The Other Love

De Toth is usually associated with grittier action fare, but he does an uncommonly good job keeping the syrup at bay in this potentially mawkish tale of terminal illness and late-flowering ardour, adapted from Erich Maria Remarque's short story Beyond. Stanwyck's the consumptive concert pianist being treated at a Swiss sanatorium, where doctor Niven withholds both the true extent of her illness and the depth of his affection. Realisation that time may be at a premium sends her pell-mell into the arms of racing driver Conte (brashly superficial as usual), but the film reins itself back for a deftly achieved bittersweet finale. Stanwyck's steely resilience is well placed, Niven has the bedside manner down pat, and the Miklos Rosza score is spot-on in the circumstances - Rachmaninov with a dash of vinegar.