It is a shame that this did not receive theatrical release in 1975 for this is ranked as one of the worst years on the big screen for women in film. Katharine Hepburn might have had five Oscars as opposed to four, and her co-star Laurence Olivier might have been a serious challenge to that year's best actor winner, Jack Nicholson. But the big screen's loss was the little screen's gain, giving prestige to the fairly new concept of the T.V. movie which had only taken shape over the past decade with mostly low-budget, cheaply made telefeatures which replaced the "B" movies of the big screen.
In this film, Laurence Olivier is a barrister who is asked by Hepburn's legal adviser (Colin Blakely) to represent her in a breach of promise suit brought against her by an extremely young man who claimed that she had agreed to marry him. Outraged by the ridiculous charges, Hepburn admits that she had befriended the young chap (Leigh Lawson) out of loneliness after her husband died, but had never lead him into thinking that it was anything more than a close acquaintance. Olivier is angered because Hepburn doesn't remember their own involvement years ago when she was a promising stage actress who went off to pursue a stage career while he was getting his legal career off the ground. In love with her for years and never getting over that, he stayed a bachelor, watching her from a distance and pining for the love lost.
Does she remember and is simply hiding it out of some sort of womanly pride, or has she truly forgotten? This is the question as they discuss the facts of the case which present Lawson and his social climbing mother (Joan Sims) as obvious gold diggers out to swindle a lonely old widow. As the case is presented in court, Hepburn gets more indignant, having a temperamental breakdown when questioned in regards to her age and other sordid facts in the case. This blends comedy and drama with great ease, directed to perfection by Hepburn's long-time friend George Cukor who had guided her through many memorable movies through the years, including several with her long-time partner, Spencer Tracy.
As for the chemistry between Hepburn and Olivier, it is obvious that they admire each other very much, and in real life, they were friendly. In fact, one source I investigated indicated that Hepburn was a witness when Olivier married Vivien Leigh, so their pairing some thirty years later is not only historical but nostalgic and touching. As the storyline involving the case is wrapped up, Hepburn and Olivier's characters begin to find a respect for each other that earlier was mostly arguments over their case as well as their past. Looking splendid in period costumes, the two compliment each other greatly. The great Kate has the showier part, with Olivier laid back in speaking his dialog, almost like a school boy experiencing his first crush. You won't be seeing Heathcliff, Maxim De Winter or Hamlet in this performance; He is shyly sweet and professionally tough, mixing the personalities of both business and tender love into a character you can't help be charmed by.
In this film, Laurence Olivier is a barrister who is asked by Hepburn's legal adviser (Colin Blakely) to represent her in a breach of promise suit brought against her by an extremely young man who claimed that she had agreed to marry him. Outraged by the ridiculous charges, Hepburn admits that she had befriended the young chap (Leigh Lawson) out of loneliness after her husband died, but had never lead him into thinking that it was anything more than a close acquaintance. Olivier is angered because Hepburn doesn't remember their own involvement years ago when she was a promising stage actress who went off to pursue a stage career while he was getting his legal career off the ground. In love with her for years and never getting over that, he stayed a bachelor, watching her from a distance and pining for the love lost.
Does she remember and is simply hiding it out of some sort of womanly pride, or has she truly forgotten? This is the question as they discuss the facts of the case which present Lawson and his social climbing mother (Joan Sims) as obvious gold diggers out to swindle a lonely old widow. As the case is presented in court, Hepburn gets more indignant, having a temperamental breakdown when questioned in regards to her age and other sordid facts in the case. This blends comedy and drama with great ease, directed to perfection by Hepburn's long-time friend George Cukor who had guided her through many memorable movies through the years, including several with her long-time partner, Spencer Tracy.
As for the chemistry between Hepburn and Olivier, it is obvious that they admire each other very much, and in real life, they were friendly. In fact, one source I investigated indicated that Hepburn was a witness when Olivier married Vivien Leigh, so their pairing some thirty years later is not only historical but nostalgic and touching. As the storyline involving the case is wrapped up, Hepburn and Olivier's characters begin to find a respect for each other that earlier was mostly arguments over their case as well as their past. Looking splendid in period costumes, the two compliment each other greatly. The great Kate has the showier part, with Olivier laid back in speaking his dialog, almost like a school boy experiencing his first crush. You won't be seeing Heathcliff, Maxim De Winter or Hamlet in this performance; He is shyly sweet and professionally tough, mixing the personalities of both business and tender love into a character you can't help be charmed by.