Sorry, this movie sucks

Fantastic!

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Actually there's not much to not like about SA. But, there are many things to like:1. A great plot premise. 2. Fantastic chemistry between Joseph Cotton and Joan Fontaine. 3. Fabulous scenery shots of Naples, Capri, Pompeii, and Florence. 4. An all-time standard song weaving its way throughout the movie. 5. As if The September Song wasn't enough, this film also features Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto and the world famous second theme from the third movement. I'd rate this in the top four of Joan Fontaine's films. 1. Rebecca 2. Letter From An Unknown Woman 3. Suspicion 4. September AffairWhat's not to like? Very little. Perhaps I would have preferred a happy ending.

I can see by the reviews that most folks seem to have liked this film. Well, you can see me as an old fashioned and moralistic guy, but I strongly DISLIKED the movie because I felt the main characters were just selfish jerks and the picture seemed to make excuses for bad behavior. The film begins in Italy. A man on business (Joseph Cotton) and a woman (Joan Fontaine) going to see a friend meet after the first leg of an airplane trip. Instead of waiting at the airport for their connecting flight, they take off together to see the countryside...and they hit it off very well. When they return to the airport, they see that their plane has already left. Soon, they get word that the plane has crashed and they are assumed to be dead. They decide that instead of telling everyone they are alive, they decide to use this opportunity to start new lives. After all, Cotten has been in a loveless marriage and he's sick of the corporate life. They settle down in a small Italian town and live an ideal life...that is, until his family learns, accidentally, that he is alive. To see what's next, see the film yourself....if you'd like.While I could sympathize with Cotten wanting to make a new start, he just seemed very cowardly doing what he did. And, the film also seemed to highly romanticize and endorse this sort of behavior. So, while the film is slickly made and the acting is quite good, I just couldn't get it out of my mind that the pair were just selfish...and far from the sort of folks I'd want to see in a romance. Yes, call me moralistic, but this just seemed wrong and it hurt my enjoyment of the film. For a similar sort of theme, "Avanti" also wholeheartedly endorses hanging about in Italy and living the adulterous dream. Again, I find this less than romantic.Now if you don't mind the sort of relationship that the film portrays, the film still is quite flawed. It strongly stretched the limits of believability, as the plot was, to put it mildly, quite far-fetched. Also, the film really didn't seem to know where and when to end and just went on and on AFTER the denouement AND the ending really made little sense. There are better ways to spend your time than watching this disappointing film.

I've been a Joan fan for a while now, so when I saw the laser disc for this movie I got it right away. I was definitely not disappointed.This movie has got a great story that could actually happen in real life. Joan gives a great performance as usual, of course Joseph is also perfect as the man she falls in love with at the same time saving her life. A great movie to watch if you like romance and a beautiful setting for a movie Italy.

Except for a haunting version of the title song sung by Walter Huston, this is a trivial romance about two people who decide to run away for awhile among some lovely Italian settings before reality sets in and they realize they must return to their banal domestic lives at home.All of this happens after a plane crash finds Joan Fontaine and Joseph Cotten presumed dead, therein giving them a new start on their unhappy lives.With a more polished script and inspired direction, this might have been worth seeing. Fontaine and Cotten do their best to be sincere and charming, but none of it seems to matter when the predictable outcome looms like an elephant in the living room. Fontaine's career was approaching its gradual decline when she found herself trapped in this sort of banality that required nothing more than her still fresh looks and simple charm.Not much can be said for Jessica Tandy as Cotten's shrewish wife, nor Francoise Rosay, Robert Arthur and Jimmy Lydon in thankless supporting roles.Summing up: Trivial, pallid romance.