Fredric March (JERRY) gives a most complete older man performance rarely seen in a movie you see what a man thinks about himself, inside and out, and that's a very underused accomplishment since men aren't supposed to show their "feelings" in this society. He is a successful businessman and widower, somewhere in his 50s. Kim Novak (BETTY) is a beautiful but insecure/troubled personal-life young woman working in his company, fairly low on the totem pole. Despite mental blocks thrown in front of them by society (read that stupid interfering relatives mostly) there is some connection that is palpable between the two, and they feel the need to speak to each other and be in each others' presence.
While Betty at the beginning is "needy" and she is in a bit of trouble-on-the-run kind of which I can relate to (any woman can who has been in any sort of 'bad' relationship). Her family is not very supportive of her. Jerry is on the run too or on the slide, I should say. He feels his age in every mental and physical way, which makes him feel useless in both his professional and family life. It doesn't help that he treated kind of like an imbecile by his family. So really, when Betty and Jerry meet, they are stripped down to their basic selves because they are both in need of escape and more importantly someone who understands them. So for me, it is not hard to see why they got togethereach filled the other's need for understanding and acceptance. Additionallyeach liked the other and was attracted.
So where's the conflict? It's just about everyone else. In the film, no one likes the age difference, and there are some hints about "class" social standing as well. FUnny how some viewers also bring their views on age differences in relationships in that some saw the Jerry- Betty relationship as "odd" or "obscene" or "inappropriate". And certainly this was not anything like Lolita! Come on. Lolita was a prepubescent teen so no comparison.
I think this movie more than any shows the damage well meaning friends and relatives can do when they are not putting the loved one's happiness FIRST, but are thinking about "what will people think" first. Who cares what people think--this is what ultimately helped the couple.
At any rate the many supporting roles don;t all blend into one, there are so many well crafted characters--probably since the movie was a pretty close version of Paddy Chayefsky's play, and he pays attention to character detail. The stand outs are Martin Balsam, Lee Grant, Joan Copeland.
It's been a few years since I've seen it. When I couldn;t find the video easily, I bought the book(play) for less than a dollar and re-lived it that way. The movie was almost better than the book.
I think Frederic march really should have been showered with acting awards for this dramatic introspective role.
While Betty at the beginning is "needy" and she is in a bit of trouble-on-the-run kind of which I can relate to (any woman can who has been in any sort of 'bad' relationship). Her family is not very supportive of her. Jerry is on the run too or on the slide, I should say. He feels his age in every mental and physical way, which makes him feel useless in both his professional and family life. It doesn't help that he treated kind of like an imbecile by his family. So really, when Betty and Jerry meet, they are stripped down to their basic selves because they are both in need of escape and more importantly someone who understands them. So for me, it is not hard to see why they got togethereach filled the other's need for understanding and acceptance. Additionallyeach liked the other and was attracted.
So where's the conflict? It's just about everyone else. In the film, no one likes the age difference, and there are some hints about "class" social standing as well. FUnny how some viewers also bring their views on age differences in relationships in that some saw the Jerry- Betty relationship as "odd" or "obscene" or "inappropriate". And certainly this was not anything like Lolita! Come on. Lolita was a prepubescent teen so no comparison.
I think this movie more than any shows the damage well meaning friends and relatives can do when they are not putting the loved one's happiness FIRST, but are thinking about "what will people think" first. Who cares what people think--this is what ultimately helped the couple.
At any rate the many supporting roles don;t all blend into one, there are so many well crafted characters--probably since the movie was a pretty close version of Paddy Chayefsky's play, and he pays attention to character detail. The stand outs are Martin Balsam, Lee Grant, Joan Copeland.
It's been a few years since I've seen it. When I couldn;t find the video easily, I bought the book(play) for less than a dollar and re-lived it that way. The movie was almost better than the book.
I think Frederic march really should have been showered with acting awards for this dramatic introspective role.