Love in the Afternoon (1957)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

Billy Wilder (screenplay) and
I.A.L. Diamond (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

30 June 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Drama

Tagline:

Love is a game any number can play... especially in the afternoon...

Plot:

Director Billy Wilder salutes his idol, Ernst Lubitsch, with this comedy about a middle-aged playboy...

Plot Keywords:

Paris | Hotel | Playboy | Private Detective | Love

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Gary Cooper	...	Frank Flannagan
Audrey Hepburn	...	Ariane Chavasse / Thin Girl
Maurice Chevalier	...	Claude Chavasse
John McGiver	...	Monsieur X
Van Doude	...	Michel
Lise Bourdin	...	Madame X
Olga Valéry	...	Hotel guest with dog (as Olga Valery)
The Gypsies	...	Themselves

Runtime:

130 min | Spain:125 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2006) | Australia:G (TV rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #18536) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Château de Vitry, Vitry-sur-Seine, Val-de-Marne, France

Company:

Allied Artists Pictures

Trivia:

Cary Grant was offered the part of Frank Flannigan but turned it down because of the age difference between him and Audrey Hepburn.

Goofs:

Continuity: Ariane washes her hair and is rubbing it with a towel just after Frank Flannagan leaves her apartment. Moments later, her hair is completely dry and perfectly styled.

Quotes:

Ariane Chavasse: I see nothing has changed...
Frank Flannagan: Of course not! Once you've got a winning combination, why mess around with it?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Giving It Up (1999)

Soundtrack:

C'est Si Bon

One romantic movie I love

I am not a fan of romantic movies but there are a small handful that I love and by far the one I love most (of the less bigger scale types like "Gone With the Wind") is "Love in the Afternoon". I love the story, the camerawork and especially the lead players...Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn. I love these two so much that it's hard to put another great screen couple above them. They make the whole story come alive in their own way. Coop with his dry but lovable wit and charming good looks, and Audrey with her universal charm, wholesomeness and great beauty. I have read in the book "The Complete Films of Audrey Hepburn" that Cary Grant and Yul Brynner were the first two choices to play Coop's part. Thank God that neither were able to. Coop as the character of Frank Flannagan makes the film more romantic and his ever-popular sweet-guy, no-airs-of-any-kind persona makes the film less stuffy than it would with Grant or Brynner. Audrey of course is the perfect Ariane and they shine together in each other's arms. Call it a cliche but that comment fits this film perfectly. See it if you're in the mood for good, romantic farce.