Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageSeptember Affair (1950)
Director: William Dieterle
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
After mechanical trouble forces a Neapolitan stopover during a flight back to the US, complete strangers Cotten and Fontaine fall into conversation and are soon falling in love. When the plane resumes its journey without them and subsequently crashes, their names on the fatality list promise a new life together in sunny Italy - if he can forget his estranged family, and she forgo her career as a concert pianist. There are echoes of both Random Hearts and Voyage to Italy in this plush bitter-sweet romance, which lays on touristy Italian location work, Walter Huston's famous recording of Weill's 'September Song' and lashings of Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto (shades of Brief Encounter), yet spikes its potentially excessive ardour with niggling reminders of past lives. Relatively unshowy star performances help keep the emotions effectively grounded.Author: TJ
Cast & crew
Director: William Dieterle
Producer: Hal B Wallis
Cast: Joseph Cotten, Joan Fontaine, Françoise Rosay, Jessica Tandy, Robert Arthur, Jimmy Lydon, Fortunio Bonanova full cast
Genre(s): Musicals
Duration: 91 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
London Children's Film Festival
Read our exclusive reviews of films playing at the 2009 London Children’s Film Festival
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'
Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now