by MGM (Video & DVD)
Sales Rank: 11212
Price: $6.94
Terence Rattigan's pair of one-act plays are deftly woven together into this intelligent, handsome drama, a kind of somber <I>Grand Hotel</I> of lonely and repressed lives at a British seaside hotel in the dreary off-season. David Niven and Wendy Hiller earned well-deserved Oscars for their subdued turns, as a blustery old warhorse hiding a guilty secret and the efficient hotel proprietress, respectively. Burt Lancaster is the alcoholic American whose secret affair with Hiller is complicated when his former wife (Rita Hayworth) breezes in and reopens old emotional wounds, and Deborah Kerr is a mousy woman whose secret love for Niven is shattered by scandal. Director Daniel Mann (<I>Marty</I>) remains true to the good manners and quiet desperation that keeps these sad souls isolated at separate tables. He gracefully floats between the two dramas and patiently allows his repressed characters to open up and reveal their true feelings in their own quiet fashion. <I>--Sean Axmaker</I>
Viewer Reviews This is a tremendous drama, when you are in 'the mood' to watch a classic drama. Top notch cast & acting ! Rita Hayworth and Burt Lancaster and David Niven all stand out in this. The scenes with Hayworth and Lancaster just electrify the screen, you can feel the tension. Overall fine performances by all to be honest. This a great movie to watch on a nice quiet/lazy weekend. I very much enjoyed the story and drama in this. Watch this and see why it has the words Academy Award next to it.. Even though he had a smaller supporting role in this movie - the star of the Birds is in this - none other than the excellent Rod Taylor - here is a chance to see what he did before he achieved the top spot in the Birds..
