I had never heard of this movie (or the subsequent remakes), but I've been on a Gary Cooper kick lately so I watched this movie. I am so glad that I did.
The movie starts out a bit slow, but after 20 minutes or so it picks up and becomes quite entertaining. Other reviewers have covered the plot in detail, so I won't repeat them. My favorite parts of this film were the performances.
First, there's Gary Cooper (the whole reason that I watched the movie) giving an understated performance. Cooper is entirely believable as a man indifferent about his wife and pining for another woman. The moment when he realizes that Virginia is not the person he imagined her to be is powerful. The change of emotion is written all over his face. The next scene where he talks with his wife is very sweet and romantic. We (the viewer) can tell that he is seeing his wife with new eyes and (for the first time) appreciating her.
Roscoe Karns is one of my favorite character actors (he was Shapely in It Happened One Night)and he was his usual delightful self in this movie. His best scene was the one where Biff was gassing Hugo.
The delightful surprise in this movie is Frances Fuller. I have no idea why this woman was not a huge star. Her performance drew me in and I couldn't take my eyes off of her when she was on the screen (quite a feat when sharing the screen with Gary Cooper!). While her character of Amy was a bit lackluster, Fuller managed to inject life into her and make her likable.
One Sunday Afternoon is not what I would call great cinema, but it is a lovely and enjoyable movie. You might say it's the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon...
The movie starts out a bit slow, but after 20 minutes or so it picks up and becomes quite entertaining. Other reviewers have covered the plot in detail, so I won't repeat them. My favorite parts of this film were the performances.
First, there's Gary Cooper (the whole reason that I watched the movie) giving an understated performance. Cooper is entirely believable as a man indifferent about his wife and pining for another woman. The moment when he realizes that Virginia is not the person he imagined her to be is powerful. The change of emotion is written all over his face. The next scene where he talks with his wife is very sweet and romantic. We (the viewer) can tell that he is seeing his wife with new eyes and (for the first time) appreciating her.
Roscoe Karns is one of my favorite character actors (he was Shapely in It Happened One Night)and he was his usual delightful self in this movie. His best scene was the one where Biff was gassing Hugo.
The delightful surprise in this movie is Frances Fuller. I have no idea why this woman was not a huge star. Her performance drew me in and I couldn't take my eyes off of her when she was on the screen (quite a feat when sharing the screen with Gary Cooper!). While her character of Amy was a bit lackluster, Fuller managed to inject life into her and make her likable.
One Sunday Afternoon is not what I would call great cinema, but it is a lovely and enjoyable movie. You might say it's the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon...