I recognized this movie about ten minutes in, but if you want to save yourself the guesswork, it's a remake of 1945's This Love of Ours, starring Merle Oberon. Both films start off showing a dedicated father raising his young daughter alone. Her mother is dead, and she's built a little shrine in the gazebo outside that makes her feel safe and loved. Then, the father is having drinks at a restaurant and he sees a woman that looks familiar. Cue the flashback of how he met his wife and started a family.
The major difference in this version from the original is George Sanders's character (Claude Rains in the original). Back in 1945, he was a foppish cartoon artist bordering on flamboyance. In the remake, George is still an artist who draws caricatures, but he's not silly. He's clearly in love with his friend (Miss Cornell Borchers) but can't speak up because he knows she's in love with Rock Hudson. Rock is such a jerk in this movie and makes so many mistakes, it's a wonder the movie wasn't entitled "How Many Times Can Dr. Parker Foul Things Up?" He's so incredibly unlikable I have no idea why Cornell wouldn't transfer her affections to her devoted pal, George. If you're a fan of his, you're going to want to sit through this lousy movie to see his range. I've never seen him in a role like this, and I've never seen such sensitive, loving expressions on his face. I didn't know he had it in him! The rest of the movie (the mystery and the love story, and the reasons behind everything) is very disappointing, but George Sanders is great.
The major difference in this version from the original is George Sanders's character (Claude Rains in the original). Back in 1945, he was a foppish cartoon artist bordering on flamboyance. In the remake, George is still an artist who draws caricatures, but he's not silly. He's clearly in love with his friend (Miss Cornell Borchers) but can't speak up because he knows she's in love with Rock Hudson. Rock is such a jerk in this movie and makes so many mistakes, it's a wonder the movie wasn't entitled "How Many Times Can Dr. Parker Foul Things Up?" He's so incredibly unlikable I have no idea why Cornell wouldn't transfer her affections to her devoted pal, George. If you're a fan of his, you're going to want to sit through this lousy movie to see his range. I've never seen him in a role like this, and I've never seen such sensitive, loving expressions on his face. I didn't know he had it in him! The rest of the movie (the mystery and the love story, and the reasons behind everything) is very disappointing, but George Sanders is great.