach discussing his wife, is particularly poignant.
The film belongs to Kim Novak, however, as the housewife who has the affair with Douglas. She is heart-breakingly good in this movie. Joshua Logan, director of "Picnic", once said that Novak wore her beauty like a 'crown of thorns' and that quality is on full display in SWWM. A natural desire for love and affection come through wonderfully, and her subtle style of acting is pitch perfect. Her best moment comes when she is talking to her husband - in effect trying to seduce him. The moment could come off hokey or overdone, but Novak doesn't miss a beat. She is neither crass nor coy. The desire is honest and heartfelt, and one senses real pain at her rejection.
That said, I want to add that the subject matter is handled quite delicately and skillfully by all involved. Kirk Douglas is good as the architect who finds himself attracted to his new neighbor. He delivers the dialogue quite well, not falling into the easy trap of overacting. The only dissatisfaction may come with the Ernie Kovacs subplot, but that is so minor, it barely registers. More lasting are the scenes between Douglas and Kim Novak. One scene in particular, when they find themselves together at the beach discussing his wife, is particularly poignant.
The film belongs to Kim Novak, however, as the housewife who has the affair with Douglas. She is heart-breakingly good in this movie. Joshua Logan, director of "Picnic", once said that Novak wore her beauty like a 'crown of thorns' and that quality is on full display in SWWM. A natural desire for love and affection come through wonderfully, and her subtle style of acting is pitch perfect. Her best moment comes when she is talking to her husband - in effect trying to seduce him. The moment could come off hokey or overdone, but Novak doesn't miss a beat. She is neither crass nor coy. The desire is honest and heartfelt, and one senses real pain at her rejection.
A Timeless Romance
The awarded architect Larry Coe (Kirk Douglas) lives a boring marriage with his wife Eve Coe (Barbara Rush) and their two young sons in the suburb. Larry is designing and constructing an unique house to the successful writer Roger Altar (Ernie Kovacs) on the top of a hill. Margaret 'Maggie' Gault (Kim Novak) is a sexy blond sexually neglected by her husband Ken Gault (John Bryant) that lives in the same neighborhood and they have a young son. When Larry meets Maggie at the bus stop of the school bus, he unsuccessfully hits on her. But soon they encounter each other again and they have a love affair. They fall in love with each other, but when their despicable neighbor Felix Anders (Walter Matthau) discovers their affair, they have to decide between loyalty to their families or love.
"Strangers When We Meet" is a timeless romance that takes place in 1960, but could be in any time. The fight between loyalty and respect to the wife and family and the desire for a sexy woman or a handsome man is eternal and part of the life. The way each part will behave is the variable in this equation of life. "Strangers When We Meet" presents a conventional and moralist commercial conclusion, but totally credible. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "O Nono Mandamento" ("The Ninth Commandment")
"Strangers When We Meet" is a timeless romance that takes place in 1960, but could be in any time. The fight between loyalty and respect to the wife and family and the desire for a sexy woman or a handsome man is eternal and part of the life. The way each part will behave is the variable in this equation of life. "Strangers When We Meet" presents a conventional and moralist commercial conclusion, but totally credible. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "O Nono Mandamento" ("The Ninth Commandment")
- claudio_carvalho
- Nov 14, 2015
- Permalink
Moving Lovestory
I was rather surprised when I saw this love story. I found it very moving, serene and very inspired in all aspects. The perfect balance between main plot (the relationship of Douglas and Novak) and substories (writer, Douglas' wife, neighbours) is amazing. The culmination of the film is the final scene in the recently finished house that architect Douglas has designed. A very big bravo for Novak and Douglas performances, two (still) living legends. If there were only films like this in the cinemas now...
