The defence The Prestige Tourist
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
Back to trending 
The Passionate Friends
Drama · Romance · 1949
A woman is torn between the love of her life, who's married to someone else, and her older husband.
Movie details
The Passionate Friends
“Their affair took on a life of its own.”
1949 Drama · Romance 1h 31m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.9 / 10
Community rating
A woman is torn between the love of her life, who's married to someone else, and her older husband.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The Passionate Friends?
For the defence
The Prestige Tourist
“You like your greatness pre-approved.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Adrenaline Seeker
“If it slows down, you check your phone.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
Pride and Prejudice
Drama · 1940
In early 19th century England, Mr and Mrs Bennet's five unmarried daughters vie for the affections of rich and eligible Mr Bingley and his status-conscious friend, Mr Darcy, who have moved into their neighbourhood. While Bingley takes an immediate liking to eldest daughter Jane, Darcy has difficulty adapting to local society and repeatedly clashes with second-eldest Elizabeth.
Magnificent Obsession
Drama · 1954
Reckless playboy Bob Merrick crashes his speedboat, requiring emergency attention from the town’s only resuscitator while a local hero, Dr. Phillips, dies waiting for the life-saving device. Merrick then tries to right his wrongs with the doctor’s widow, Helen, falling in love with her in the process.
Flamingo Road
Drama · 1949
A stranded carnival dancer takes on a corrupt political boss when she marries into small-town society.
Nobody Has to Know
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After a stroke and no memories from his past, Phil encounters Millie who inhabits a desert part of Isle of Lewis. She will shortly entrust him with his deepest secret : they were in love.
A Valentine's Match
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Fired from her job as a reality TV host, Natalie returns home for Valentine's Day, only to find herself running the town festival's auction with her ex-fiancé thanks to two scheming mothers.
The Lost Husband
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Trying to put her life back together after the death of her husband, Libby and her children move to her estranged Aunt's goat farm in central Texas.
Dangerous
Drama · 1935
Don Bellows finds former stage star Joyce Heath a penniless drunk and takes her to his Connecticut home for rehabilitation. He asks his fiancée Gail to free him and offers to sponsor Joyce in a play.
Lovely, Still
Drama · 2009
A holiday fable that tells the story of an elderly man discovering love for the first time.
Kitty Foyle
Drama · 1940
A hard-working, white-collar girl falls in love with a young socialite, but meets with his family's disapproval.
I Still Believe
Music · 2020
The true-life story of Christian music star Jeremy Camp and his journey of love and loss that looks to prove there is always hope.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
David Lean
Written by
Eric Ambler
Ann Todd
Mary Justin
Claude Rains
Howard Justin
Trevor Howard
Prof. Steven Stratton
Betty Ann Davies
Joan Layton
Isabel Dean
Pat Stratton
Wilfrid Hyde-White
Lawyer
Arthur Howard
Smith - the Butler
Court is in session
Put The Passionate Friends on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.