Love with the Proper Stranger (1963)

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

I can't figure out why an incredible gritty drama like "Love with the Proper Stranger" (1963) is still out of print. The 50th anniversary of the release of this film is coming up next year, so now would be a great time to release it. There are a lot of people out there that would love to own this film but you can't buy it anywhere at any price. On TCM's website there are over 2630 people who have expressed their interest in seeing this film released on DVD and it is currently ranked #26 on their most asked for list.The plot of the film: After a one-night stand, Angie (Natalie Wood) finds herself pregnant and she informs Rocky (Steve McQuenn) that she wants an abortion. The big twist: Abortion's are illegal and being performed in back rooms by hacks. The lucky few who have actually seen "Love with the Proper Stranger" would tell you that the cast are at their very best. And yet it's been out of print for over 10 years. I don't get it because the film is very clean and doesn't need a huge overhaul. Just slap it on a disc and put it on the shelves, PLEASE!

Love With The Proper Stranger is a romantic comedy with some very serious undertones. It basically tells the story of the result of a one night stand where a girl becomes pregnant and the chap responsible is forced to deal with the situation. At the time, the themes of unmarried pregnancy and back-street abortions were pretty shocking stuff. To today's audiences, this sort of stuff is now covered without a seconds thought in daytime soap operas, so it might be difficult appreciating the daring qualities of this production. However, the scenes where Natalie Wood visit's the abortion 'clinic' are still fairly grim. It has to be said that they sit relatively uncomfortably within the movie as a whole, as the tone otherwise is mainly light-hearted with quite a bit of comic interplay between the various characters. In my opinion it doesn't damage the film however, as it gives it a little bit of an edge and helps add our sympathies to Wood's character. It does have to be said that despite the presence of Steve McQueen, this is undoubtedly Natalie Wood's film. She is the heart and soul of the production and it's hardly surprising that she was nominated for an Oscar off the back of this. Although quite how McQueen's character could forget having a liaison with someone like Natalie Wood is a little mystifying, is he insane? Anyway, generally speaking, McQueen is forced to take a back seat in this film but he is good none-the-less. The film also boasts a fine comic appearance by Happy Days regular Tom Bosley. Quite amusingly he even looked middle-aged way back then! On the down-side, the film does seem to end perhaps too abruptly, it gave the impression that the film-makers had ran out of their allocated time and just wanted to wrap things up quickly. This is, however, a very minor complaint.Love With The Proper Stranger is a quality romantic-drama with comic moments. It's a nice showcase of 60's New York with a lush score accompanying it. However, at the end of the day, I would recommend it mostly for Natalie Wood. I thought she was terrific.

I grew up in the 1950s and 1960s, so I know first-hand what movies were like back then. The subject matter for this movie and how it is treated were definitely pushing the envelope of what the studios would allow, and what audiences were ready to see at that time. Often, however, films that are daring can't quite get beyond the self-congratulatory "look at us and how daring we are being" and actually take us somewhere we haven't been before or tell an original story.The overall structure of the movie is fine, but it fails on two main points. First, at no time are we given any reason to see why the two characters are attracted to each other. While they are both gorgeous people to look at, and both well-versed in the 1950s morality that says you should do "the right thing," there is no quality, no dialog, and little action that would make one character attracted to the other. It is true that Steve McQueen's character does some amazingly kind and considerate things, but I cannot think of one thing Natalie Woods' character does that would make anyone attracted to her as a person. He rescues her, helps her, tries to understand her, defends her, and gets in a fight for her, but she never does one thing to help him, elevate him, intrigue him, or motivate him. Other than her amazing looks, we are given no reason why McQueen would fall in love with this perfect stranger.The second and bigger failing is the direction. The screenwriter provides very sparse dialog, and most scenes find the actors posing, glancing, leaning, sitting, standing, moving, and generally fidgeting their way through scenes, as if random motion is going to convey some inner feelings. This is obviously entirely the work of the director. Emotions seem to turn on and off with almost every cut, and at times it is impossible to tell what the heck is going on.This random motion turns to random Emotion in the final scene of the movie, something I guess I should have expected, but something which does not logically follow anything that comes before it, especially the immediately preceding scenes.I have seldom seen a movie with a more thoroughly botched ending.And finally, while others see chemistry between McQueen and Woods, I saw absolutely nothing. To me, chemistry is what we saw many years later between McQueen and Faye Dunaway in the original "Thomas Crown Affair." That was pure electricity. By contrast, this is barely a spark.

This starts out being an extraordinary drama, and ends up being an excellent romantic comedy. Both are done well, although "Love with the Proper Stranger" might have been better off sticking to the dramatics. Natalie Wood (as Angie Rossini) and Steve McQueen (as Rocky Papasano) are an infectious team. As the film opens Ms. Wood is tracking Mr. McQueen down, to ask for help in obtaining an abortion. McQueen seems to have forgotten the dalliance with Wood (blame it on the scotch).Watch for a brief moment when McQueen looks Wood up and down, in their first on-screen scene; this is, perhaps, when McQueen recalls her, and the point at which he begins to "fall in love" with her character (as the sexual attraction had already reached culmination). McQueen's realization is long and confused; but, Wood visibly "falls in love" with McQueen while watching him interact with his parents. In this case, disposing with the initial sexual attraction has made the characters' "romance" more interesting. This is difficult to play so convincingly; and, the lead performances, along with the direction of Robert Mulligan, are award-worthy.The dramatic highlight will be obvious; the comic highlight is the scene with Wood having dinner with Tom Bosley (as Anthony Columbo)'s family. This scene works so well because it both parallels and contrasts Wood's earlier meeting with McQueen's family (when she fell in love with him). Mr. Bosley heads up a strong supporting cast. Arnold Schulman's script, and the Milton R. Krasner photography, are also outstanding. The unworthy last act is disappointing, but not damning.********* Love with the Proper Stranger (12/25/63) Robert Mulligan ~ Natalie Wood, Steve McQueen, Tom Bosley, Edie Adams