Act of Love 1953

     In the early 1950’s, Robert Teller goes back to a seaport in the south of France.  He spent time here during WWII.  He met Lise Gudayec and they were friends.  Robert rented a room and he let Lise stay in the room since she was an orphan.  She didn’t have any other place to stay and no money or identity papers.  They fell in love and Robert wanted to marry her but he needed approval from his commanding officer.  The officer refuses because he thinks Robert will thank him later for preventing this spontaneous union.  Robert is transferred the next day away from Paris.  Lise and Robert had made plans to marry and she is waiting for him but he doesn’t arrive for the wedding. 

     The French were very suspicious of the Americans and they didn’t want them to marry their women.  Everyone thought this marriage was happening too fast and possibly for the wrong reasons.  They didn’t understand that they were really in love and their background story.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

108 min, Drama directed by Anatole Litvak with Kirk Douglas, Dany Robin, Barbara Laage, Gabrielle Dorziat, Fernand Ledoux, Robert Strauss, Marthe Mercadier, George Mathews, Richard Benedict, Leslie Dwyer, Sydney Chaplin.

Note:  Imdb 6.6 of 10, TCM Leonard Maltin 2.5* out of 4* user review 3.5 out of 5.

Special Note:  Filmed in Paris, Alpes-Maritimes, France.  Kirk Douglas met his German wife-to-be Anne Douglas when she applied for a job as his assistant on the French location shoot for this film.  The French title is Un acte d’amour.  This is one of the first Franco-American productions with a big budget made after WWII.