Love in the Afternoon (1957)

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

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

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:

Hotel | Love | Private Detective | Playboy | Jealousy

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marc Aurian	...	Couple drenched by water wagon (uncredited)
Vera Boccadoro	...	Couple drenched by water wagon (uncredited)
Françoise Brion	...	(uncredited)
Guy Delorme	...	Gigolo (uncredited)
Filo	...	Flannagan's Chauffeur (uncredited)
Gloria France	...	Client at Butcher's (uncredited)
Charles Lemontier	...	General (uncredited)
Christian Lude	...	General (uncredited)
Léo Marjane	...	Singer in french version (uncredited)
Eve Marley	...	Tandemist (uncredited)
Georges Perrault	...	Couple drenched by water wagon (uncredited)
Minerva Pious	...	Maid at the Ritz (uncredited)
Jean Rieubon	...	Tandemist (uncredited)
Betty Schneider	...	Couple drenched by water wagon (uncredited)
Michelle Selignac	...	Widow (uncredited)
Franz Waxman	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Billy Wilder

Writing credits
Billy Wilder		(screenplay) and
I.A.L. Diamond		(screenplay)
Claude Anet		(novel "Ariane, jeune fille russe")

Produced by
Doane Harrison	....	associate producer
William Schorr	....	associate producer
Billy Wilder	....	producer
Lee Katz	....	associate producer (uncredited)

Cinematography by
William C. Mellor		(as William Mellor)

Film Editing by
Léonide Azar		(as Leonid Azar)

Art Direction by
Alexandre Trauner

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Paul Feyder	....	assistant director
Noël Howard	....	second unit director (as Noel Howard)

Sound Department
Joseph de Bretagne	....	sound recordist (as Jo de Bretagne)
Del Harris	....	sound editor

Music Department
Robert Tracy	....	music editor
Franz Waxman	....	musical adaptation

Other crew
Christian Ferry	....	location manager (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Allied Artists Pictures

Distributors

• Allied Artists Pictures (1957) (USA) (theatrical)
• Fox Video (1992) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (DVD)

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:

Audrey Hepburn filmed this back-to-back with Funny Face (1957).

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:

Frank Flannagan: What does he export and what does he import?
Ariane Chavasse: Oh, he uh - he exports perfume and imports bananas. There's a fortune in it. Do you realize that for one bottle of perfume you get twelve bananas?
Frank Flannagan: Twelve bananas for one bottle of - doesn't sound like such a hot deal to me.
Ariane Chavasse: It's a tiny bottle of perfume and very large bananas.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Gilmore Girls: Face-Off (#3.15)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

C'est Si Bon

Terrible Miscasting

The plot is very cute and romantic. A private detective's innocent young daughter lives vicariously through her father's case files. Predominate among them is millionaire jet-setting Frank Flannagan, stealer of women's hearts. The detective gets involved when the stolen hearts belong to married women. One day the daughter overhears a jealous husband swear blood vengeance against Flannagan. The daughter devises a plan to thwart the killing, and in the process falls heads-over-heels in love with him. At first she's just another fling to him...but then love blossoms in his heart too.

Shot on location in Paris, Maurice Chevalier plays the detective, and John McGiver the jealous husband. They are both great. Audrey Hepburn is wonderful as the daughter, but.....a Gary Cooper looking every one of his 56 years is cast as the the playboy!

This miscasting is just too much to overcome. There are only four characters in the movie which runs over 2 hours. When one is so unbelievable as Cooper the movie is irreparably damaged. It's a crying shame.