A Story about Real People
Kirk Douglas and Kim Novak star in this tale of love found outside of an unhappy or rather a dull, or shall we say, a trapped marriage in suburban America. Kirk is an architect who likes to build to suit his tastes rather than conform to the mundane, everyday buildings and houses that the masses use on a day to day basis. Barbara Rush is his wife, who tries to help him get jobs, but maybe she "doesn't understand him," and what he's trying to do in his career and with his life. So Kirk feels trapped by her expectations of him. Kirk meets Kim, by way of the school bus stop; they both have sons that go to school together. Kirk hears talk about Kim and her husband, who are new to the block. She is really neglected by her husband, who is not affectionate at all, and very cold to her basic needs. Kim hears talk about him, the architect and his wife. They start an alliance, when, after talking to her at the grocery store, he later invites her to see a client's vacant lot, on which a new house will be built, one he will design, obviously. She is hesitant at first, for many reasons, some of which we can guess and some we can't. One clearly is that, there is a time and place for social interaction that is acceptable. As an adult and spouse and parent, you know what your boundaries are. But when you're unhappy or find the opposite sex attractive, sometimes it feels like...maybe. She tells him to turn back as this doesn't feel right, but then she loosens up a little. Long story short, this is a movie, right? This deals with infidelity head on and doesn't hold back in its realistic portrayal of who gets hurt. Real emotion and raw feelings are brought to the surface, and we are able to see real, complicated people and the after effects of Kirk's actions. All this drama is heightened by expert actors in the leads, but Barbara Rush is particularly good as the wronged wife. And Walter Matthau gives a very understated performance as a neighbor who turns out to be an opportunist too. Having said all that, me being single and unable to really relate to this situation, I don't know that I would re-watch this. It may be more enjoyed by those who have had brief affairs. But its unsentimental treatment of the subject matter doesn't mince words with its viewers. We know what's what. But what becomes of a couple who may have gone past the point of no return? Is there a marriage that is salvageable after infidelity? "Strangers When We Meet" is about people looking for love and acceptance in all the wrong places and learning from it. Hopefully, we, as viewers, can too.
- JLRMovieReviews
- Feb 22, 2012
- Permalink
The love that is so bittersweet
matthau's film
- eaglesfan152000
- Nov 6, 2003
- Permalink
A fine post-50's suburban potboiler
If viewed from the morality of the period, this is actually quite a good movie. It attempted to tell a story about and comment on American family life, particularly on repressed desires and wedded relationships in the suburbs just before the "swinging 60's" exploded. Hearing Walter Matthau sum up his marital role as merely being considered "furniture in his own home" speaks volumes about what this film is about. Kim Novak is the sexy wife and mother to one family. Living down the manicured street is Kirk Douglas, the virile husband and dad in another - both living their lives against the backdrop of 1950's-60's morality. You do the math...
Is it worthy of awards? No. Is the conflict entertaining? You bet! Definitely worth a look to those who like films from this era.
Is it worthy of awards? No. Is the conflict entertaining? You bet! Definitely worth a look to those who like films from this era.
Shies away from ugly truths until near the end
Married architect secretly romances a pretty society wife, new to the neighborhood. Vehicle for stars Kirk Douglas and Kim Novak is quite lush and slick, but doesn't have the guts to face any of the nasty truths inherent to the situation until just about the end, when neighbor Walter Matthau gets involved. Matthau could be quite menacing and foreboding when he wanted to be, and he pulls off a very difficult moment here. Otherwise, it's a glossy tale about attractive people doing a hurtful thing to their respective spouses. It doesn't hold infidelity up as something to admire or duplicate, but neither does it de-glamorize the act of cheating. For his part, Douglas gives one of his most relaxed performances; Novak is still a bit stiff but cuts a lovely presence. **1/2 from ****
- moonspinner55
- Jul 19, 2003
- Permalink
Strange mixture of genres that do not go together
- Catharina_Sweden
- Apr 28, 2015
- Permalink
Eye Opener & Good Show!
I was totally shocked when I saw this film as a kid, home sick from school. Here was one of my movie heroes, Kirk Douglas and the lovely Kim Novak at her sexiest, and they were NOT doing good things in their neighborhood. Ahhhhhhhhh... so THIS is what was happening while I was at school.
