Personal Affair

Not to be confused with Personal Affairs (film).

Personal Affair is a 1953 British drama film directed by Anthony Pelissier and starring Gene Tierney, Leo Genn and Glynis Johns.^[1][2] The screenplay by Lesley Storm was based on her 1951 play "The Day's Mischief."

Personal Affair
Directed by	Anthony Pelissier (as Anthony Pélissier)
Written by	Lesley Storm from her play "The Day's Mischief"
Produced by	Antony Darnborough
Starring	Gene Tierney Leo Genn Glynis Johns
Cinematography	Reginald H. Wyer
Edited by	Frederick Wilson
Music by	William Alwyn
Production company	Two Cities Films
Distributed by	United Artists
Release dates	20 October 1953 (1953-10-20) (UK) 15 October 1954 (1954-10-15) (US)
Running time	82 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Plot summary

Teenager Barbara Vining has an unrequited crush on her Latin-language teacher, Stephen Barlow and goes to his house for private tutoring. Barlow's wife Kay notices Barbara's infatuation and cruelly confronts her. Barbara, who is humiliated, runs out of their house. Stephen phones Barbara at her home and asks her to meet him at the village weir, late at night, which she does.

Barbara does not return home to her parents Henry and Vi. By the next day Vi becomes distraught and is heavily sedated, while Henry angrily confronts Stephen. The police are brought in and Stephen lies to them about meeting Barbara at the weir. By the second day, Stephen is accused by the community, without any evidence, of having had an affair with Barbara or even of causing her death by murder or suicide.

Barbara's gossipy spinster Aunt Evelyn, who lives with the family, makes the situation considerably worse with her innuendo, by projecting her own, much earlier unrequited love experience onto her niece. As the police drag the river to find Barbara's body, an irate group of concerned mothers meet with the school's headmaster, causing Stephen to lose his job. He confesses his original lie to Kay, but Aunt Evelyn tells Kay that Stephen was having an affair with Barbara. Kay flees her home, much as she had earlier caused Barbara to do. After three days, Barbara returns, alive, but questions remain.

Cast

• Gene Tierney as Kay Barlow
• Leo Genn as Stephen Barlow
• Glynis Johns as Barbara Vining
• Walter Fitzgerald as Henry Vining
• Pamela Brown as Aunt Evelyn
• Megs Jenkins as Vi Vining
• Michael Hordern as headmaster Griffith
• Thora Hird as Mrs. Usher
• Norah Gorsen as Phoebe
• Nanette Newman as Sally
• Martin Boddey as Police Inspector

Production

It was made at Pinewood Studios by Two Cities Films.

Critical reaction

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The plot of Personal Affair piles up a whole series of misunderstandings, few of them altogether plausible. ... In fact, the characters and their motives belong to the artificial world of woman's magazine fiction. Rather unhappily, neither the scriptwriter nor the director has been prepared to let the film assume this level. ... Glynis Johns, though inevitably not altogether looking the part, contrives to make something of the bewildered schoolgirl. Other players have to convey emotional tension with nothing much to base it on, and for the most part fail."^[3]

Variety wrote: "Up to a point, Personal Affair is a taut meller. But once the mystery is resolved, the action drags on to an awkward anti-climax. Despite this, the pic has substantial entertainment merit and sufficient marquee lure to help it towards steady grosses on both sides of the Atlantic."^[4]

In The Radio Times Guide to Films Robyn Karney gave the film 3/5 stars, writing: "A somewhat overheated and unconvincing drama, this nevertheless illustrates the ease with which relationships in small communities can become damaged by gossip."^[5]

Bosley Crowther wrote in The New York Times: "a decent, eventually tedious film".^[6]