Love in the Afternoon

Billy Wilder's Love in the Afternoon pits Gary Cooper with Audrey Hepburn in this 1957 feature that yet again shows that a man in his late 50's can carry on with a young lady 30 years his junior. What a double standard Hollywood has and has Hollywood had. God forbid it should be the opposite, the antithesis... older woman/20 something year old youth.

In any case Gary Cooper is MUCH TOO OLD to be playing this playboy known for his scandalous ways which put me off pretty much from the outset. Obviously, he develops some crush for the sweet young Audrey, daughter of a detective. However, the story is not just about love on some afternoon or I simply would not have watched a film whose premise is irritating. The film has a neat surprise which gives it much more of a spark and impetus. In any case, one word of the divine Audrey Hepburn. She was one of the bright lights of her era being voted by the AFI as the # 5 greatest female star of the 20th century though she only made some 25 films. This proves the impact she made. I don't believe she ever gave a bad performance.

Love in the Afternoon is not a bad film by any stretch of the imagination, but being a contemporary man, I'm not enamoured by this sort of December/May affair or romance or whatever you want to call it. So it leaves me no alternative but to go straight down the middle, as it were with a 5. WOMEN SHOULD BE EQUAL OR ON A PAR WITH MEN EVEN IN THE ROMANCE DEPARTMENT AND ESPECIALLY AS TO WHAT CONCERNS AGE AND LOVE! What's good for the goose is good for the gander!