This "adult" themed soaper showed that Hollywood was beginning to change its tune when it came to dealing with issues like infidelity. Douglas plays a successful architect who starts an affair with Novak because he's, well, bored. Douglas' macho performance is tempered a bit and we really feel that he is in love with Novak. This isn't a tawdry affair, we're supposed to believe, because Douglas' performance is so strong. It isn't until late in the film do we realize that these types of affairs are incredibly damaging to all involved and that there are no heroes here.
For establishing a subtle ground-breaking subject matter, for a strong Douglas performance, for the neat cars and a really cool barbecue on the patio (hello 60s... you can just see the neighborhood gang out there, firing up the steaks, sipping on gin and tonics and watching a space shot on one of those metal portable TVs) and most of all for the gorgeous Kim Novak, this soaper has a little more depth than you'd expect.
Watch it.
This "adult" themed soaper showed that Hollywood was beginning to change its tune when it came to dealing with issues like infidelity. Douglas plays a successful architect who starts an affair with Novak because he's, well, bored. Douglas' macho performance is tempered a bit and we really feel that he is in love with Novak. This isn't a tawdry affair, we're supposed to believe, because Douglas' performance is so strong. It isn't until late in the film do we realize that these types of affairs are incredibly damaging to all involved and that there are no heroes here.
For establishing a subtle ground-breaking subject matter, for a strong Douglas performance, for the neat cars and a really cool barbecue on the patio (hello 60s... you can just see the neighborhood gang out there, firing up the steaks, sipping on gin and tonics and watching a space shot on one of those metal portable TVs) and most of all for the gorgeous Kim Novak, this soaper has a little more depth than you'd expect.
Watch it.
- markspangler1
- Dec 12, 2004
- Permalink
Desirable infidelity
Talented casts have always been a big reason for seeing any film for me, that and good premises/concepts being the two most common reasons in determining whether to see the film in question or not. A talented cast 'Strangers When We Meet' certainly has, have always especially liked Walter Matthau. It was also interesting to see how it would fare covering a daring subject, to portray on film that is, like infidelity amidst the censorship limitations present at the time.
'Strangers When We Meet' generally does a good job on this front and came over to me as a well above average film on its own merits with much to recommend, even if it is something that is not going to work for everybody. There was definitely room for more depth and the subject to be explored more, but, considering the censorship limitations (which is what got in the way of that being achieved), that it did manage to have a final act that had a truth that was thought-probing and also appropriately uncomfortable and be mostly much more than soap opera is quite remarkable.
It didn't really have that much wrong with it. For me, the only big problem was the music, especially with the end song it struck me as far too syrupy and instead of adding to or highlighting any bittersweetness or emotion it over-emphasised it and felt like it belonged in a different, the frothier and more sentimental kind, film.
Either Ernie Kovacs' subplot could have been given more focus or written out, because it did feel under-cooked, giving it a blandness. A shame because Kovacs actually comes off very well here and does give his character charm. The pacing could have done with more kick in places.
However, 'Strangers When We Meet' is a great-looking film. The photography especially exudes glossy (but not overly so) glamour, the colours and even more so the landscapes are also a feast for the eyes and the photography is largely to thank for that. Richard Quine is a hit and miss director, though more of his work needs to be seen, but he acquits himself with style and taste here, not inspired but distinguished. The script has its sudsy moments but it is sophisticated and thought-provoking mostly, with the final act managing a surprising sharp painful honesty (like with Felix).
A vast majority of the time, the story does compel with the pace not dragging and it didn't to me get too melodramatic or like it was trying to do too much. As said before, there was room for more depth but the subject is remarkably not trivialised or sugar-coated (the final act especially would not have resonated as much as it did or felt uncomfortable if it was either of those things), nor depicted in a way that's biased. Yet it is also done in a way that's both entertaining and charming, as well as relaxing to watch. The cast are all exemplary, with the lead roles being beautifully played by Kirk Douglas and Kim Novak, who share a scintillating chemistry together, and a lecherous Walter Matthau expertly stealing the film.
