Eavesdropping At The Movies

We visit 1949's romantic drama The Passionate Friends, a favourite of previous podcast guest Celia, who describes it as "what would have happened if they'd had the affair in Brief Encounter". It offers a complex story of love and relationships, characters who want different things from their relationships and a love triangle that gradually shifts and changes over many years. Mary (Ann Todd) loves Steven (Trevor Howard), but refuses to marry him, wanting to belong only to herself, as she puts it; instead, she marries Howard (Claude Rains), a successful banker who gives her security, stability, social status and affection. Dramatic irony, shifting affections and a sensitivity to the subtleties of love and relationships create a fascinating and beautiful film. There's a lot to discuss, including and especially the unconventional Howard - in any other film he would be an obstacle to the romantic couple's true love, but here, although he has villainous aspects, he is revealed to be as three dimensional a characte