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Indiscreet (1958)
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by Republic Pictures
Sales Rank: 12832
Price: $9.98
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Christian Dior really ought to be considered one of the stars of <I>Indiscreet</I>, director Stanley Donen's consummately glamorous, altogether grown-up love story. The magnificent 1950s "New Look" gowns Dior designed for Ingrid Bergman, herself at the peak of sophistication and loveliness, are a high point of the film's chic, cosmopolitan mise en scène. Bergman plays Anne Kalman, a celebrated actress who's "the envy of everyone who knows her," yet is bored and lonely. Then she meets suave diplomat Philip Adams (Cary Grant), her match in every way: looks, charm, elegance--the works. The electricity is palpable between them and neither makes any attempt to hide that fact. When Anne learns that Philip is an expert on international finance, she's bold enough to crack: "I'm crazy about hard currency." <p> It's the very maturity of the romance between Anne and Philip that makes this movie so exhilarating, so romantic, and so affecting. When people fall in love at "a certain age" it's much more poignant; much more is at stake. (The film has a truly surprising plot twist, which throws everything into chaos.) The two "sadder but wiser" stars Bergman and Grant had certainly seen their share of love and heartbreak by this time in their lives, and it shows. (Grant was on the third of his five marriages; Bergman's career had already survived the scandal of her adulterous affair with Roberto Rossellini.) It's fascinating to watch them both, knowing what we know of their personal lives: to see Bergman's Anne throw caution to the wind to commit an "indiscretion" with a married man; to observe Grant/Philip's distinct ambivalence about the institution of marriage. It's a case of picture-perfect casting. <I>--Laura Mirsky</I>
Viewer Reviews
Reunited a dozen years after co-starring in Alfred Hitchcock's most accomplished romantic thriller, Notorious, Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman strike genuine sparks in a soufflé-light drawing room comedy about a love affair caught up in personal deceptions. Directed rather flatly by Stanley Donen as he was making the transition from musicals like Singin' in the Rain and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, the 1958 film is elegantly mounted but a bit hamstrung by Norman Krasna's uneventful script. The problem is that not much really happens in the story, at least not enough to stretch the expansive talents of the two stars. While Bergman shows what a game farceur she can be with a sharp way of delivering a smart line, Grant seems more on automatic pilot as he applies his naturally debonair manner to a rather idealized character.
The focus of the plot is on renowned stage actress Anna Kalman, who has not had much luck with men but certainly gets stalked by overzealous fans every time she is in public. Coming home early from a failed romantic rendezvous, she accidentally meets dashing diplomat Philip Adams. He's handsome, he's successful, he's Cary Grant after all. As an apparent beacon of decency, he admits to Anna that he's married. However, that doesn't stop them from embarking on an illicit affair, which gets stalled only periodically by guilt arising from the adulterous aspect of it. She is resigned to be Philip's back street mistress until she finds out he is not what he quite appears. This is where the film gets a bit more interesting even if it takes over an hour to get to that pivotal point. Simmering anger is followed by a petty act of vengeance as a punishment for the deceit that one character performs on the other, even if the basis of the deceit is well-intentioned.
Then in her forties and coming back from exile due to the Rossellini scandal, Bergman exhibits a stylish self-confidence befitting a stage star like Anna. As likeable and charismatic as Grant is, he only comes to life as Philip when the deceptions reveal themselves. Cecil Parker and Phyllis Calvert lend able comic support, though I never could buy the premise that Calvert and Bergman could be sisters given their differing accents. For the most part, Donen simply films the story like a play, no surprise since it was based on a moderately successful Broadway play called "Kind Sir". If you are a fan of either star, you are likely to have already seen this bauble of a film. Otherwise, the 100-minute running time may stretch your patience. As part of the Cary Grant 4-Disc Collector's Set, the 2008 DVD unfortunately offers no extras.
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Indiscreet (1958)
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