Overall, good film and does well with its subjects considering the time's limitations. 7/10 Bethany Cox
'Strangers When We Meet' generally does a good job on this front and came over to me as a well above average film on its own merits with much to recommend, even if it is something that is not going to work for everybody. There was definitely room for more depth and the subject to be explored more, but, considering the censorship limitations (which is what got in the way of that being achieved), that it did manage to have a final act that had a truth that was thought-probing and also appropriately uncomfortable and be mostly much more than soap opera is quite remarkable.
It didn't really have that much wrong with it. For me, the only big problem was the music, especially with the end song it struck me as far too syrupy and instead of adding to or highlighting any bittersweetness or emotion it over-emphasised it and felt like it belonged in a different, the frothier and more sentimental kind, film.
Either Ernie Kovacs' subplot could have been given more focus or written out, because it did feel under-cooked, giving it a blandness. A shame because Kovacs actually comes off very well here and does give his character charm. The pacing could have done with more kick in places.
However, 'Strangers When We Meet' is a great-looking film. The photography especially exudes glossy (but not overly so) glamour, the colours and even more so the landscapes are also a feast for the eyes and the photography is largely to thank for that. Richard Quine is a hit and miss director, though more of his work needs to be seen, but he acquits himself with style and taste here, not inspired but distinguished. The script has its sudsy moments but it is sophisticated and thought-provoking mostly, with the final act managing a surprising sharp painful honesty (like with Felix).
A vast majority of the time, the story does compel with the pace not dragging and it didn't to me get too melodramatic or like it was trying to do too much. As said before, there was room for more depth but the subject is remarkably not trivialised or sugar-coated (the final act especially would not have resonated as much as it did or felt uncomfortable if it was either of those things), nor depicted in a way that's biased. Yet it is also done in a way that's both entertaining and charming, as well as relaxing to watch. The cast are all exemplary, with the lead roles being beautifully played by Kirk Douglas and Kim Novak, who share a scintillating chemistry together, and a lecherous Walter Matthau expertly stealing the film.
Overall, good film and does well with its subjects considering the time's limitations. 7/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Feb 13, 2019
- Permalink
Hot cars, Hot plot ,and Hot Kim Novak
I saw this movie when it first came out in 1960. I loved it then, and I still find it appealing 4 decades later. I was a teenager in the 50's and Kim Novak was the epitome of beauty and sexuality for that era, and she is at her peak in this role. There is so much to say about this movie; Kirt Douglas strong masculine performance, with Novak complimenting him with her subdued, almost melancholy performance. The storyline is simple, Kirt and Kim are both married, but not to each other. Kim is love starved, her husband he a cold individual, who is more interest in open the mail, than opening her blouse, he spurns her attempts at romance at every turn. I can't imagine that happening with a woman like her. I don't know if the director was aware of it at the time, but her husband today would be view as a repressed homosexual,but in the 50's any hint of that was taboo. Kirt has a nice enough wife and 2 children and seems to be somewhat content, but apparently under the surface smothers a restlessness, that I don't think he was even aware of existed. When he sees Kim at a school bus stop where they both drop off their child, he is smitten. He pursues her, she resists in the beginning, but when her husband continues to ignore her, she gives in. The results are a passionate affair resulting in 2 destroyed marriages and the separation from each other. There are a few subplots that keep the story moving but it is Kim and Kirt who set the screen on fire
Adultery, Architecture and a Bit of Misogyny Dominate This Glossy Melodrama
This glossy 1960 melodrama was part of a wave of elegantly mounted Eisenhower-era films that dealt with seemingly normal people caught in situations in which they violate socially acceptable behavior but of course, not without a lot of grief, much of it self-inflicted. The acknowledged master of the genre was German-born filmmaker Douglas Sirk ("All That Heaven Allows", "Imitation of Life"), but this especially soapish entry is definitely cut from the same cloth. Directed by journeyman Richard Quine ("Paris When It Sizzles"), it doesn't have the Baroque-level sensibilities to make this quite the wallow that Sirk's films have become over the years. Part of the reason is that the story is told mostly from a decidedly male perspective, which appears to run counter to the viewing audience one would expect for this film. It also feels overlong at 117 minutes.
