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The Passionate Friends (1949 film)

The Passionate Friends is a 1949 British romantic drama film directed by David Lean and starring Ann Todd, Claude Rains and Trevor Howard. The film is based on The Passionate Friends: A Novel (1913) by H. G. Wells. It describes a love triangle in which a woman cannot give up her affair with another man. The film was entered into the 1949 Cannes Film Festival.[3]

See also: The Passionate Friends (1922 film)

The Passionate Friends

The Passionate Friends by H.G. Wells

  • 26 January 1949 (1949-01-26)

95 minutes

United Kingdom

English

£346,800[1]

£219,400[2]

– Howard Justin

Claude Rains

– Mary Justin

Ann Todd

– Professor Steven Stratton

Trevor Howard

– Pat Stratton

Isabel Dean

– Miss Layton

Betty Ann Davies

as Smith the Butler

Arthur Howard

Production[edit]

Wells' novel had been filmed in 1923.[4]


The film was originally going to be directed by Ronald Neame, who arranged for Eric Ambler to write and produce. The three stars were to be Ann Todd, Marius Goring and Claude Rains. Prior to filming however Neame's partners in Cineguild, Stanley Haynes and David Lean told Neame the script was poor and wanted it rewritten. Neame agreed, his confidence shaken. Filming was postponed while Ambler rewrote the script under the supervision of Lean and Haynes. Filming started under Neame's direction with only forty pages of the script written. It proceeded for a few days but was an unhappy experience - Neame says Ann Todd "played up" as she was unsure of her character. Filming was shut down to enable the script to be completed and David Lean would take over the film. Trevor Howard replaced Marius Goring. Lean and Todd, both married to other people, fell in love during filming, and left their spouses to get married. The conflict behind the scenes on the film contributed to the disintegration of Cineguild.[5][6]

Critical reception[edit]

The film received mostly positive reviews, and holds 78% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Many critics praised its direction, but some criticized it for lacking substance.[7]

Box office[edit]

The producer's receipts were £83,500 in the UK and £135,900 overseas. It lost money.[1]

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