Another Time, Another Place (1958) User Reviews

Weep No More

[richardchatten · 6/10 · 1 December 2020]

Set in Cornwall (not that you'd know from the accents, least of all Connery's) in 1945 (not that you'd know from Lana Turner's chic fifties wardrobe). The title is apt, as it belongs to a very specific moment in 1957 when Sid James was still playing Americans, Lana's film career was simply treading water (just before the publicity resulting from the Stompanato scandal revived it again) and Sean Connery - suffering yet another false start - cost next to nothing. Likewise it completely lacks the glossy high contrast colour photography by Russell Metty and mellow piano music by Frank Skinner (rather than the noisy score here by Douglas Gamley) that became a hallmark of her vehicles for Ross Hunter.

Turner's penchant for Bad Boys showed both in her offscreen liason with Johnny Stompanato and her onscreen one with a Connery still sporting his original bushy eyebrows. But it's really about Lana's relationship with Connery's wife Glynis Johns.

Silly Romance

[claudio_carvalho · 4/10 · 4 April 2009]

In 1945, while in a temporary assignment in London, the "The New York Standard" journalist Sara Scott (Lana Turner) has a torrid love affair with the reporter of BBC Mark Trevor (Sean Connery) and she falls in love for him. Just before the end of the war, they cover a sapper disassembling a bomb and Sara is informed that her boss and fiancé Carter Reynolds (Barry Sullivan) is coming to London to meet her. When she tells the news to Mark, he surprisingly discloses to her after three months of relationship that he is married and has a son in St. Giles, Cornwall, and he loves and will stay with his family. Mark leaves Sara and travels to Paris with his assistant Alan Thompson (Terence Longdon), but the plane crashes and he dies. The grieving Sara has a nervous breakdown and is interned in the Headway Nursing Home for treatment. Six weeks later, Carter buys a ship trip to her from Plymouth to New York; however, Sara decides to visit St. Giles by train before returning to her country. When she meets Mark's wife Kay Trevor (Glynis Johns) and his son Brian (Martin Stephens), she is invited by Kay to stay with them until the next morning. During the night, Sara has a crisis, faints and Kay invites her to stay at her home during for recovering.

The silly "Another Time, Another Place" is an unconvincing romance, with a laughable screenplay. The story begins without a previous development of characters, but sooner the viewer understands that Sara is an experienced American correspondent that writes a column for her newspaper and is engaged of her boss. Mark is a married man that broadcasts news about the war and is having an affair with Sara, and disapproved by his friend and assistant Alan. When Sara tells that her fiancé is coming to London, Mark decides to end his affair since he loves his family. This revelation, associated to the shock of the death of Mark lead Sara to a breakdown. Up to this point, the story is convincing and I have no remarks. However, the decision of Sara to travel to St. Giles is the beginning of an unthinkable attitude of an experienced woman living overseas. The rest of this forgettable movie is pure crap with a corny conclusion, despite the good performance of Glynis Johns and the magnificent locations in Cornwall. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "Vítima de uma Paixão" ("Victim of a Passion")

"On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Polperro..."

[robertconnor · 3/10 · 1 May 2007]

Whilst on assignment in a very 1950s-looking WW2 London, a plastic-haired US ace-journo' (Turner) and an impossibly baby-faced Cornish ace-journo' (Connery) are lost in the throws of a torrid affair, despite the disapproval of colleagues (stiff-upper-lip Longdon, laconic James). However, even as declarations of undying love are uttered, dark clouds loom in the form of Turner's newspaper boss and erstwhile lover Sullivan, and Connery's shock disclosure that he has a wife and child tucked away in his native Cornish village. When Connery is killed in a plane crash, a devastated Turner makes a pilgrimage to his native Cornwall where her path crosses that of his wife and child...

Risible weepy, serving as a star vehicle for Lana and an early showcase for the handsome young Connery, both of whom fail miserably to convince. Turner seems to possess only three facial expressions, even when trying to stay upright in her stilettos as she totters round 'St. Giles' (actually Polperro) - witness her horribly 2-D efforts to comfort Martin Stephens after his nightmare. Meanwhile Connery's description of his Cornish fishing village birthplace is delivered in such a rich Edinburgh brogue as to be quite giggle-some.