Written by Evan Hunter ("The Birds") based on his own novel, the plot concerns successful architect Larry Coe frustrated by his inability to live out his Frank Lloyd Wright-level aspirations while married to Eve, a sharp woman whose innate pragmatism encourages him to take on unappealing commercial projects. At the local supermarket, he meets Maggie Gault, beautiful but also married, and sparks are inevitable. She helps him get a commission to build a mid-century stunner of a cliff-side house for commercial novelist Roger Altar. The out-of-the-box design and construction of the house appears to parallel the illicit affair that develops between Larry and Maggie. What's most interesting about the story is not so much the adultery but the motivations behind the affair. Larry is not running away from a shrewish wife but rather looking for a kindred spirit who understands his artistic aspirations, while Maggie is married to an indifferent, probably impotent husband and trying to escape the stigma of "the other woman" already lived out by her mother. Nonetheless, what really dates the film is the underlying misogyny toward both Maggie and Eve as both appear victimized by how men define them.
Quine gathered an intriguing cast here. Just before taking on Kubrick's "Spartacus", Kirk Douglas can't help but look heroic with his clenched jaw and chiseled features, but he is also surprisingly reserved and life-sized as a suburban father who waits with his children at the bus stop. Still fresh from Hitchcock's "Vertigo", Kim Novak uses her glamorous allure and hesitant manner to solid effect here. Truth be told, despite the attractiveness of the leads, the sideline performances are comparatively more interesting - Barbara Rush shifting mercurially from sensible to distraught as Eve; TV comedian Ernie Kovacs likeably vulnerable in a rare dramatic role as Altar; and best of all, a young Walter Matthau as caddish neighbor Felix whose prurient interests become fully exposed when he discovers the affair. There is a particularly unnerving scene between him and Rush that makes you wish Quine took even more chances with the trite story. The movie even comes with a syrupy, overblown theme song with a full orchestra and chorus. Unfortunately, the 2005 DVD offers no extras except previews for three other films. I would have liked to have seen a featurette on the modern Japanese-style house Larry designed.
Written by Evan Hunter ("The Birds") based on his own novel, the plot concerns successful architect Larry Coe frustrated by his inability to live out his Frank Lloyd Wright-level aspirations while married to Eve, a sharp woman whose innate pragmatism encourages him to take on unappealing commercial projects. At the local supermarket, he meets Maggie Gault, beautiful but also married, and sparks are inevitable. She helps him get a commission to build a mid-century stunner of a cliff-side house for commercial novelist Roger Altar. The out-of-the-box design and construction of the house appears to parallel the illicit affair that develops between Larry and Maggie. What's most interesting about the story is not so much the adultery but the motivations behind the affair. Larry is not running away from a shrewish wife but rather looking for a kindred spirit who understands his artistic aspirations, while Maggie is married to an indifferent, probably impotent husband and trying to escape the stigma of "the other woman" already lived out by her mother. Nonetheless, what really dates the film is the underlying misogyny toward both Maggie and Eve as both appear victimized by how men define them.
Quine gathered an intriguing cast here. Just before taking on Kubrick's "Spartacus", Kirk Douglas can't help but look heroic with his clenched jaw and chiseled features, but he is also surprisingly reserved and life-sized as a suburban father who waits with his children at the bus stop. Still fresh from Hitchcock's "Vertigo", Kim Novak uses her glamorous allure and hesitant manner to solid effect here. Truth be told, despite the attractiveness of the leads, the sideline performances are comparatively more interesting - Barbara Rush shifting mercurially from sensible to distraught as Eve; TV comedian Ernie Kovacs likeably vulnerable in a rare dramatic role as Altar; and best of all, a young Walter Matthau as caddish neighbor Felix whose prurient interests become fully exposed when he discovers the affair. There is a particularly unnerving scene between him and Rush that makes you wish Quine took even more chances with the trite story. The movie even comes with a syrupy, overblown theme song with a full orchestra and chorus. Unfortunately, the 2005 DVD offers no extras except previews for three other films. I would have liked to have seen a featurette on the modern Japanese-style house Larry designed.
