DramaRomance

The Passionate Friends

- Their affair took on a life of its own.

A woman is torn between the love of her life, who is married to someone else, and her older husband.

Release Date : 1949-01-26

Language :EnglishFrench

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : CineguildJ. Arthur Rank Organisation

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles : One Woman's Story

Cast

Character Name : Mary Justin

Original Name : Ann Todd

Gender : Female

Character Name : Howard Justin

Original Name : Claude Rains

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prof. Steven Stratton

Original Name : Trevor Howard

Gender : Male

Character Name : Joan Layton

Original Name : Betty Ann Davies

Gender : Female

Character Name : Pat Stratton

Original Name : Isabel Dean

Gender : Female

Character Name : Lawyer

Original Name : Wilfrid Hyde-White

Gender : Male

Character Name : Smith - the Butler

Original Name : Arthur Howard

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hotel Manager

Original Name : Guido Lorraine

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hall Porter

Original Name : Marcel Poncin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Chambermaid

Original Name : Natasha Sokolova

Gender : Male

Character Name : Flowerwoman

Original Name : Hélène Burls

Gender : Male

Character Name : Emigration Official

Original Name : John Serret

Gender : Male

Character Name : Charwoman

Original Name : Frances Waring

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bridge Guest

Original Name : Wenda Rogerson

Gender : Male

Character Name : 1st Woman - Albert Hall

Original Name : Helen Piers

Gender : Male

Character Name : 2nd Woman - Albert Hall

Original Name : Ina Pelly

Gender : Male

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2022-07-09

Ann Todd puts in quite a strong performance in this quite sensitively presented drama as "Mary", a lady contentedly if not ecstatically married to financier "Howard" (Claude Rains). One afternoon she bumps into "Prof. Stratton" (Trevor Howard) and that rekindles memories of a pre-war romance. When her husband has to go to Switzerland on business, she accompanies him and yes, you've guessed, she encounters "Stratton" again - though this time her husband spots her distress when they part and she is rumbled. This is another solid effort from David Lean that allows the performances to develop at their own pace; the characters each have flaws and strengths and his adaptation of this lesser known HG Wells story is quite a poignant and characterful look at how the choices we make evolve and change over time. The title is a bit misleading - for passion is really the one thing that is truly absent throughout, but Rains and Howard - two distinctively different style of actors work well as the foils to Todd's uncertain and needy "Mary" who is probably far more excited by the idea of love rather than actually experiencing or enjoying it. I could have done without her narration - it distracted me from an otherwise superior drama that is certainly a delight to watch, if not necessarily one with characters to admire.