Claude Rains, Ann Todd, and Trevor Howard in "The Passionate Friends" (1949)

I wrote this post for The Third Annual Claude Rains Blogathon hosted by PEPS.

Today is the first time I watched The Passionate Friends. I've never been a huge Claude Rains fan. He's been in the background of some of my favorite movies, but I never really paid him that much attention. I've done him an injustice all these years by not trying harder to find films featuring him in a more substantial role, and I owe him an apology.

Go to my Classic Hollywood page to find all my Classic Hollywood reviews!

The Passionate Friends involves a complex array of emotions that always come back to the same theme: fidelity or adultery. Happiness or sadness is not always something we can control, but a lot of the time, contentment is well within our control. It's something we either choose or don't choose.

Mary (Todd) is a very contented woman. Her compassionate husband, Howard (Rains) takes excellent care of her and gives her as much attention as he can for being such a busy man with his investments and his work. She likes her husband and he likes her, and if there isn't an enormous amount of passion, well, it is what Mary signed on for when she married Howard.

It's only when Steven (Howard), an old flame of hers, shows up that she's willing to risk it all. All of her contentment flies right out the window as soon as he walks in the door. Whether it's in 1939 when she embarked on her first affair with him or nearly 10 years later when they meet by chance while vacationing in the Alps (on the French side), Mary loses all sense of reason the moment she sees Steven.

Claude Rains and Ann Todd

This movie saddened me more than I can say, and I'm glad that it was made during the Hays Code since during that era infidelity if shown, had to have negative consequences. Which it always does, anyway, whether people realize it or not. Infidelity is going to hurt someone, deeply, be it children, relations, or one or the other of the spouses, particularly if both individuals are married, then there are two families who are being harmed.

Mary is a woman who likes to think of herself in a certain way. She's the narrator, and because she only sees things through her own lens, she's an unreliable narrator. There appears to be very little reason for her to love Steven over Howard. She appreciates Howard's steadiness, his support, and his affection for her, to say nothing of the wealth he provides. They're very well off. But Steven, well, he's the adventurous, romantic type who reads her poetry, dances with her, and whispers sweet nothings in her ear. She's in love with the idea of being in love, but not to the degree that she truly wants to sacrifice all of her comforts. She's a deeply selfish woman who only truly realizes her selfishness when she sees firsthand the pain she's causing Steven and his family.

Ann Todd and Trevor Howard

When Steven and Mary accidentally meet up ten years later, they go for a picnic in the Alps, have a couple of conversations, and that's it. Steven's happy with his wife and his children and as soon as he parts from his brief reunion with Mary, well, his thoughts are back with his family where they belong. But Mary cannot stand the idea of his happiness being something apart from her. She even imagines him telling her that he never got married because how could he marry anyone other than her. She deludes her so completely into thinking that Steven wants to be with her, that the harm done to Steven and his family is almost irreversible. Thank goodness I said almost because, naturally, there cannot be such a terribly tragic end.

Poor, dear Howard, Mary's husband. A lovely, quiet sort of man with very little visible passion, but at the end, after his first truly infuriated rant at his wife, Howard confesses his love for her. Because somewhere along the way, he truly fell in love with Mary, and he wants to keep her, warts, pains and all. 

Ann Todd and Trevor Howard

The ending had me holding my breath. I honestly wasn't sure what would happen. I won't go into details, but for me, it was highly satisfactory and showed the reality of forgiveness and mercy that can still exist in the world. People say things in anger and they're very true things, but it doesn't mean you can't find your way back from them. The relationship between Mary and Howard is actually a very beautiful thing.

Claude Rains is marvelous in The Passionate Friends. He doesn't have as many scenes as Ann Todd or Trevor Howard, but when he is on the screen, he's a scene-stealer. I appreciated his steady, smooth, professional approach, which made his rage near the end that much more terrifying. I've never seen him as a frightening sort of person, but he managed it there. I'm delighted to say that Claude Rains deeply impressed me and because I watched this film, I will seek out more of his movies.

Claude Rains and Ann Todd

Other reviewers have mentioned that Ann Todd felt distant in her role as Mary, that they could never fully connect with her, and I agree with them. But I think that's the point. Mary's fooled herself about herself so completely that the audience has no idea who she is. There is no genuine authenticity left in the woman, except perhaps at the very end, but even the ending is selfish on her part, though I'm sure she thinks herself selfless.

Then there's Trevor Howard. My goodness. I've only ever seen him in films from the 1960s so I could have never imagined him this young. I spent half the film disliking Steven, but at the same time, loving Trevor Howard's performance. It was a complicated viewing, to be sure. His character redeemed himself in my eyes because at their 10-year reunion, Steven would not cheat on his wife. And I appreciated seeing Trevor Howard play the character with fidelity at that point. It was refreshing after all of their shenanigans earlier in the film.

Overall, The Passionate Friends is thought-provoking and an overwhelmingly intimate look into the mind of Mary. I appreciate that they didn't take the story lightly or try to pretend that adultery is just a lark and harms nobody. I was surprised to learn that this was one of H. G. Wells' stories, but since I'm not keen on Wells, there's not much chance I would have ever read the story. I wonder if it's accurate. Anyway, David Lean as director delivered a stunning and mindful story that is brilliantly cast and I'm glad I took the time to watch it.

Remember, I wrote this post for The Third Annual Claude Rains Blogathon hosted by PEPS. When you get a chance, hop on over and read the other participants' posts.