Superior Adultery Tale with a Sociological Bent...and Ernie could act well.
- theowinthrop
- Apr 17, 2008
- Permalink
Kirk and Kim's hot affair to remember
With a screen play by Evan Hunter (AKA Ed McBain, beloved author of the 87th Precinct novels) I was expecting something more thrilling than the passionate love affair of two married characters. Kim and Kirk, not married to each other, fall in love (or rather lust) while bringing their respective children to the school bus.
They embark in a passionate affair, but honestly it does not seem as if they have much to say to each other or much in common. He is a quirky architect, she an housewife (what else for a woman in the early 60's?)
Watch the awkward scene of the two of them on the beach, while the Kim character tries to dig out something from the past history of Kirk's. Even their first date is weird.
Both Kirk and Kim were in their prime and especially Kim, exuded sex appeal, so it's easy to see the attraction, but their affair did not seem a bright burning flame, apart from the novelty after years of predictable married life.
As such, the movie drags on a bit to establish their relationship and to install some doubts about the ending.
To be recommended if you are an avid Kim Novak fan. I saw many of her movies, but I cannot remember any other where she looked so good, so elegant, so fragile and so convincing in her part.
They embark in a passionate affair, but honestly it does not seem as if they have much to say to each other or much in common. He is a quirky architect, she an housewife (what else for a woman in the early 60's?)
Watch the awkward scene of the two of them on the beach, while the Kim character tries to dig out something from the past history of Kirk's. Even their first date is weird.
Both Kirk and Kim were in their prime and especially Kim, exuded sex appeal, so it's easy to see the attraction, but their affair did not seem a bright burning flame, apart from the novelty after years of predictable married life.
As such, the movie drags on a bit to establish their relationship and to install some doubts about the ending.
To be recommended if you are an avid Kim Novak fan. I saw many of her movies, but I cannot remember any other where she looked so good, so elegant, so fragile and so convincing in her part.
Are you kidding
What a HOT movie. Lord, how could this gem be overlooked. When, for the first time, Kim is wearing that red dress and Kirk looks at her with his Kirk Douglas eyes, are you kidding? OMG. What a film.
This is a treasure and yes, other than the scene with Jean Simmons in Spartacus, this reigns supreme.
Ernie Kovacs is wonderful, simply a joy to watch. Walter Mattheau plays the slime to the 10's. The cast is stunning. Barbara Rush is always beautiful and hard to imagine that a man would be bored with a wife like her but that makes a story. Men, what can I say. But it's a fantasy to imagine meeting your love match dropping your child off at school. Watch out. Loved this film and just had a copy delivered.
This is a treasure and yes, other than the scene with Jean Simmons in Spartacus, this reigns supreme.
Ernie Kovacs is wonderful, simply a joy to watch. Walter Mattheau plays the slime to the 10's. The cast is stunning. Barbara Rush is always beautiful and hard to imagine that a man would be bored with a wife like her but that makes a story. Men, what can I say. But it's a fantasy to imagine meeting your love match dropping your child off at school. Watch out. Loved this film and just had a copy delivered.
Well-acted, but not a feel good flick
This film reminded me of The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, because both protagonists are family men in the suburbs with no real complaints, but they still feel unhappy. Kirk Douglas plays the lead in Strangers When We Meet, and although he's a successful architect with a loving wife and two sons, he's restless, or something. I really couldn't understand why he came on so strongly and suddenly to Kim Novak. Yes, she's beautiful and has an incredible figure, but was there any other reason besides physical attraction for him to stray? Kim is also a family woman, and although she resists his advances at first, she gives in pretty easily to what is obviously an invitation to an affair.
