''September Affair'' is a 1950 American

romantic drama film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

directed by

William Dieterle William Dieterle (July 15, 1893 – December 9, 1972) was a German-born actor and film director who emigrated to the United States in 1930 to leave a worsening political situation. He worked in Hollywood primarily as a director for much of his ...

and starring

Joan Fontaine Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland (October 22, 1917 – December 15, 2013), known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was a British-American actress who is best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the "Golden Age". Fontaine appeared ...

Joseph Cotten Joseph Cheshire Cotten Jr. (May 15, 1905 – February 6, 1994) was an American film, stage, radio and television actor. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original stage productions of '' The Philadelphia Story'' and '' Sab ...

, and

Jessica Tandy Jessie Alice Tandy (7 June 1909 – 11 September 1994) was a British-American actress. Tandy appeared in over 100 stage productions and had more than 60 roles in film and TV, receiving an Academy Award, four Tony Awards, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe ...

. It was produced by

Hal B. Wallis Harold Brent Wallis (born Aaron Blum Wolowicz; October 19, 1898 – October 5, 1986) was an American film producer. He is best known for producing '' Casablanca'' (1942), '' The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1938), and ''True Grit'' (1969), along ...

Plot

Marianne "Manina" Stuart (

), a prominent concert pianist, meets David Lawrence (

), a businessman, on a flight from Rome to New York. Their plane is diverted to Naples for engine repairs, and they decide to kill time by doing some sight-seeing. At lunch, a recording of the

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fru ...

Maxwell Anderson James Maxwell Anderson (December 15, 1888 – February 28, 1959) was an American playwright, author, poet, journalist, and lyricist. Background Anderson was born on December 15, 1888, in Atlantic, Pennsylvania, the second of eight children to ...

song " September Song", sung by

Walter Huston Walter Thomas Huston ( ;According to the Province of Ontario. ''Ontario, C ...

, is playing. Manina is single, and David is unhappily married with a son in his late teens. They talk too long and miss their flight, and decide to stay on for a few days, getting to know each other. They quickly fall in love. Then they hear that the plane they were scheduled to catch has crashed into the ocean, and all on board are presumed dead. Due to a clerical mixup, they were believed to have been among those aboard. A list of the victims is published in a newspaper they pick up. Thinking their absences will not make any difference to the larger world, they decide to "stay dead" and begin a new life together in Florence. They make no contact with their families or friends, including Lawrence's wife Catherine (

) and son David Jr. ( Robert Arthur). Manina had been originally intending to play

Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

's Piano Concerto No. 2 in New York, and she keeps up her practice during the secret affair. She also has contact with piano teacher Maria Salvatini (

Françoise Rosay Françoise Rosay (; born Françoise Bandy de Nalèche; 19 April 1891 – 28 March 1974) was a French opera singer, diseuse,''Design'', Volume 9 1965 p. 24 and actress who enjoyed a film career of over sixty years and who became a legendary figur ...

), who agrees not to reveal Manina is very much alive, but continues to tutor her. David transfers a large sum of money to Maria Salvatini by issuing a check dated prior to the flight. They use the money as a nest egg for their life in Florence. Catherine and her son travel to Florence after hearing of this transfer to try to find out any more on David's fate from the woman he gave the money to. David Jr recognizes Manina's face from the list of presumed dead and puts two and two together that his father is alive. After this David's wife writes him a note and then leaves. Knowing their secret is out, Manina goes on to perform the Rachmaninoff concerto as originally planned in New York. In the end, Manina realizes she can't stay with David, that they tried to hide from the past but it caught up with them, and after her concert leaves, bidding David goodbye at the airport.

Cast

as Manina Stuart *

as David Lawrence *

as Maria Salvatini *

as Catherine Lawrence * Robert Arthur as David Lawrence Jr. *

Jimmy Lydon James Joseph Lydon (May 30, 1923 – March 9, 2022) was an American actor and television producer whose career in the entertainment industry began as a teenager during the 1930s. Early life Lydon was born in Harrington Park, New Jersey on May 3 ...

as Johnny Wilson *

Fortunio Bonanova Fortunio Bonanova, pseudonym of Josep Lluís Moll, (13 January 1895 – 2 April 1969) was a Spanish baritone singer and a film, theater, and television actor. He occasionally worked as a producer and director. According to Lluis Fàbregas Cuixar ...

as Grazzi *

Grazia Narciso ''Grazia'' (; Italian for ''Grace'') is a weekly women's magazine that originated in Italy with international editions printed in Albania, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Colombia, France, Germany. Greece, Indonesia ...

as Bianca *

Anna Demetrio Anna Demetrio (1890–1959) was an Italian-born American film actress.McLaughlin p.170 Speaking English with a heavy accent, she often played stock foreign characters in a series of supporting roles. In 1950 she starred in the sitcom '' Mama Rosa ...

as Rosita *

Lou Steele Louis J. "Lou" Steele (March 7, 1928 – February 25, 2001) was an American actor, radio, and television announcer. Career Born Louis Ferraioli in 1928, he was an announcer on Armed Forces Radio during the Korean War, and was the voice who inf ...

as Vittorio Portini *

Frank Yaconelli Frank Yaconelli (October 2, 1898 – November 19, 1965) was an Italian-born American film actor. Biography When he was a child his family emigrated to the United States, settling in Boston. Yaconelli was a character actor playing supporting rol ...

as Mr. Peppino *

makes an uncredited cameo appearance as a tourist in a souvenir shop.

Music and costumes

The primary music score was written by

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Biography Young is commonly said to ...

. " September Song" from the musical ''

Knickerbocker Holiday ''Knickerbocker Holiday'' is a 1938 musical written by Kurt Weill (music) and Maxwell Anderson (book and lyrics); based loosely on Washington Irving's '' Knickerbocker's History of New York'' about life in 17th-century New Netherland (old New Y ...

'' (music by

, lyrics by

), is used at moments throughout this film, initially in the recording by

Walter Huston Walter Thomas Huston ( ;According to the Province of Ontario. ''Ontario, C ...

. Later, Johnny Wilson (

), a sailor, sings "September Song" live. Huston's recording had been made in 1938, but the film gave it a new lease of life and it made it to the top of the 1950 hit parade.Answers.com
/ref> Excerpts from

's Piano Concerto No. 2 are heard a number of times throughout the film. The pianist in the Rachmaninoff was Leonard Pennario. The voice of

Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyrical tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles (74) ...

is also heard in an off-screen recording. The costume design was by

Edith Head Edith Head (October 28, 1897 – October 24, 1981) was an American costume designer who won a record eight Academy Awards for Best Costume Design between 1949 and 1973, making her the most awarded woman in the Academy's history. Head is cons ...

. The film was shot on location in Naples, Capri, Florence, and other places in Italy.

Reception

Critic

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

, in his review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', called this film a "rambling drama" and a "banal adventure" in which producer Hal B. Wallis and his team "have set down a hopelessly silly story in front of some beautiful scenery and a haunting song."

References

External links

* * {{Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score 1950 films 1950 romantic drama films American romantic drama films 1950s English-language films 1950s Italian-language films Films about classical music and musicians Films about pianos and pianists Films directed by William Dieterle Films produced by Hal B. Wallis Films scored by Victor Young Films set in Italy Films shot in Italy Paramount Pictures films American black-and-white films Italian-language American films 1950s multilingual films American multilingual films 1950s American films