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Peter Ibbetson (1935)

Director: Henry Hathaway

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From Time Out Film Guide

Reputedly 'discovered' by Paul Eluard in a suitably aleatory fashion by following a woman into the Paris cinema at which it was playing, this adaptation of George du Maurier's novel was hailed by André Breton and other Surrealists as the cinematic embodiment of their magnificent obsession with l'amour fou - the love that transcends all known obstacles. In fact it is a gentler and more romantic channelling of the libidinal surges of L'Age d'Or. A young architect, played with understated intensity by Cooper, meets in adult life his lost childhood love, and is subsequently falsely imprisoned for the murder of her husband. Undeterred by physical separation, the couple continue to meet in their own world, preserved in their youth, until the lasting reunion of death. The film's boldness and continuing appeal lie in its unhesitating and exultant acceptance of the primacy of love, and in its seamless transitions between the worlds of reality and dream.

Author: NA 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

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User reviews of this film

  • Walker said...
    Posted on Aug 20 2007 15:47 I was astounded at the depth and quality of the "undiscovered" classic film. I had never heard of it until I rented the Gary Cooper Collection to view "Design for Living"; the title "Peter Ibbetson" intrigued me, and I watched it simply out of curiosity. Now I'm a convert. I was deeply moved; the score, the performances from a very able cast, the cinematography -- it was all of a piece, and emminently watchable.
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Cast & crew

Director: Henry Hathaway

Producer: Louis D Lighton

Cast: Gary Cooper, Ann Harding, Ida Lupino, John Halliday, Douglas Dumbrille, Virginia Weidler, Dickie Moore full cast

Duration: 88 mins


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