This is actually quite a complex movie. Not the fragile plot of a school teacher desperate for love, the complexity comes in the characters themselves. Shirley MacLaine as the stressed teacher desperately tries to juggle with looking after her children, mentoring the teenage assistant and fighting her conscience which is constantly being sexually challenged. Laurence Harvey comes across as barking mad, but there's one short scene in the movie which explains the torture he's going through, a scene vital to be seen for the whole film to make sense. Jack Hawkins, trapped in an unhappy marriage is probably mis-cast although he is a good contrast to Harvey. Not a typical depiction of New Zealand but an unusual movie, great for discussion & debate.
13 Reviews
Aloof and indifferently-made...but not altogether terrible
moonspinner5510 August 2011
American schoolteacher on the North Island of New Zealand--unmarried and, indeed, untouched by any man--smokes and takes a nip of brandy once in awhile but cannot escape her Puritan attitudes towards sexual relations. Two men take a fancy to her: a reckless stud with suicidal tendencies and an older school district inspector estranged from his wife and children. Mercurial adaptation of Sylvia Ashton-Warner's novel "Spinster" features some very odd color schemes (from the emerald green landscapes to Shirley MacLaine's house of many colors), not to mention a peculiarly artificial schoolhouse filled with very emotional children. The melodrama on hand eventually proves too much for MacLaine, who dithers about eccentrically but is still unable to come up with an interesting characterization (this mainly the fault of screenwriter Ben Maddow, who treats virginity as an incurable disorder, physical as well as psychological). However, the material is just odd or offbeat enough to keep one watching, and the men (Laurence Harvey and Jack Hawkins) are both very good. ** from ****
Teaching in New Zealand
bkoganbing24 August 2019
Watching this film Two Loves I could not help but compare it to the film made of
the James Michener novel Hawaii that starred Julie Andrews, Max Von Sydow, and
Richard Harris. MacLaine could have been Julie's great granddaughter.
Julie was a missionary from New England gone out among the Polynesian natives to learn them some Christianity and other things that a good New England puritan deems necessary. MacLaine is a spinsterish woman from New England who has gone to New Zealand to teach the Maoris who are also a Polynesian people.
She is prim and proper and has her set ideas about love and sex. But bachelor school teacher Laurence Harvey gets her mojo going. But he's also an irresponsible drunkard and that part of his behavior repels her. Harvey given where he is has plenty of outlets for his libido.
Jack Hawkins is in this as well as the district education superintendent who first comes across as a stuffy bureaucrat, but turns out to be a very wise man indeed. Nobu McCarthy whose career was peaking at this time played many an Oriental part. This was one of her few non-Oriental, Maoris are Pacific Islanders, parts and she is a teen student of MacLaine. Also black American actor Juano Hernandez plays a Maori chief, another man much wiser than MacLaine.
Not one of Shirley's best, but her fans will like it.
Julie was a missionary from New England gone out among the Polynesian natives to learn them some Christianity and other things that a good New England puritan deems necessary. MacLaine is a spinsterish woman from New England who has gone to New Zealand to teach the Maoris who are also a Polynesian people.
She is prim and proper and has her set ideas about love and sex. But bachelor school teacher Laurence Harvey gets her mojo going. But he's also an irresponsible drunkard and that part of his behavior repels her. Harvey given where he is has plenty of outlets for his libido.
Jack Hawkins is in this as well as the district education superintendent who first comes across as a stuffy bureaucrat, but turns out to be a very wise man indeed. Nobu McCarthy whose career was peaking at this time played many an Oriental part. This was one of her few non-Oriental, Maoris are Pacific Islanders, parts and she is a teen student of MacLaine. Also black American actor Juano Hernandez plays a Maori chief, another man much wiser than MacLaine.
Not one of Shirley's best, but her fans will like it.
not very good
blanche-217 August 2015
Shirley MacLaine is Anna, a spinster schoolteacher, American born but teaching Maori children in New Zealand. She is devoted to her work and loves the children.