So often the case with British cinema of the 40s and 50s, it's the support players who steal the show - Glynis Johns' is a beautifully judged and modulated depiction of a woman recovering from grief. Her resolute kindness, generosity and warmth make her reaction to the final reel revelations all the more believable. Sid James shines as a world-weary American journalist trying to juggle loyalties, and Stephens' post-nightmare scene is desperately convincing.

Sadly however, excellent support playing, and beautiful location shooting are just not enough to save this overwrought turkey.

We Will Meet Again....

[JLRMovieReviews · 8/10 · 24 January 2011]

Lana Turner, her star appearing to be descending, meets Sean Connery, a star on the rise in this film that takes place in WWII England. He's a BBC commentator and she's a journalist, who's on assignment. They meet obviously and fall in love. Just when she's about to propose to him, he tells her he's married. Even though he tells her he loves her, he can't leave his wife and Brian, his son. But, at the last minute of parting, he says he'll find a way. But, upon separation, his plane crashes and he dies, which puts Lana into a tailspin and she goes in a hospital for a rest. After weeks there, she has it in her mind to see where he grew up and lived. Once there in Cornwall, she sees a young boy playing, whose mother, played by Glynis Johns, calls to him by the name of Brian to come in.

If you like actresses Glynis Johns and Lana Turner and are curious to see a real young Sean Connery, then this should be pretty entertaining for you. Granted, this isn't your usual movie with a guy-meets-girl, guy-loves-girl, guy-loses-girl, and guy-wins-girl-back plot. Instead it tries to be more, and to some degree it works as a mature look at love and loss. The ending may seem a bit pat and manipulated, but I have always liked it and always felt it to be a very therapeutic movie, as they try to deal with their losses together, in the quiet, picturesque English village. (And, Lana had never looked more beautiful in black and white.)

Lana's next movie, "Imitation of Life," would really bring her career back on top, and it would be only 8 more years until her last great role of "Madame X." So her years of being a box office draw would be on the decline in a relatively short time, despite the really big movies she had yet to make. But Sean Connery was just now coming out on his own. To take notice of his performances in his early years, watch "Another Time, Another Place," a movie not just about our earthly love, but about meeting those we loved and lost, in another time and another place.

Hard to believe--but quite enjoyable nonetheless.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 20 September 2011]

Super-mega spoiler coming up! Don't say I didn't warn you!

While some might have been surprised by a romance between Sean Connery and Lana Turner due to the difference in their ages, I am sure most Brits actually were more surprised by hearing the Scottish Connery saying he was from Cornwall--in the very southeast corner of Britain. The accents are so very different, I could just imagine the Brits watching the film getting a bit peeved--though at the time, most Americans wouldn't have noticed.

The film is set in the latter portion of WWII. The first few minutes are great--very tense and I felt myself on edge as a man disarmed an unexploded V-2 rocket! Turner and Connery are there because they are war correspondents and it seems they have fallen deeply in love...or at least Turner has. In their scenes together, you can detect a hint of apprehension in Connery. So, when he later divulges that he is married, the audience isn't terribly surprised--but Turner is crushed. But, after thinking about it, she shows she is also a person without character--and STILL wants to marry Connery (I would have preferred her kicking him in the crotch--but that didn't happen). Then, after he agrees to ask for a divorce, he's unexpectedly killed in a plane crash.

Now if you were in Turner's situation, what would you do? Yes, you'd go off to Cornwall to see where Connery lived--and even see his wife and son incognito. This is all a bit creepy and weird--and against her doctor's advice. When she arrives, she is befriended by Connery's widow (Glynnis Johns)--a nice lady who you can't help but like. However, as Turner has some weird sort of Hollywood ailment following Connery's death, she wanders outside of Johns' home later and faints! She clearly isn't do well and so she is invited to stay with Johns for several days. Talk about awkward! When Turner's boss and ex-boyfriend (Barry Sullivan) learns where she is and what she's doing, he's upset and rushes to Cornwall to retrieve her. After all, he reasons that sooner or later the wife is going to learn the truth if Turner stays much longer. Oddly, however, Connery's old assistant (Terence Longdon--who wants Turner to leave ASAP) turns out to be the one who convinces Johns that perhaps Connery was cheating on her. That's because whenever she mentions her dead husband, the assistant looks away and changes the subject--and she suspects something was amiss. What will come of all this? See the film.