Barbara Rush, Kirk Douglas's wife, is the shining star in the film. She gives so much, and stuffs her feelings to save her family, so when she finally explodes, it's cathartic for the audience as well. If I didn't think the viewers were supposed to sympathize with her character, I wouldn't have liked the movie at all, since the romance between the two leads is very difficult to root for. Walter Matthau costars as a nosy neighbor, and although you'll at first get a chuckle out of him because his character is named Felix, you'll soon see he's not the comic relief. He's cold, cunning, and practically frightening-but his character is very necessary to the plot!
If watching two beautiful people fall in lust is enough entertainment for you, you'll probably really like Strangers When We Meet. For me, the supporting characters made it worthwhile, but it isn't really a movie I'll want to watch again.
Barbara Rush, Kirk Douglas's wife, is the shining star in the film. She gives so much, and stuffs her feelings to save her family, so when she finally explodes, it's cathartic for the audience as well. If I didn't think the viewers were supposed to sympathize with her character, I wouldn't have liked the movie at all, since the romance between the two leads is very difficult to root for. Walter Matthau costars as a nosy neighbor, and although you'll at first get a chuckle out of him because his character is named Felix, you'll soon see he's not the comic relief. He's cold, cunning, and practically frightening-but his character is very necessary to the plot!
If watching two beautiful people fall in lust is enough entertainment for you, you'll probably really like Strangers When We Meet. For me, the supporting characters made it worthwhile, but it isn't really a movie I'll want to watch again.
- HotToastyRag
- Jan 18, 2018
- Permalink
A Surprisely Good Movie
I was surfing the net and saw this movie on Ebay, decided to buy it since I could not find it in the video store. I was surprise this is a good movie, Kim Novak was fabulous, look fabulous in this movie. The love relationship between her character and the Kirk Douglas's character was flawless, stupid but yet flawless. I can't understand why a man would like his beautiful and loving wife play by Barbara Rush to have an affair with another woman, when that woman told him up front that she doesn't want to leave her husband, even though he was willing to leave his wife for her. It was obvious from the beginning, all she want was some attention that her busy husband failed to give her. You know that in the end, they will just end up hurting each other and their individual families. Any woman who would leave her husband just for sex, would do it again when the new husband becomes busy or the thrill of sneaking around becomes dull. At the end of the movie, the last scene suggest she would do it again. This is an excellent movie from two still living legend.
- Rastamon41
- Aug 6, 2006
- Permalink
A valiant attempt at realism
This underestimated big-budget drama made in 1960 at Columbia is expertly photographed by Charles Lang under the eternal blue skies of Southern California. Despite its soap opera elements, this is a rather brave attempt at Hollywood realism. It may be the first American film of its time to look at upper middle class adultery without waving a finger and sending its participants to hell. This is helped enormously by the attractiveness and believability of Kirk Douglas and Kim Novak, perfectly cast, who behave, for once, as real people unhappily married might have under given circumstances. Unfortunately, the naturalism of the story is overlayed with one of George Duning's most syrupy scores. David Bowie love theme is repeated endlessly to remind us that these two adulterers aren't evil; they really love each other. The heavy hand is not in Richard Quine's excellent direction, which does every thing it can to play down the melodrama. Ernie Kovacs has a great turn as a Harold Robbins type, a successful highly neurotic writer with too much money and anxiety. This is also one of the few films that presents the day-to-day life of a working architect with any understanding.
- ilprofessore-1
- Apr 14, 2020
- Permalink
pretty forgettable tale of adultery
This film stars Kirk Douglas and Kim Novak, so you'd think the film would be a little more compelling. Well, it really isn't--it's just pretty boring though the acting certainly isn't bad. Part of the problem is the script--it just isn't all that good. Also, your point of view may make this even less attractive. I'm a pretty old-fashioned guy and I thought that the film glorified and excused adultery, so I was put off right away. However, some can no doubt look past this. But, even if you do, it doesn't make the film terribly interesting or inspiring. It's a time-passer and that's really about it. So, you CAN watch it if you'd like but I wouldn't rush to do so.
- planktonrules
- Mar 15, 2006
- Permalink