Two men come into her life. One is a drunkard (Laurence Harvey) who comes on strong, though Anna resists him, wanting to wait until marriage to have sex. The other (Jack Hawkins) is an administrator at the school, married but separated from his wife. Both men are in love with her.
Part of the story concerns her assistant, Whareparita, who becomes pregnant with twins, and will not reveal the identity of the father. The Maori tribe is happy about it and will all help to raise the children. This is very different from Anna's own ideas and culture.
The film is based on a novel, Spinster, which I haven't read. Virginity is treated here as if it's an incurable disease. Also, for a movie supposedly set in New Zealand, I didn't see much (including people) that indicated the location. No accents. I guess Hollywood thought it was interchangeable with England.
Anna does come to grips with what and who she wants finally. But it's a strange film and it's hard to warm up to the characters. It's also extremely talky. Talky is fine - I don't need action every second - but the dialogue needs to be scintillating. This wasn't.
MacLaine comes off like a scatterbrain; Harvey acts like a demented nut; and Hawkins is very serious. I would have perhaps cast someone else in Hawkins' role. It needed someone a tad younger and more charm or personality.
Disappointing though not awful, just kind of blah.
Two men come into her life. One is a drunkard (Laurence Harvey) who comes on strong, though Anna resists him, wanting to wait until marriage to have sex. The other (Jack Hawkins) is an administrator at the school, married but separated from his wife. Both men are in love with her.
Part of the story concerns her assistant, Whareparita, who becomes pregnant with twins, and will not reveal the identity of the father. The Maori tribe is happy about it and will all help to raise the children. This is very different from Anna's own ideas and culture.
The film is based on a novel, Spinster, which I haven't read. Virginity is treated here as if it's an incurable disease. Also, for a movie supposedly set in New Zealand, I didn't see much (including people) that indicated the location. No accents. I guess Hollywood thought it was interchangeable with England.
Anna does come to grips with what and who she wants finally. But it's a strange film and it's hard to warm up to the characters. It's also extremely talky. Talky is fine - I don't need action every second - but the dialogue needs to be scintillating. This wasn't.
MacLaine comes off like a scatterbrain; Harvey acts like a demented nut; and Hawkins is very serious. I would have perhaps cast someone else in Hawkins' role. It needed someone a tad younger and more charm or personality.
Disappointing though not awful, just kind of blah.
Just awful
elefino-912-40845712 August 2022
Why do people feel the need to post a plot synopsis as their review? I don't get it. I don't need anyone to walk me through the trajectory of the film. I just want to know if it's worth seeing. And this one is most assuredly not!
The story line is tepid, at best. Cinematography acceptable, though nothing special. But it's the acting that really kills this one. In particular, Laurence Harvey is a hack.
MacLaine and Hawkins are fine; or they would be on their own. But Harvey's performance is so bad it absolutely drowns any chance of taking the other actors seriously. He is the skunk that invaded your neighbor's backyard barbecue. It would be okay that they're only serving hamburgers instead of steak - can't have everything every time. Even so, it's still impossible to enjoy a single bite with such a stench in the air!
The story line is tepid, at best. Cinematography acceptable, though nothing special. But it's the acting that really kills this one. In particular, Laurence Harvey is a hack.
MacLaine and Hawkins are fine; or they would be on their own. But Harvey's performance is so bad it absolutely drowns any chance of taking the other actors seriously. He is the skunk that invaded your neighbor's backyard barbecue. It would be okay that they're only serving hamburgers instead of steak - can't have everything every time. Even so, it's still impossible to enjoy a single bite with such a stench in the air!
