(She would lose the award to Patricia Neal in Hud.) After splashy parts in big-budget musicals like West Side Story and Gypsy, Wood goes small here, and her performance reflects a growing maturity and assuredness that would result in a well-deserved Best Actress Oscar nomination. Wood, who dons a natural, no-glamour look (but remains radiantly beautiful) combines wide-eyed innocence with steely-eyed resolve to craft a dimensional and deeply affecting portrayal. Wood and McQueen are perfectly cast and both vigorously embrace their respective roles. Mulligan, one of Hollywood’s most underrated directors, takes a low-key approach (just like he did with his previous film, To Kill a Mockingbird), never allowing technique or superfluous trimmings to get in the way of his characters, and the result is one of the best offbeat love stories of its generation. The deft screenplay by Arnold Schulman emphasizes human quirks and foibles, celebrates ethnicity, and stresses the importance of a supportive family, no matter how annoying and eccentric it may be. Modestly shot in black-and-white and making terrific use of urban Big Apple locations - both of which add immeasurable authenticity to this simple tale - Love with the Proper Stranger seamlessly mixes comedy and drama, but neither element ever feels forced. Yet during their mad dash, as they bolster each other’s courage, manage their uncertainties about the impending procedure, and reveal personal details, these two strangers come to know each other far more intimately than they ever did in the sack. Time is of the essence, and when the abortionist’s middle man charges an unexpected fee for his services, Rocky and Angie must race around New York in a desperate quest to raise the extra funds.
Stuck in a dreary job at Macy’s and suffocated by her matchmaking Italian mother and over-protective brothers, Angie yearns to escape her sheltered, dead-end existence, and she’s not about to let a baby spawned from a deadbeat musician derail her plans.Īngie asks Rocky to help her find a “doctor” to perform the abortion (which was a dicey proposition back in the days when the procedure was illegal), and though he may be an irresponsible, fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants schlemiel, Rocky is also honorable and sympathetic, and agrees to see Angie through her ordeal. Rocky doesn’t even remember Angie, but when she bluntly announces she’s pregnant, she grabs his attention. That ride begins at a frenetic musician’s booking session in New York City, where plucky, not-to-be-ignored Angie Rossini (Natalie Wood) confronts aimless, average-joe horn player Rocky Papasano (Steve McQueen) about the casual sex they shared a few weeks earlier. Juggling drama with comedy is always a delicate high-wire act, but Love with the Proper Stranger succeeds because it puts its characters before the events that engulf them, which enables the audience to better relate to their predicaments and weather the twists and turns of their wild rollercoaster ride.
Wade and while Hollywood’s stringent production code still wielded some influence - makes director Robert Mulligan’s charming, deeply human film all the more impressive. Plenty of romantic comedies deal with the awkward complications resulting from a one-night stand, but how many instantly toss in such not-so-cheery issues as an unwanted pregnancy and (gasp!) the prospect of abortion? Love with the Proper Stranger does just that, and the fact it did so way back in 1963 - a decade before Roe vs.