INDISCREET
UK, 1958, 100 minutes, Colour.
Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Phyllis Calvert, Cecil Parker, David Kossoff, Megs Jenkins.
Directed by Stanley Donen.
Indiscreet is based on the play by Norman Krasna, Kind Sir. He did the screenplay for the film. It is a vehicle for Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant who had been teamed a decade earlier in Hitchcock's Notorious. It is fluffy, sophisticated romantic comedy of the lightest kind - which is perennially enjoyable Hollywood material. The world is that of the affluent with all the leisure in the world to pursue romance with charm. Stanley Donen, director of the musical classics On The Town and Singin' In The Rain and later sophisticated comedies with Cary Grant including The Grass is Greener and Charade, handles the whole film quite deftly.
1. An entertaining comedy romance? The popularity of this kind of film over the decades?
2. The conventions of the sophisticated romantic comedy? The stars and their impact, their working together? (Ingrid Bergman's strong presence, Cary Grant's romantic charm?)
3. Colour photography, the musical score? The humour of the credits? The discretion of the decor and costumes in this affluent English world?
4. The plausibility of the plot - for the purposes of the genre? The credibility of the characters, the situations, the circle in which they moved, romance? The interaction between the two? The final deceptions and the telling of the truth?
5. Cary Grant as the romantic hero (at 50-plus?)? His particular style, presence, charm, manner of speaking? His first appearance and the impact on Anna? His skill in speaking, financial advice, NATO jobs? His story about his separation and divorce? His charm with Anna, their sequences together, the discretion of their romance? The quality of the romantic scenes together? The gifts? The decisions? His reaction to being deceived? His decision to propose? The archetype of the Hollywood romantic hero?
6. Ingrid Bergman as heroine? The beginning of the film with her arrival, her acting career and its skill and the presentation of stage sequences, her loneliness, her relationship with her sister and advice, her brother-in-law? Her relationship with Doris and Carl? Her dilemma, her enjoying Philip's company, the speech, the night out? The progress of the romance? Outings, gifts, phone calls? Their talking together? How plausible was the romance? The effect on Anna?
7. Margaret and Arthur, the well-meaning relations? Arranging things, being worried about Anna, about Philip's job, about appearances? Outings, advice?
8. Doris and Carl and their support of Anna? Their role in the role-play at the end - and the humour of Carl's cowardice and Doris' urging him on?
9. The affluent atmosphere of the film - sets, locations, costumes? The world of the affluent? Of the celebrities? Restaurants, theatre, ballet, expensive cars etc.? Plane trips? Audience identification with this - a fantasy world?
10. The importance of Anna's discovery of the truth, her pretence? Philip's being victimised - with reason? The final charade and the happy ending?
11. How well did the film treat the themes of love, romance, fidelity, marriage?
12. The overall value of this kind of romantic comedy? Light entertainment, a glimpse of contemporary society, contemporary values?
