A New Kind of Love (1963)

Really Surprised!

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman were definitely made for each other on screen and off screen. This movie stars two of Hollywood's greatest actors. Paul and Joanne were a couple off screen as well. They play two cynical adults who meet and fall in love under unusual circumstances in Paris, France. Joanne's character is a feminist who would like romance with a man. She is a fashion business woman and Paul plays a sports writer. They meet in Paris under strange circumstances and end up falling in love. Joanne's character goes unrecognizable when she spends an afternoon at an Elizabeth Arden Spa. She is a new woman of Paris and pretends to be a Parisienne like Felicienne (played by Eva Gabor). Paul and Joanne have a good time playing unlikely partners in love. The scenery, art direction, and costumes by the legendary Edith Head add to the film's aesthetic. Thelma Ritter, George Tobias, and Eva Gabor are first rate supporting players. Thelma Ritter is a scene stealer with an old crush on her employer.

Okay, so it's not an art piece, a great classic, or a stellar example of brilliant film- making. But does every movie have to be? This movie is cute, charming and clean (especially when compared to the most of the filth being made today). Paris looks gorgeous, as do Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, and the haute couture fashions are to die for. Sometimes you're just in the mood for something light and frothy, where you don't need to think, analyze or criticize. This movie is ideal for that purpose. I particularly enjoyed the witty comments in the opening credits regarding the fashions used in the picture. While not worth running out and buying (although thanks to my husband and an Amazon wish list accident I do now own the DVD), it would certainly be worth watching if it ran on TV, or even renting if you have a particular fondness for this era, or these actors.

That quote, uttered by a tearful Joanne Woodward, is the perfect summation of this frothy sex comedy: It gives us a brief taste of something delicious before breaking off and leaving us cold and disappointed. Let's start at the beginning. Paul Newman is at his coolest as a slick swinger, and Joanne Woodward is appealing as the unkempt, androgynous fashion consultant everyone keeps mistaking for a man. There's a terrific opening, followed by some snappy montages and split screens. But then, about halfway through, the fun's over and the frustration begins. Suddenly everything is presented before the camera in a very bland manner as the plot becomes a ponderous romantic chase into nothingness. The characters begin spouting cliches about love and marriage. And to top it off, the film pulls that awful hooker-housewife double standard still widely in use today: If a man enjoys sex he's a playboy, if a woman enjoys sex she's a tramp. The whole thing becomes so obtrusive and heavy handed that not even the charm of Paul, Joanne, and the bubbly Eva Gabor can save it. Despite being set in red hot, exquisitely photographed Paris, A New Kind of Love's traditional, preachy, and ultimately boring sensibilities would be more at home in suburban Iowa.

I loved this movie. It was very light hearted and very sophisticated in it's own way. It was good for laughs, and anyone who likes fashion would like this movie! I enjoyed this movie! :o)