This is a great reunion for Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr, their fourth film together, and like running an old friends, it's great to see them together. Mitchum's character, an American businessman out of work and marriages, goes to Fairborough in England for a reunion of troops that were stationed there, and gets the surprise of his life when he goes to visit a former lover (Kerr), and finds out a shocking secret when the young woman (Judi Trott) who takes him to her looks up at him and says "Hello, grandfather." It turns out the daughter he never knew he had has died and Kerr ended up raising her.
Trott at first comes off as quite the tough cookie, a 19-year-old activist who doesn't seem too interested in getting to know grandpa, but has no choice when he begins to spend time with Kerr. She begins to see some truth that she had not thought of because she had an educated herself and only saw things from one perspective, and the same works for him in learning about her anti war stance. There are many touching moments of Mitchum, Kerr and Trott walking amongst the war memorials, and Trott seeing the impact of the fight for freedom that she hadn't fully understood.
Then there's the situation concerning Mitchum's pal, Red Buttons, who has a serious drinking problem. Mitchum was Buttons' commanding officer yet when I was his way to look him up which says a lot about his character. This isn't groundbreaking in any way, but makes a two important points about the impact of War regardless of the situation behind it. It came out 40 years after the end of the war so it had a lot of significance and nostalgia, and like anytime she appeared on screen in the 80's, Kerr brings on a lot of sentiment for her gracious beauty which had not dwindled in the least. Mitchum had never taken time away so it's not quite the same, but when he tells off Trott, that moment is all his.
Trott at first comes off as quite the tough cookie, a 19-year-old activist who doesn't seem too interested in getting to know grandpa, but has no choice when he begins to spend time with Kerr. She begins to see some truth that she had not thought of because she had an educated herself and only saw things from one perspective, and the same works for him in learning about her anti war stance. There are many touching moments of Mitchum, Kerr and Trott walking amongst the war memorials, and Trott seeing the impact of the fight for freedom that she hadn't fully understood.
Then there's the situation concerning Mitchum's pal, Red Buttons, who has a serious drinking problem. Mitchum was Buttons' commanding officer yet when I was his way to look him up which says a lot about his character. This isn't groundbreaking in any way, but makes a two important points about the impact of War regardless of the situation behind it. It came out 40 years after the end of the war so it had a lot of significance and nostalgia, and like anytime she appeared on screen in the 80's, Kerr brings on a lot of sentiment for her gracious beauty which had not dwindled in the least. Mitchum had never taken time away so it's not quite the same, but when he tells off Trott, that moment is all his.