When this film started, I thought it was going to be another version of Laurence Olivier's Term of Trial. After all, it circled around a British teacher relatively happily married to a non-English woman, whose underaged student has fallen in love with him. She gets extra time with him by coming to his house for "tutoring". But that's where the similarities stop. Personal Affair turns into a cheap, boring thriller that doesn't hold your attention.
Glynis Johns plays the teenager, and Leo Genn is the object of her affection. He makes a great argument with his jealous wife, Gene Tierney, that it's practically necessary for his students to develop crushes on him. It shows they're growing up and picking a healthy ideal for their romantic fantasy. They're not fantasizing about the resident bad boy, and they're not fooling around with boys their own age. Instead, they drool over their teacher, who hasn't the slightest inkling of taking advantage of them. Even after his sensible point is made, Gene is extremely jealous. She confronts Glynis and makes her feel ashamed of her crush; then, Glynis flees the house and disappears. Her parents and the police are frantic with worry - but there is one person who saw her after her disappearance.
The plot twists really aren't very interesting, and Gene Tierney's melodramatic performance leaves much to be desired. I liked Leo Genn's even-keeled persona, like a watered-down Robert Newton, but it just wasn't a good movie. For a much better take on the student-teacher plot device, watch Term of Trial.
Glynis Johns plays the teenager, and Leo Genn is the object of her affection. He makes a great argument with his jealous wife, Gene Tierney, that it's practically necessary for his students to develop crushes on him. It shows they're growing up and picking a healthy ideal for their romantic fantasy. They're not fantasizing about the resident bad boy, and they're not fooling around with boys their own age. Instead, they drool over their teacher, who hasn't the slightest inkling of taking advantage of them. Even after his sensible point is made, Gene is extremely jealous. She confronts Glynis and makes her feel ashamed of her crush; then, Glynis flees the house and disappears. Her parents and the police are frantic with worry - but there is one person who saw her after her disappearance.
The plot twists really aren't very interesting, and Gene Tierney's melodramatic performance leaves much to be desired. I liked Leo Genn's even-keeled persona, like a watered-down Robert Newton, but it just wasn't a good movie. For a much better take on the student-teacher plot device, watch Term of Trial.