Non-New Zealand New Zealand
wabus4410 September 2003
It is interesting to note that this movie, purportedly set in New Zealand, has no one speaking with a New Zealand accent. It is also interesting that the "natives" ( Maori) are all Mexican or Japanese. This film is condescending, inane drivel. What were the likes of Jack Hawkins, Laurence Harvey and Shirley McLain thinking?
lesser known S. MacLaine
ksf-21 October 2013
Warning: Spoilers
SPOILERS ** Two Loves stars Shirley MacLaine as "Anna", the teacher, off teaching in an exotic foreign land, where one of her students is the grandson of a tribal chief... sound familiar? I wondered if this were written by the same author as "Anna and the King of Siam"... but it is not. In this story, Anna also has the extra element of dealing with a troubled suitor Paul (Laurence Harvey), who keeps showing up and causing a disturbance, both physically and emotionally for Anna. Another more subtle suitor is the school headmaster Abercrombie. Then about halfway through the story, we start to see another issue arise. One of her teenage students, Whareparita, played by the beautiful Nobu McCarthy is pregnant with twins. Anna talks to the chief, who is happy with this news, and asks Anna why she herself has no man and no children. Keep in mind the title of the original book is "Spinster". At one point, Paul tries to kiss Anna, and when she puts a stop to it, he says "what you have is incurable". The production code was just about all gone by the late 1950s, but we have to try to decide just what is holding Anna back. Clearly she doesn't want to have sex before marriage, and says so several times. But is she afraid of falling in love? Or is there a bigger issue here? When the chief says men are the water to support her tree, Anna says she had always thought of men more like "lightning". I think the title of the book should have been Three Loves ( Paul, Abercrombie, and teaching). At the (abrupt) ending, we are shown a ray of hope, that there has been a breakthrough of sorts for Anna. I'm guessing there was more in the book that is not shown in the film. But you'll have to watch it for yourself and see what you think.
MacLaine did this lesser-known one in between her two biggies "The Apartment" and "The Children's Hour". DIrected by Charles Walters.
MacLaine did this lesser-known one in between her two biggies "The Apartment" and "The Children's Hour". DIrected by Charles Walters.
Awful. Just awful.
vincentlynch-moonoi24 April 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of the worst films I ever saw. Truly. Without question.
Now I've never been to New Zealand, but I was a teacher and school administrator for 33 years, and I cannot believe that any school anywhere would operate the way the school operates in this film It's patently ridiculous. The way the teacher talks back to the administrators...also patently ridiculous.
The only thing more ridiculous than the portrayal of the school is the acting. Particularly that of Laurence Harvey. Based only on this film, I'd say Harvey was a pompous buffoon who overacted to the max. As evidence -- the singing scene and the drunk scene. Based on Harvey's acting alone, it is no wonder that this film was a total flop at the box office. I wonder, when playing in the theatres, did the audience laugh out loud at some of the dramatic scenes? Shirley MacLaine's acting is better, but her situation is so foolish that it ruins her acting. And I saw that as someone who generally likes Ms. MacLaine.
More interesting is Jack Hawkins. At least he appeared to be able to act in this drivel.
There is only one reason to watch this film -- to see just how bad a movie can actually be. Charles Walters had been a fairly notable director, but faded quickly after this and a couple of other films, down to making television films, and then down further to nothing. I can see why.
Laughable trash.
Now I've never been to New Zealand, but I was a teacher and school administrator for 33 years, and I cannot believe that any school anywhere would operate the way the school operates in this film It's patently ridiculous. The way the teacher talks back to the administrators...also patently ridiculous.
The only thing more ridiculous than the portrayal of the school is the acting. Particularly that of Laurence Harvey. Based only on this film, I'd say Harvey was a pompous buffoon who overacted to the max. As evidence -- the singing scene and the drunk scene. Based on Harvey's acting alone, it is no wonder that this film was a total flop at the box office. I wonder, when playing in the theatres, did the audience laugh out loud at some of the dramatic scenes? Shirley MacLaine's acting is better, but her situation is so foolish that it ruins her acting. And I saw that as someone who generally likes Ms. MacLaine.
More interesting is Jack Hawkins. At least he appeared to be able to act in this drivel.
There is only one reason to watch this film -- to see just how bad a movie can actually be. Charles Walters had been a fairly notable director, but faded quickly after this and a couple of other films, down to making television films, and then down further to nothing. I can see why.
Laughable trash.
Difficult to review without bias.
davidallen-841226 July 2017
Apologies to the other two 'Kiwi' reviewers but "Two Loves" ("Spinster"in N.Z.) is not all that bad. To start with,just how many of the most successful movies in history are historically accurate and who cares anyway ? More importantly,the three leads were all accomplished actors with box-office appeal. Shirley MacLaine gave something unique and interesting to most of her roles. Jack Hawkins,always good value,gave off an appropriate air of integrity in this role. Laurence Harvey was not out of his depth either.Here,he played a rather avant-garde character;a free thinker,frustrated at having landed himself in a parochial environment. His singing was deliberately off-key (listen to his sublime King Arthur in "Camelot"). Being a Laurence Harvey fan,I'm tempted to rate this one a ten but realistically,I'll bring it down to a seven.
Harvey is mesmerizingly bad in this one...though the rest of the film isn't so hot, either.
planktonrules14 August 2022
Okay...I'll admit it right up front. I did not finish "Two Loves". While I have a very high tolerance for bad films, the dialog and characters in this one were so bad I simply couldn't take it after a while. And, overall, I can't think of much I liked about "Two Loves".
The story is set in New Zealand and that could have been very interesting, as I've been there a few times and love the country and cultures. But here's a serious problem...the film obviously was NOT filmed in the country. Sure, you see a lot of neat Maori style carvings and decorations, but the extras area bout as Maori as Mantan Moreland or Keye Luke! Most appear Filipino and some are black Americans....and just don't look a bit like the Maori people. And, in many ways, these 'Maori' are portrayed almost as children...and the good teacher, a white savior of sorts. Now I am NOT the most politically correct person...but this even bothered me. And, don't even get me started about the horrid dialog and the character way overplayed by Laurence Harvey...uggh!!
The bottom line is that you'll learn nothing productive about the Maori and the romance is just stilted, weird and, well, horribly written. The film is probably Laurence Harvey's worst...and it's not exactly one of Shirley MacLaine's best, either. It's a tedious film...and woefully inadequate in showing the Maori as anything other than cartoon characters.
The story is set in New Zealand and that could have been very interesting, as I've been there a few times and love the country and cultures. But here's a serious problem...the film obviously was NOT filmed in the country. Sure, you see a lot of neat Maori style carvings and decorations, but the extras area bout as Maori as Mantan Moreland or Keye Luke! Most appear Filipino and some are black Americans....and just don't look a bit like the Maori people. And, in many ways, these 'Maori' are portrayed almost as children...and the good teacher, a white savior of sorts. Now I am NOT the most politically correct person...but this even bothered me. And, don't even get me started about the horrid dialog and the character way overplayed by Laurence Harvey...uggh!!
The bottom line is that you'll learn nothing productive about the Maori and the romance is just stilted, weird and, well, horribly written. The film is probably Laurence Harvey's worst...and it's not exactly one of Shirley MacLaine's best, either. It's a tedious film...and woefully inadequate in showing the Maori as anything other than cartoon characters.
A semi-biographical story by a globally influential teacher
peterquennell29 January 2024
Sylvia Constance Ashton-Warner (who died in 1984, 23 years after this movie was made) in large part actually lived this story herself: she taught in mostly-Maori schools where inspectors and rules were somewhat lax and thus she had latitude to innovate.
Both in NZ and North America and elsewhere she came to be regarded as brilliant. To quote from an American review of the book: "Sylvia Aston-Warner was a brilliant teacher and her innovative approach to teaching Maori children is as valid today as it was when it was first demonstrated in 1965. I used this system of teaching early reading. Not only in my Kindergarten and First Grade classrooms but also with my children and grandchildren. It is particularly useful for children who do not immediately respond to other methods of teaching reading such as totally phonetic or whole language approaches. It can easily be included as a quick and easy supplement to any reading program. This is a particularly valid approach to underprivileged and resource-deprived classrooms."
The movie's resemblance to the real NZ and its people and their looks and accents is almost non-existent, as other reviews have rightly decried. One big tell is the lurid colors: NZ is closer to the sun especially in summer than the northern hemisphere ever is, and the intense sunlight is somewhat white and bleaching, so lurid is a rarity.
