I remember when I watched Casablanca expecting it to be a mushy, sugary 1940s love story. I was pleasantly surprised and would rate it among the best films I've seen.
Sadly, all the elements that make Casablanca a great film are distinctly absent in An Affair To Remember. The film is entirely about the relationship between two very dull people. If you are going to base an entire film on the relationship between two people, you at least have to give them a little charisma and personality. I just didn't care whether Grant and Kerr achieved ultimate happiness because I didn't care about them as people. To make matters worse, there is nothing else going on in the film; no sub-plots and no cameos like the French policeman in Casablanca.
In Casablanca, Bogart, Bergman and Heinreid ooze charisma. The action moves at a reasonable pace and the love triangle is played out to a backdrop of war-time tension and desperation. Add to that the humour and the classic dialogue and you have a great film.
The action in An Affair To Remember rolls along so slowly it is hard to stop daydreaming. Throw in the "characterless" characters and one-dimensional storyline and you have a film that is mediocre at best. I don't think I could sit through it again without drinking an entire bottle of brandy.
Sadly, all the elements that make Casablanca a great film are distinctly absent in An Affair To Remember. The film is entirely about the relationship between two very dull people. If you are going to base an entire film on the relationship between two people, you at least have to give them a little charisma and personality. I just didn't care whether Grant and Kerr achieved ultimate happiness because I didn't care about them as people. To make matters worse, there is nothing else going on in the film; no sub-plots and no cameos like the French policeman in Casablanca.
In Casablanca, Bogart, Bergman and Heinreid ooze charisma. The action moves at a reasonable pace and the love triangle is played out to a backdrop of war-time tension and desperation. Add to that the humour and the classic dialogue and you have a great film.
The action in An Affair To Remember rolls along so slowly it is hard to stop daydreaming. Throw in the "characterless" characters and one-dimensional storyline and you have a film that is mediocre at best. I don't think I could sit through it again without drinking an entire bottle of brandy.