Indiscreet (1958 film)

Last updated

Indiscreet
Indiscreet75.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Stanley Donen
Screenplay by Norman Krasna
Based on Kind Sir
by Norman Krasna
Produced byStanley Donen
Starring
Cinematography Freddie Young
Edited by Jack Harris
Music by
Production
company
Grandon Productions
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date
  • 26 June 1958 (1958-06-26)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$8 million (US) [1]

Indiscreet is a 1958 British romantic comedy film produced and directed by Stanley Donen, and starring Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant. [2]

Contents

The film is based on the 1954 play Kind Sir by Norman Krasna. This was Bergman and Grant's second film together, following Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious (1946). It was one of the first films to popularize the artistic use of split screen. The film was remade for television in 1988 starring Robert Wagner and Lesley-Anne Down.

Plot

Anna Kalman is a famous London-based theater actress who has given up hope of finding the man of her dreams. Through her brother-in-law, Alfred Munson, Anna meets Philip Adams, a handsome economist, and she is instantly smitten with him.

Anna invites Philip go to the ballet, but he demurs, politely noting he is married. Philip adds that he is separated and unable to get a divorce from his wife. Undeterred, Anna asks again and Philip agrees.

They hit it off on their first date and continue seeing each other frequently. Soon, they fall in love. Anna's sister Margaret cautions her, but Anna rebuffs the suggestion.

As their romance blossoms, Philip receives a temporary transfer notice to New York for his work at NATO, which distresses Anna greatly as it will keep them apart for as much as five months.

On the day before Philip is scheduled to sail, Alfred reveals he knows Philip is a bachelor and asks him why he kept this secret. Philip reveals that he is unenthusiastic about the idea of marriage but can't give up on women. Philip assures Alfred that he sincerely loves Anna. He also says he plans to surprise Anna on her birthday the next day.

Anna tells Alfred and Margaret that she plans to go to New York to surprise Philip. To discourage her, Alfred discloses Philip's plan. Margaret complicates the situation by revealing that Philip is unmarried. Anna is furious upon learning this, but decides to go on as if nothing happened, secretly forming a plan to get even with him.

Anna arranges an elaborate ruse where it will appear that she was having an affair with David, an old flame, when Philip comes to visit her on her birthday, but it does not go as planned. When Anna hears David has had an accident and can't come, she tries to persuade her elderly caretaker Carl to stand in as David. Philip arrives and proposes marriage, but leaves when he mistakes Carl for David. Anna is distraught but Philip returns and she is able to clear up the confusion. Anna tells Philip she is happy the way things are, but Philip is adamant about getting married. Anna is overwhelmed with joy and the film ends with the couple embracing.

Cast

Production

No film studio sought the rights to the play Kind Sir , so Norman Krasna's co-producers - Joshua Logan, Mary Martin, and Charles Boyer - agreed to Krasna's offer to buy the rights himself for $10,000. Krasna did not tell his fellow producers he had lined up Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman to star in a film. [3]

In March 1955 United Artists announced Krasna would direct a film version for that studio. [4] It was originally announced that the film would be made with either Marilyn Monroe or Jayne Mansfield, and with Clark Gable as the male star. [5]

Krasna asked Stanley Donen if he wanted to direct while the latter was making Kiss Them for Me (1957) with Grant. Donen agreed "but only with Cary". Grant agreed but only if his co-star was Ingrid Bergman (the two had last acted together in Notorious [1946]). Bergman agreed provided the film could be shot in England; she had a theatre commitment in Paris. Krasna agreed to make the changes from the play. Donen and Grant formed a company together, Grandon Productions, to make the film. [6] In September 1957 Bergman announced she and Grant would star in the film for Warners. [7]

Scenes in the Players' Club were filmed at the Garrick Club in London. The club agreed to let them film there but not to use their name. [8]

Logan saw the movie expecting to find it different from the play and was surprised to find it "verbatim" like Kind Sir. "Krasna's writing and my taste were more than vindicated," said Logan. "Had I been well [directing the play] it would have been another story." [9]

Reception

Box office

The film ranked in the top 10 British box office hits in terms of gross profits in 1958. [10] [11] Kinematograph Weekly listed it as being "in the money" at the British box office in 1958. [12] In North America it made $3.6 million. [13]

Critical

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The story line of this comedy is extremely simple. Donen has presumably tried to make a film without incident, and he almost succeeds: one is often on the point of being bored, but one never is, quite. Indeed, there are many charming scenes in which hardly anything at all happens: the walk through London, the first lunch at home, the telephone call from Paris (with split-screen effect amusingly used). Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant are, to great effect, together again. She fails only towards the end of the film when she has to play the scorned woman; neither she nor Donen can quite manage this switch, and the film suffers accordingly." [14] In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "good", writing: "Glossy, entertaining comedy of manners, with stars expertly dispensing surface charm." [15]

Leslie Halliwell said: "Affairs among the ultra rich, amusing when played by these stars but with imperfect production values which the alarmingly thin plot allows one too much time to consider." [16]

The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 3/5 stars, writing: "Two of the screen's most elegant stars provide much of the pleasure in this glossy romantic comedy, adapted by Norman Krasna from his play Kind Sir. The action has been transplanted from New York to foggy London (it was filmed at Elstree) with Ingrid Bergman as a famous actress looking for love and Cary Grant as the diplomat who's pretending he's married when he's not. Highlights include Grant dancing a superb Highland reel and a witty supporting performance as a chauffeur in disguise from the underrated David Kossoff. It's nonsense, of course, but utterly charming." [17]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "good", writing: "Glossy, entertaining comedy of manners, with stars expertly dispensing surface charm." [18]

Accolades

Indiscreet was nominated for three 1959 Golden Globes, [19] three 1959 BAFTAs, [20] and one Writers Guild of America award but failed to win any of them.