While it's hard to believe the plot, hard to like Turner (she is so selfish and a bit goofy) and the music a bit overdone, the film is an interesting soap opera. And, it ended very well. In other words, I enjoyed it even though I know it was a rather flawed film. In fact, Turner made quite a few flawed soaps during this era--and yet they were mostly very enjoyable.

Ghoulish, just plain ghoulish

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 14 January 2017]

Lana Turner and Barry Sullivan are the only Americans in this British production where a name Hollywood star got the top billing to insure a good foreign market. In this case Turner also produced Another Time, Another Place so she dictated the billing in any event.

This film also features Sean Connery as a Richard Dimbleby type radio broadcaster in a film set right at the end of World War II. Turner has a fling with Connery who breaks it off and confesses he's got a wife and child back in a village in Cornwall from where he comes. After that Connery killed in a plane crash going to report on the surrender of Kesselring's army in Italy.

So the brokenhearted Turner goes to said village and meets up with wife Glynis Johns and son Martin Stephens.

Some might find that romantic. Personally I found that whole thing just ghoulish. If Turner had any decency she would have taken the advice of her boss Barry Sullivan and returned to the states. In the end she does. Sullivan has little to do but wait for Turner to come to her senses and finally win her.

Not one of Lana's best. Connery is well cast though.

end of ww2 melodrama

[FabienMorisset · 9/10 · 1 June 2009]

Everybody around here seems to be criticizing this fine piece of melodrama. It feels like a duty to say some good things to save it right away. I only heard about the title yesterday from Amazon, and then, in the afternoon, a friend of mine offered to lend it to me. I appreciated the coincidence. I've just finished watching it, and must confess I really enjoyed the show. The image is great, Lana Turner is beautiful. I will accept the fact that it's not as original as other melodramas, but it definitely uses all the ropes we love about this kind of movies. So my mark here is seven, I had a great time and I would advise anyone interested in melodramas to have a look at it on a sunny day, just before going to the beach. And dream while watching seagulls in the sky.

Interesting

[dianaschleisman · 24 January 2016]

Another Time, Another Place is a multi-dimensional movie. Keeping in mind that it is fifty-eight years old, I imagine the storyline and character building was fairly innovative. Still today, the acting, script, and directing were relevant enough on a general level and pulled me in. I felt drawn towards each character and their individual plights, albeit some more than others. Emotions emanated off the screen, and some scenes were very powerful. While this isn't the best movie of all time, and arguably may not be the peak of Turner's and Connery's careers, it is certainly a heartfelt film that deserves respect.

VistaVision v, CinemaScope

[JohnHowardReid · 3/10 · 7 November 2016]

NOTES: Locations in the fishing village of Polperro, Cornwall. Interiors filmed at Elstree Studios, London. COMMENT: Out of a dime- store women's novel, Stanley Mann has constructed a screenplay of stupefying boredom, indifferently acted, and directed with suitable dullness. The film's only attractive feature is Jack Hildyard's black- and-white VistaVision photography, particularly of the locations in a small village in Cornwall. For a while there, it looked as if VistaVision was going to pose as a serious rival to CinemaScope, but this didn't happen. The fact that VistaVision (a non-anamorphic process achieved by the simple expedient of running standard 35mm film horizontally – instead of vertically – through the camera) produced a much sharper image failed to impress audiences who were sold on the much wider 'Scope screen.

Lana and Glynis Shine in this Lovely Film - Beautiful Scenes of Cornwall

[andyrobert · 10/10 · 14 August 2020]

I had heard a lot about this film. I like Lana Turner and I have always thought that Glynis Johns is one of the loveliest British actresses who ever went to Hollywood - our loss, their gain. She seemed to steal every scene that she was in.

I thought this was just going to be another love story with a wartime background, but it was more than that. It turned out to be a very touching and human story.

