It's the off season for Hotel Beauregard at a seaside English town of Bournemouth run by Pat Cooper. She's having a secret fling with alcoholic John Malcolm (Burt Lancaster). He's surprised by the new guest, his estranged ex-wife Ann Shankland (Rita Hayworth) who left him 5 years ago. Long time resident Major David Angus Pollock (David Niven) tries to hide unsavory allegations against him in the papers. After it comes out, Mrs Railton-Bell leads the drive to expel him although her spinster daughter Sibyl (Deborah Kerr) is taken with Pollock.
The cast is stacked and this movie was a heavy hitting during its Oscars. I would have liked Mrs Railton-Bell to be more likeable. It's obvious what the movie is pushing the audience towards. Whatever the arrogant broad advocates, it is the wrong way. I want a real conflict between two equally reasonable sides. If the same story comes out today, there would be more weight on her side. A real debate could be more compelling. This is a generally good old style melodrama. Hayworth's acting has never been her biggest assets. Lancaster is tapping into his great acting powers. The rest are all great actors doing solid work in their characters. This may not have aged into an iconic classic but its quality is never in doubt.
The cast is stacked and this movie was a heavy hitting during its Oscars. I would have liked Mrs Railton-Bell to be more likeable. It's obvious what the movie is pushing the audience towards. Whatever the arrogant broad advocates, it is the wrong way. I want a real conflict between two equally reasonable sides. If the same story comes out today, there would be more weight on her side. A real debate could be more compelling. This is a generally good old style melodrama. Hayworth's acting has never been her biggest assets. Lancaster is tapping into his great acting powers. The rest are all great actors doing solid work in their characters. This may not have aged into an iconic classic but its quality is never in doubt.