1988 television remake

Indiscreet
Directed byRichard Michaels
Written byNorman Krasna
Walter Lockwood
Sally Robinson
Based onKind Sir
1954 play
by Norman Krasna
Produced byJohn Davis
Starring Robert Wagner
CinematographyBob Edwards
Release date
  • 24 October 1988 (1988-10-24)
CountryUSA
LanguageEnglish

The film was remade as a 1988 television movie. It was announced in March 1987 as a vehicle for Robert Wagner. [21] Wagner pitched the idea to CBS because he loved the original. [22] Lesley-Anne Down's casting was announced in February 1988. [23] Filming was supposed to start in February 1988 but was pushed back to mid April. Filming finished by May. [24]

The Chicago Tribune wrote: "Leslie-Anne [sic] Down obviously is no Bergman... Wagner is no Grant, try as he may.... "Indiscreet" is more flimsy than brittle, filled with lighter-than-air dialogue and the old hiding-out-on-window- ledges and falling-out-of-rowboat gambits. On the up side there is Down, who at times looks positively Ava Gardnerian, whether parading around in backless dresses or demonstrating a very special talent for saucily closing doors with her tush." [25]

The Los Angeles Times said: "The vapidity of both [lead] performances is magnified by come-hither camera shots that linger too long on their empty faces... Down has a little more flounce to the ounce, but the best she can do as a woman deceived is to fly into a deep snit. Production values evoke the silky-bland noblesse oblige that has been canonized for TV by "Dynasty" and "Knots Landing"." [26]

"Go out and rent the original on video cassette", said The New York Times . [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cary Grant</span> English and American actor (1904–1986)

Cary Grant was an English and American actor. Known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he was one of classic Hollywood's definitive leading men. He was nominated twice for the Academy Award, received an Academy Honorary Award in 1970, and received the Kennedy Center Honor in 1981. He was named the second greatest male star of the Golden Age of Hollywood by the American Film Institute in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ingrid Bergman</span> Swedish actress (1915–1982)

Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress. With a career spanning five decades, Bergman is often regarded as one of the most influential screen figures in cinematic history. She won numerous accolades, including three Academy Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, four Golden Globe Awards, BAFTA Award, and a Volpi Cup. She is one of only four actresses to have received at least three acting Academy Awards. In 1999, the American Film Institute recognised Bergman as the fourth-greatest female screen legend of Classic Hollywood Cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Boyer</span> French-American actor (1899–1978)

Charles Boyer was a French-American actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found his success in American films during the 1930s. His memorable performances were among the era's most highly praised, in romantic dramas such as The Garden of Allah (1936), Algiers (1938), and Love Affair (1939), as well as the mystery-thriller Gaslight (1944). He received four Oscar nominations for Best Actor. He also appeared as himself on the CBS sitcom I Love Lucy.

<i>Notorious</i> (1946 film) 1946 film by Alfred Hitchcock

Notorious is a 1946 American spy film noir directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, and Claude Rains as three people whose lives become intimately entangled during an espionage operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanley Donen</span> American film director and choreographer (1924–2019)

Stanley Donen was an American film director and choreographer. He received the Honorary Academy Award in 1998, and the Career Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2004. Four of his films have been inducted into the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delphi Lawrence</span> British actress (1932–2002)

Delphi Lawrence was an English actress. She was educated at Halidon House School in Slough, Berkshire, whilst living in Colnbrook.

Maurice Binder was an American film title designer best known for his work on 16 James Bond films, including the first, Dr. No (1962), and for Stanley Donen's films from 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bibi Andersson</span> Swedish actress (1935–2019)

Berit Elisabet Andersson, known professionally as Bibi Andersson, was a Swedish actress who was best known for her frequent collaborations with filmmaker Ingmar Bergman.

<i>The Grass Is Greener</i> 1960 British film by Stanley Donen

The Grass Is Greener is a 1960 British romantic comedy film starring Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, and Jean Simmons. It was directed by Stanley Donen, with a screenplay adapted by Hugh Williams and Margaret Vyner from the play of the same name they had written and found success with in London's West End.

Norman Krasna was an American screenwriter, playwright, producer, and film director who penned screwball comedies centered on a case of mistaken identity. Krasna directed three films during a forty-year career in Hollywood. He garnered four Academy Award screenwriting nominations, winning once for 1943's Princess O'Rourke, which he also directed. Krasna wrote a number of successful Broadway plays, including Dear Ruth and John Loves Mary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">31st Academy Awards</span> Award ceremony for films of 1958

The 31st Academy Awards ceremony was held on April 6, 1959, to honor the best films of 1958. The night was dominated by Gigi, which won nine Oscars, breaking the previous record of eight set by Gone with the Wind and tied by From Here to Eternity and On the Waterfront.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred Hitchcock filmography</span>

Alfred Hitchcock (1899–1980) was an English director and filmmaker. Popularly known as the "Master of Suspense" for his use of innovative film techniques in thrillers, Hitchcock started his career in the British film industry as a title designer and art director for a number of silent films during the early 1920s. His directorial debut was the 1925 release The Pleasure Garden. Hitchcock followed this with The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog, his first commercial and critical success. It featured many of the thematic elements his films would be known for, such as an innocent man on the run. It also featured the first of his famous cameo appearances. Two years later he directed Blackmail (1929) which was his first sound film. In 1935, Hitchcock directed The 39 Steps; three years later, he directed The Lady Vanishes, starring Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave.

The 16th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film for 1958 films, were held on March 5, 1959.

<i>Once More, with Feeling!</i> 1960 film by Stanley Donen

Once More, with Feeling! is a 1960 British comedy film starring Yul Brynner and Kay Kendall in her final film appearance and directed and produced by Stanley Donen from a screenplay by Harry Kurnitz, based on his play.

Indiscreet may refer to:

The 12th British Academy Film Awards, given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 1959, honoured the best films of 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulla Isaksson</span> Swedish author and screenplay writer

Ulla Isaksson was a Swedish author and screenplay writer. She was born and died in Stockholm, Sweden. In addition to her short stories and novels, Isaksson also wrote scripts for films and plays.

Kind Sir is a 1953 play written by Norman Krasna and directed by Joshua Logan. It was the inspiration for the 1958 film Indiscreet.

References

  1. ↑ "Indiscreet - Box Office Data". The Numbers. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  2. ↑ "Indiscreet". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  3. ↑ Logan p 384
  4. ↑ VAN DRUTEN PLAY ON FILM SCHEDULE: Phoenix Will Make 'Bell, Book and Candle,' With Taradash Writing Screen Version By THOMAS M. PRYORSpecial to The New York Times. 16 March 1955: 40.
  5. ↑ Louella Parsons: Mary Martin Role Tailored for Monroe, The Washington Post and Times-Herald 11 October 1956: 48.
  6. ↑ 'INDISCREET' BEFORE THE CAMERA IN BRITAIN By STEPHEN WATT. New York Times 26 January 1958: X5.
  7. ↑ Bergman, Grant May Star New York Times 8 Sep 1957: 126
  8. ↑ "Inside Stuff - Pictures". Variety . 26 March 1958. p. 16. Retrieved 11 October 2021– via Archive.org.
  9. ↑ Logan p 384
  10. ↑ "Britain's Money Pacers 1958". Variety. 15 April 1959. p. 60.
  11. ↑ Thumim, Janet. "The popular cash and culture in the postwar British cinema industry". Screen. Vol. 32, no. 3. p. 259.
  12. ↑ Billings, Josh (18 December 1958). "Others in the Money". Kinematograph Weekly. p. 7.
  13. ↑ "Top Grossers of 1958". Variety. 7 January 1959. p. 48. Please note figures are for US and Canada only and are domestic rentals accruing to distributors as opposed to theatre gross
  14. ↑ "Indiscreet". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 25 (288): 99. 1 January 1958 – via ProQuest.
  15. ↑ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 327. ISBN   0-7134-1874-5.
  16. ↑ Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). London: Paladin. p. 513. ISBN   0586088946.
  17. ↑ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 463. ISBN   9780992936440.
  18. ↑ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 327. ISBN   0-7134-1874-5.
  19. ↑ "Indiscreet". The Golden Globes. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  20. ↑ "Indiscreet". BAFTA. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  21. ↑ Tom Cruise Is the People's Choice: [FINAL Edition] Swertlow, Frank. San Francisco Chronicle 4 March 1987: 45.
  22. ↑ "By remaking vintage movies with lesser actors, TV can play it again, Sam". Arar, Yardena. Chicago Tribune 3 May 1988: 7.
  23. ↑ "Wagner still hurts over Hart". Shaw, Ted. The Gazette6 Feb 1988: T10.
  24. ↑ Robert Wagner plays it 'Indiscreet' Series: Personalities: [CITY Edition] Beck, Marilyn. St. Petersburg Times 17 April 1988: 15.
  25. ↑ "The remade classic: Pond scum on the waters of time". Clifford, Terry. Chicago Tribune 24 October 1988: 5.
  26. ↑ Television Reviews Sans Ingrid and Cary, 'Indiscreet' Is Inept: [Home Edition] Christon, Lawrence. Los Angeles Times (24 October 1988: 8.
  27. ↑ Reviews/Television; An Amish Farmer and a Prosecutor: [Review]. O'Connor, John J. New York Times 24 October 1988: C.16.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.