The scenes of Cornwall were beautiful. It would have been great in colour, and the film had the loveliest ending that I have ever seen in any film of this genre.

Lana Turner never won an Oscar, but I am surprised that she was not, at least, nominated for an Academy Award for this picture. She was always good at playing this sort of role, lighting up the screen as her performance developed.

I am not usually a fan of love stories, but there was just something about this film that made me keep watching it. I do not know what it was. Maybe it was just Lana Turner's performance and the beautiful scenes of Cornwall. I have recorded it on Talking Pictures. I might even watch it again.

I have also enjoyed watching Sean Connery in one of his early roles. He is always good, no matter what film he is in. However, I should imagine that British audiences must have sat in the cinema wondering how a Scotsman could have been born in Cornwall.

Dated Melodramatic Weepie

[JamesHitchcock · 5/10 · 19 April 2021]

Lana Turner first made her name in the forties as a glamorous seductress in films like "The Postman Always Rings Twice", but in the late fifties and sixties she tended to specialise in "women's pictures". These were romantic melodramas predominantly aimed at a female audience with a strong female character, generally played by a big-name Hollywood star at their centre. The male characters, and most of the other female ones as well, were defined in terms of their relationship with her. Turner was often cast in the sort of parts which a few years earlier would have been taken by actresses like Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. "Another Time, Another Place" is an example, as are films like "Peyton Place", "Imitation of Life" and "Madame X".

Those three films were all American, but "Another Time, Another Place" was made in Britain. Turner plays Sara Scott, an American newspaper reporter working in London during the Second World War. The film is less about her journalistic work than about her romantic life. She is torn between love for two men, her American editor Carter Reynolds and Mark Trevor, a British reporter for BBC radio, eventually choosing Mark, even though she knows that he is married with a young son. Shortly after the war, Mark is killed in a plane crash, and Carter persuades Sara to take a ship from Plymouth back to New York. She takes this opportunity to visit Mark's home town in Cornwall where she meets his widow, Kay, and even takes a room in Kay's house without revealing her true identity.

Although Mark is supposed to be Cornish, he is played by Sean Connery with his normal Scottish accent. Cornwall was presumably chosen because of its proximity to Plymouth, so it would not have been possible to change the plotline to make Mark a Scot. Connery also seemed too young for the role; he would have been 28 in 1958, making it difficult to accept him as the married father of a nine-year-old son. Connery's isn't the only dodgy accent in the film; the South African-born Sid James was never convincing as an American newspaperman.

It is a long time since I last saw "Peyton Place", but I would not rate "Another Time, Another Place" as highly as "Imitation of Life" and "Madame X". Both these films have their weaknesses, but they also have their strengths. The strengths of "Imitation of Life" are the direction of Douglas Sirk, especially his subtle use of colour, and its use of the melodrama form to explore serious social issues, especially racism. The main strength of "Madame X" is its powerful ending, which suddenly transforms what had previously been a dull, plodding film into something worth watching. "Another Time, Another Place" doesn't have anything comparable. It lacks the strong ending of "Madame X"; indeed, its ending, in which Sara goes to live with Kay, a development never really explained, is one of the weaker elements of the film.

"Another Time, Another Place", which is in black-and-white also lacks the visual attractiveness of "Imitation of Life", although some of the shots of the Cornish coast are well done. Unlike that film, it does not have any real social comment. It is a melodramatic weepie of the type that was popular in the forties and fifties but which today looks faded and dated. 5/10.

One of the few earliest film roles that starred Sir Connery,

[oscar-35 · 11 May 2010]

*Spoiler/plot- 1958, Another Time, Another Place, A struggling British news reporter finds love after competing with his American female arch-competitor during Britain's WW2 years.

*Special Stars- Sir Sean Connery plays male lead. Lana Turner plays female lead.

*Theme- Love will find away, even in wartime.

*Based on- WW2 news stories.

*Trivia/location/goofs- A very early British film with a young heavy eyebrow-ed full head of hair Connery and then American girlfriend star, Turner. Turner and Connery started to date during the film. This film was brought up in court testimony during the murder trial of Ms. Turner's daughter knife killing of local LA mobster, Johnnie Stampanado. This murder case testimony got Mr. Connery too much personal attention from LA's organized crime leaders and they ordered him to leave Hollywood ASAP while working on Disney film called, Darby O'Gill. Connery temporarily moved from Hollywood to the SF Valley to continue his filming days and then he went home to the UK.