A pity the film had to be made on a Hollywood backlot and the NZ look and main theme of the book was somewhat trampled on; Sylvia Constance Ashton-Warner deserved better. Nine stars to maybe encourage a teacher or two to make a beeline for her much superior books.
Both in NZ and North America and elsewhere she came to be regarded as brilliant. To quote from an American review of the book: "Sylvia Aston-Warner was a brilliant teacher and her innovative approach to teaching Maori children is as valid today as it was when it was first demonstrated in 1965. I used this system of teaching early reading. Not only in my Kindergarten and First Grade classrooms but also with my children and grandchildren. It is particularly useful for children who do not immediately respond to other methods of teaching reading such as totally phonetic or whole language approaches. It can easily be included as a quick and easy supplement to any reading program. This is a particularly valid approach to underprivileged and resource-deprived classrooms."
The movie's resemblance to the real NZ and its people and their looks and accents is almost non-existent, as other reviews have rightly decried. One big tell is the lurid colors: NZ is closer to the sun especially in summer than the northern hemisphere ever is, and the intense sunlight is somewhat white and bleaching, so lurid is a rarity.
A pity the film had to be made on a Hollywood backlot and the NZ look and main theme of the book was somewhat trampled on; Sylvia Constance Ashton-Warner deserved better. Nine stars to maybe encourage a teacher or two to make a beeline for her much superior books.
dreary
SnoopyStyle11 August 2022
Anna Vorontosov (Shirley MacLaine) is an American teacher in a rural New Zealand community with mostly Maoris students. The new senior inspector William Abercrombie (Jack Hawkins) threatens her work. She has a relationship with self-destructive fellow teacher Paul Lathrope (Laurence Harvey).
This is supposedly Maoris culture. I wonder if this could have been a small New Zealand indie. I imagine getting into some real culture and some epic New Zealand landscape. The studio insisted on a star and got MacLaine. I don't like her character. I don't see her teaching technique as that great. I want to like the kids but I don't really know them. Shirley MacLaine has done better. She does some overwrought acting in an overly overwrought scene. It's bad writing. I certainly don't see any chemistry between her and Laurence Harvey who is playing a horrible drunk. It's dreary. The story meanders around without much tension.
This is supposedly Maoris culture. I wonder if this could have been a small New Zealand indie. I imagine getting into some real culture and some epic New Zealand landscape. The studio insisted on a star and got MacLaine. I don't like her character. I don't see her teaching technique as that great. I want to like the kids but I don't really know them. Shirley MacLaine has done better. She does some overwrought acting in an overly overwrought scene. It's bad writing. I certainly don't see any chemistry between her and Laurence Harvey who is playing a horrible drunk. It's dreary. The story meanders around without much tension.
Two Loves Too Much **
edwagreen1 January 2015
Warning: Spoilers
The writing did this 1961 film in. Laurence Harvey was born to play the mental case that he did, working as a schoolteacher with thoughts of pursuing a teaching career. Wait until you hear his voice. Crocodiles sang better.s
Was MacLaine trying to emulate her Ginny in the far superior "Some Came Running" in 1958? In this awkward film, she plays a Pennsylvania girl in New Zealand teaching the children there. She is unconventional in every way possible.
The film briefly takes note of children being pregnant with no husband around. MacLaine, fearful of love, a repressed woman, says that illegitimate children is just a wrong thing.
Jack Hawkins in the district supervisor of education. You'd first think that he would come into conflict with Shirley's methodology in teaching. Instead, love results with him as the unhappily married man.
Harvey's end departure in the film is very convenient, too convenient.
Was MacLaine trying to emulate her Ginny in the far superior "Some Came Running" in 1958? In this awkward film, she plays a Pennsylvania girl in New Zealand teaching the children there. She is unconventional in every way possible.
The film briefly takes note of children being pregnant with no husband around. MacLaine, fearful of love, a repressed woman, says that illegitimate children is just a wrong thing.
Jack Hawkins in the district supervisor of education. You'd first think that he would come into conflict with Shirley's methodology in teaching. Instead, love results with him as the unhappily married man.
Harvey's end departure in the film is very convenient, too convenient.
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