Lively, entertaining reviews of, and essays on, old and newer films and everything relating to them, written by professional author William Schoell.

Monday, September 8, 2008

WITHOUT LOVE


WITHOUT LOVE (1945). Director: Harold S. Bucquet.
Spencer Tracy plays a wartime inventor who meets a widow played by Katharine Hepburn. Both have decided never to marry or fall in love again for different but related reasons. Tracy was jilted by a woman, and Hepburn's true love died at an early age; presumably they can do without the pain. They therefore decide to get married "without love," being there for each other as friends -- sort of like their relationship (which has been greatly exaggerated into one of the all-time great "romances") was like in real life; their "love" was of the platonic kind. Although Hepburn is given a nice scene in which she talks about the young man who died, this lacklustre and completely unconvincing comedy-drama only has some oomph whenever Lucille Ball appears as Hepburn's real estate lady, carrying a torch for Keenan Wynn. Despite the cast, this is pretty dull.
Verdict: Watch Desk Set or Adam's Rib instead. **.

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