*Emotion- An easily forgettable film except for the fact this was one of the few earliest film roles that started Connery onto his international film stardom today.

Connery's eyebrows deserve their own screen credit

[laurencetuccori · 3/10 · 20 October 2013]

I'm still trying to figure out exactly what is the most ridiculous thing about this 1958 Paramount melodrama - the notion of Lana Turner as an ace war correspondent, or Sean Connery's eyebrows. Turner plays Sara Scott, one of those movie journalists who remains gainfully employed despite never letting work get in the way of their personal life. She swans around wartime London in a fur coat, perfectly coiffed and oblivious to the realities of modern warfare although, to be fair, it's not difficult for her not to notice when director Lewis Allen has chosen to mostly omit it from the mise-en-scene. Other than a sequence showing sappers defusing an unexploded V2 rocket, and Scott's hired help making a passing reference to rationing, there's no indication that this is a city that's been at war for nearly 6 years. There's no bombed out buildings, no indication of food, gas or clothing shortages, and barely anyone in uniform on the streets. As a peroxide blonde society lady who spends her time lunching, loving and shopping on 5th Avenue, Turner is entirely convincing. As a highly rated journalist ready to fly off at a moment's notice to whichever battle front her editor deems her presence and writing talents to be essential, she's somewhat less plausible than Steven Seagal tackling Shakespeare. Which brings us to Mr Connery's eyebrows. They are both a wonder and a mystery and put Robert Pattinson's brow hair to shame. His are wider but inexpressive and just sit there above his eyes. Connery's, in contrast, are longer and undulate like two strips of dark brown deep shag carpeting strapped to the back of a couple of adult earthworms. They're so impressive they actually distract attention from his luxuriant head of hair which to anyone used to the older, more follically challenged Connery, is a talking point in itself. ANOTHER TIME ANOTHER PLACE was not the 28 year old's first movie but it was the first time his name had been billed in such close proximity to the film's stars, and clearly no one had considered that a little personal grooming might be in order to reflect his new status as love interest to a bona fide Hollywood star. His agent might also have found a tactful way to suggest that having Connery's character, with his distinct Scottish accent, wax lyrical at great length about his idyllic home town on the coast of Cornwall, might not be the most convincing. But even shifting location and pruning his eyebrows would not have prevented this turgid drama from dissolving into a pool of smelly sludge. Nothing about it rings true and no one does anything to evince our interest or sympathy. It's just a bust. Check out more of my reviews at http://thefilmivejustseen.blogspot.com/

Missing story strength but sudden life got me interested.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 25 December 2015]

More focus has been placed on the goings on behind the story rather than what really should have been the focus. I must say that the set-up of this film was dull as dust with the romance of two journalists played by the very attractive Lana Turner and Sean Connery. He is suddenly killed in a plane crash just as the war ends and Turner finds herself in the village where she finds herself a guest of his charming wife Glynis Johns and their young son. Guilt and memories set Turner up for a break-down. Unfortunately, this isn't an affair to remember even if the scenes with Johns become very touching. That lovely squeaky voice and absolute charming demeanor make you want to hug her from the moment you meet her and it only serves to show what an ice princess Turner was. She could be certainly lovely and dominate attention, but a coldness oozes off her lovely shoulders showing that she was never allowed to grow past that sweater girl image and truly become a woman. Barry Sullivan, top billed in the male lead, seems embarrassed with his lack of a role. If it wasn't for Ms. Johns, this would be a true turkey.

Enjoyable war time melodrama

[LDRose · 7/10 · 5 October 2005]

Sean Connery and Lana Turner are journalists who fall in love, in this enjoyable war time melodrama. Connery plays Mark Trevors, a radio reporter for the BBC and Turner plays Sara Scott, posted in London working for an American newspaper. Their relationship, which is never fully developed, has a sting in the tail. The second half of the story takes place in Cornwall, and although filmed in black and white, the scenery is still alluring. Turner, who gets most of the screen time, gives a decent performance and Connery, who at the time was relatively unknown, demonstrates the charisma which makes him a potent screen presence.

