"Tennis, anyone?" So was rumored to be the type of line that Humphrey Bogart would say in various variations on Broadway before he went Hollywood. Once there, his upper class upbringing didn't gel on screen and he was typecast as a gangster until a certain war romance movie made him a superstar. In this pre-code Columbia film, Bogart is pretty close to the "tennis anyone?" characterization, playing a struggling businessman who falls in love with broke society girl Dorothy MacKaill who decides to marry older Hale Hamilton, her wealthy financial advisor, so she can continue to live in the lifestyle to which she has become accustomed to. Subplots involving the sleazy Bradley Page and chorus girl Astrid Allwyn add to the complexity of this enjoyable romantic melodrama and if you are able to remain interested, you might find many things to like about it.
Made it Columbia during the time when they only had Frank Capra movies starring Barbara Stanwyck to give the studio any kind of prestige, "Love Affair" is a glamorous "A" entry that has somehow become forgotten until discovered for its early appearance by future superstar Bogart. Leading Lady Dorothy MacKaill is another undiscovered gem, a star of pre-code melodramas about shady ladies in various disgraceful situations which usually result in some heroic man coming out of nowhere to rescue her. Along with RKO's Helen Twelvetrees, MacKaill may seem like a product of her time, but there is something about her that reminds me of a more approachable Constance Bennett.
Thehe film has a great Ensemble of character actors delivering witty lines as well as some great photographic effects involving Bogaerts initial job as a flight instructor, which is how he meets MacKaill. Halliwell Hobbes and Jack Kennedy are very good as, respectively, MacKaill's butler and Bogart's confidante, a wise man ironically named Gilligan. Bradley Page as usual is convincing as a sneaky sleazebag who uses the innocent Astrid Alwyn as part of his money making schemes which results in a bizarre twist that pretty much makes no sense. For all its flaws, however, "Love Affair" is the prototype for the fun pre-code film where convoluted plot twists are mixed with amusing dialogue and interesting characterizations, ultimately making it quite memorable in spite of everything else.
Made it Columbia during the time when they only had Frank Capra movies starring Barbara Stanwyck to give the studio any kind of prestige, "Love Affair" is a glamorous "A" entry that has somehow become forgotten until discovered for its early appearance by future superstar Bogart. Leading Lady Dorothy MacKaill is another undiscovered gem, a star of pre-code melodramas about shady ladies in various disgraceful situations which usually result in some heroic man coming out of nowhere to rescue her. Along with RKO's Helen Twelvetrees, MacKaill may seem like a product of her time, but there is something about her that reminds me of a more approachable Constance Bennett.
Thehe film has a great Ensemble of character actors delivering witty lines as well as some great photographic effects involving Bogaerts initial job as a flight instructor, which is how he meets MacKaill. Halliwell Hobbes and Jack Kennedy are very good as, respectively, MacKaill's butler and Bogart's confidante, a wise man ironically named Gilligan. Bradley Page as usual is convincing as a sneaky sleazebag who uses the innocent Astrid Alwyn as part of his money making schemes which results in a bizarre twist that pretty much makes no sense. For all its flaws, however, "Love Affair" is the prototype for the fun pre-code film where convoluted plot twists are mixed with amusing dialogue and interesting characterizations, ultimately making it quite memorable in spite of everything else.