Sunday, May 24, 2015

Love in the Afternoon - Movie Review

It's a 1957 movie starring Audrey Hepburn and Gary Cooper. She is a young cello player living with her widowed father, a well-known private investigator specialising in investigating domestic issues. One such case finds him discovering his client's wife meeting the rich American tycoon Flannagan at a hotel every afternoon. The client wants to go to the hotel, catch them red handed (the pictures are not conclusive) and shoot Flannagan. Ariane (cello player) is aghast and tries to alert the police. The police tell her to contact them after the murder is committed.

Ariane goes to the hotel to warn the playboy. When the husband arrives, the wife is hidden and Flannagan and Ariane pretend that they are together. Husband leaves. No murder is committed. But Ariane also finds Flannagan interesting. On his next visit to Paris she meets him again, and tells him stories of how they are both alike and how she also has a long list of lovers (stuff she borrows from her father's files). Though initially amused Flannagan cannot help but fall in love with her. Driven to desperation and jealousy by her list of boyfriends and her lack of interest in him he seeks help from the best detective in town - her father. The detective takes less than a day to figure out that its his daughter, finds out her game and tells the playboy to leave her.

The last scene is at the railways station. Train is leaving with Flannagan. Ariane is running beside it telling him how unconcerned she is about him. Until he sweeps her off the platform and into the train.

Charming little movie. Flannagan's style of having a live band play while he romances is brilliant. The band comes on time, takes positions and starts playing. Flannagan dances, picnics wherever he goes the band is there. Even on the day he gets drunk when he is upset by Ariane the band is there playing sad music, and drinking along with him. Lovely piece of work as they push the bar cabinet with wheels to one another and gets drunk. Audrey Hepburn is brilliant in her role of an intelligent young girl who knocks the rich playboy down. Her father is equally charming as the detective. Lovely movie. Compares with the Breakfast at Tiffany's.

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