A good cast wasted

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 10 May 2020]

ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER PLACE is a slow-moving romantic melodrama set at the tail-end of WW2. It sits rather incongruously in the cinematic mood of 1958, when Hammer's full-blooded gothics were wowing audiences at the cinemas and the new and exotic 1960s were just around the corner. This feels like a weepie from the 1930s more than anything else. Lana Turner (whose private life during this period is more interesting than anything in this film) somewhat unbelievably plays a journalist who turns up in London and begins dating a BBC reporter, as played by bushy-eyebrowed Sean Connery. You can guess what follows, but it's not much; the whole second half of the film is based around a few characters chatting around the kitchen table and it's all told at a snail's pace. A shame, because the cast (which includes Glynis Johns and Barry Sullivan) is above average and with stronger writing this could have been good.

Not one of Lana's best movies

[treeline1 · 5 January 2012]

In the last days of WWII, an American journalist (Lana Turner) falls quickly and deeply in love with a British reporter (Sean Connery). Just as she begins planning their future together, he admits he's already married.

This romance/melodrama is worth watching for the very young and charismatic Connery and the equally young and talented Glynis Johns, who plays his wife. Lana Turner, on the other hand, makes the movie almost unwatchable. Her platinum hair, thick make-up, and glamorous wardrobe don't fit a wartime correspondent and her acting is terrible. Every line is delivered in a breathy, petulant voice with indulgent/silly over-acting. Several supporting actors, including Barry Sullivan, are excellent, but Lana almost destroys the movie. I've watched it twice and fell asleep both times. (Re-watching it was a chore.)

The black and white movie is partially filmed in a charming English village but stock footage and fake outdoor sets detract greatly; the overall look is cheap. A silly, overwrought script that never really touches the heart makes this a movie for Sean Connery fans only.

great actors caught in a weak script

[corbett · 4/10 · 8 January 2000]

I found myself 'fast-forwarding' thru the last half hour. The script missed some great chances at early character development, which left the 'talent' struggling to pull this movie together. Their characters lacked depth and motivation in the later going, and the 96 minutes seemed much longer.

Meant to be a two-hankie movie, but it didn't do much for me

[steiner-sam · 4/10 · 11 June 2021]

Mark Trevor (Sean Connery) is a BBC reporter who has fallen in love with a woman reporter from the "New York Standard," a major American newspaper. The reporter, Sara Scott (Lana Turner), has previously promised to marry her boss, Carter Reynolds (Barry Sullivan), but now believes she wants to marry Mark. Mark finally confesses he has a wife and son in St. Giles, a small village in Cornwall. The day after he confesses, he flies to Paris to cover the surrender of Italy and is killed in a plane crash.

Sara is devastated. Carter Reynolds orders her to return to America, but just before taking her ship home, she visits St. Giles to see where Mark lived. She accidentally bumps into Mark's son, Brian (Martin Stephens), and then Mark's wife, Kay (Glynis Johns). She is overwhelmed by emotion and becomes ill, and stays with Brian and Kay for a time to recover. They grow quite fond of each other until Kay learns that her husband had met a woman in London, which explained why he stopped writing home. Sara finally confesses that she is the "other woman", but that Mark had left her in order to return to his family. This is ambiguous since just before Mark departed for Paris he and Sara had said they would try to work something out so that they could stay together. Sara's lie seems to comfort Kay, and Kay wishes Sara well when she leaves on the train for her rescheduled ship to America in the company of Carter Reynolds.

The movie is really about Lana Turner, but Sean Connery's future celluloid personality does come through. His death comes a little over a third of the way through the film, but Mark's photograph is prominently displayed in the family home and appears often in the rest of film.

I think it's meant to be a two-hankie movie, but it really didn't do much for me. This movie came out about four years before "Dr. No," the first of his James Bond movies that made Sean Connery a star.

Another Time, Another Place on blu-ray

[jucsetmai · 7/10 · 8 November 2020]

Good movie good organized crime coming soon on paramount pictures mod blu-ray release December