Personal Affair

1954 "It was too late to run!"
6.5| 1h22m| NR| en
Details

A British girl disappears for three days after a frank talk with the wife of a Latin teacher she loves.

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Reviews

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.
Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
Verity Robins Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.
Rexanne It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny
Michael O'Keefe An age old, but timeless state of affairs. This drama directed by Anthony Pelissier expounds the evil of gossip. A teenage schoolgirl Barbara Vining(Glynis Johns)develops a passionate affection for one of her professors. Stephen Barlow(Leo Genn)is a suave, middle aged man happily devoted to his charming wife Kay(Gene Tierney). Barlow is flattered, but has no real concern for the young girl other than being his pupil. But on the other hand, the professor does nothing to discourage the smitten young lady. He mentions what may be happening to his wife, who comes unraveled when Barbara disappears. Harsh gossip rears its ugly head as the community is all but certain the lass is victim of foul play; and her professor is responsible of trying to cover up a tawdry affair...that didn't even happen.Well written dialogues, with characters you can find apathy and sympathy for. The screenplay belongs to Lesley Storm. Other players include: Pamala Brown, Walter Fitzgerald, Megs Jenkins and Michael Hordern.
MartinHafer Leo Genn plays a teacher at a British school. He does not realize that one of his students (Glynnis Johns) is infatuated with him, though his wife (Gene Tierney) quickly picks up on this. When the wife confronts the student about this, the teen leaves in tears--and isn't heard from for some time! Considering that the teacher followed her and talked with her, he was the last to see her and the assumptions are that she either killed herself or he killed her. Regardless, people in the town begin to assume he was responsible. I won't say what happens next, as this would spoil the film, though IMDb DOES give away the girl's whereabouts on the main page for the film! Oops.This movie gives the viewer quite a bit to consider. First, the male teacher clearly was irresponsible being alone with a student--particularly a female one. As a retired teacher, I knew NEVER to put myself in such a situation for exactly the reasons you see in the film. I would venture that at least subconsciously the teacher was flattered by the crush--which is pretty disturbing since it resulted in his not taking reasonable precautions. Second, the wife clearly read the script, as when she meets the teen, she IMMEDIATELY knows he has a crush on the teacher--but how did her character know this?! This is an apparent weakness in the script and she is clearly the weakest written character in the movie. Third, it's a nice portrait of what happens when hysteria and the court of public opinion run amok--snowballing to insane conclusions. Fourth, it leaves you wondering why they picked a 30 year-old woman (Johns) to play a 17 year-old! Oops.You'll notice that a couple things I mentioned above are problems with the film. Well, despite these minor concerns the rest of the film is pretty good--and thought-provoking...and well worth seeing.
blanche-2 "Personal Affair" is from Rank Films and stars Leo Genn, Gene Tierney, and Glynis Johns. Johns was nearly 30 when she played Barbara Vining, a student in love with her teacher, Stephen Barlow (Genn). Stephen has Barbara come to his home for tutoring; while she's there, Barlow's wife Kay confronts Barbara about her feelings. Embarrassed and upset, Barbara runs from the house. A distressed Stephen calls her at home and arranges to meet her in an out of the way area. When Barbara doesn't come home, suspicion falls on Stephen.This is a really neat and suspenseful film, thanks to its good cast, writing, and direction. The audience (this audience anyway) isn't really sure what went on between teacher and student, if anything, so it keeps you guessing as to what happened, and the gossip condemns Barlow.Pamela Brown is terrific as Barbara's bitter aunt who seems to get a lot of pleasure out of the suffering of others; Walter Fitzgerald and Megs Jenkin are wonderful as Barbara's agonized parents. Johns is very sweet and comes off as very young and innocent. Leo Genn is always good. Tierney has probably the most interesting role as a beautiful, somewhat snobby woman who nevertheless is insecure. She does it very well.Well worth seeing.
John Seal This next to unknown feature from Two Cities Films is an intelligent, mature, and well-made feature about secrets, sex, and gossip. Leo Genn delivers a finely nuanced performance as Stephen Barlow, a schoolteacher who has a budding relationship with student Barbara (Glynis Johns). Stephen also has an American wife (Gene Tierney) who is both jealous and suspicious, and she quickly discerns that he is taking a special interest in the teenager. When Barbara disappears after meeting with him late one night, jaws start flapping, the police begin an investigation, and the girl's father (Walter Fitzgerald) suspects foul play. Beautifully shot by Reginald Wyer, Personal Affair also benefits from superb supporting performances from Megs Jenkins and Pamela Brown as Barbara's mother and aunt.