The Passionate Friends

"Their affair took on a life of its own."

1949 1h 31m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 64

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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

“Their affair took on a life of its own.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Ann Todd
Mary Justin
Claude Rains
Howard Justin
Trevor Howard
Prof. Steven Stratton
Betty Ann Davies
Joan Layton
Isabel Dean
Pat Stratton
Wilfrid Hyde-White
Lawyer
Arthur Howard
Smith - the Butler
Guido Lorraine
Hotel Manager

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Lean
Writers: Eric Ambler
Languages: French, English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 64% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

77 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Lean, shot by Guy Green. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Richard Addinsell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Geoffrey Foot shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ann Todd and Claude Rains and Trevor Howard carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Lean directs. Guy Green behind the camera. Richard Addinsell scores. Geoffrey Foot cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 64% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
377 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.
5Directed by David Lean, shot by Guy Green. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Richard Addinsell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Geoffrey Foot shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Ann Todd and Claude Rains and Trevor Howard carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Their affair took on a life of its own.".
10IMDB entry: tt0041735 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 64 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Guy Green
Original score: Richard Addinsell
Editing: Geoffrey Foot
Costume design: Margaret Furse
Makeup / hair: Biddy Chrystal
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $350,000
Box office: $225,000
Return: 64% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Passionate Friends (1949)

Also by

David Lean

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-07-09
★ 7/10
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.

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