Easy and pleasant story about the most important One day, many years ago, I was switching channels and accidentally stopped at a black and white picture. Now I can’t say exactly what I was so interested in, but I remember how I was very busy with something and therefore could not continue the session. And then forgot... Sometimes I would think of that untitled movie, knowing for sure that Kirk Douglas played the lead role. And now the other day I wanted to see it so much that I finally allowed myself to “not deny myself anything.”
This is an easy (but not frivolous!) story about how a young woman of attractive appearance gets a job with a famous novelist to learn something: she dreams of becoming a writer. She admires him, but does not lose her dignity, not forgetting the main goal (but dear reader, please do not think that this trait turns the heroine into an ambitious iron lady, cruel and cold-blooded; no, it is not at all!).
Essentially, "My Dear Secretary" is another love story. But they say all movies are about her, right?
As for the obvious merit of this movie, this is the plot. The film looks easy, without unnecessary tension, but at the same time, it does not lose its charm.
The cast was also very pleased. The main character, Owen Waterbury (Kirk Douglas), is a popular writer who carefully drowns out the creative crisis with all sorts of entertainment. He is flexible, dexterous, charming and pleasant in communication. At the same time, Owen can be considered a selfish poser; having one woman, he may well flirt with another (Oh, that's me! that's a tiny sin! a bohemian, after all!). Owen has a wonderful friend, Ronnie (Kinnan Wynn), his faithful assistant, unsuccessfully trying to cook something edible and successfully iron at least 1 shirt of his friend. There’s an admirable trait to this character – he never gave in to despair throughout the film. No matter what happened, he always took life lightly, not allowing himself to sink into a devastating depression. And thanks to this, he came out of the most difficult situations - in most cases not without humor, with elegant ingenuity. Bravo! As for the main character, Stephanie Gaylord (Laraine Day) is an intelligent, beautiful, talented and wise girl. She is an example of femininity and sacrifice. Even the words are consonant and how often they intertwine in our lives! How often a loving woman is willing to give up something hidden for the happiness of her husband! And how, in general, there is rarely a spouse who is able to appreciate such an act!
I think the film has one drawback. To some extent, it is incomplete. I lacked the brightness of events. Like when Owen falls in love with Steffany? Later he says that at the very beginning of their acquaintance, but then his behavior is not quite clear. This remark slightly spoils the general impression, but also does not allow to put the work the highest estimate.
2013 is coming to an end. Only 96-year-old Kirk Douglas survived. And it is natural, time passes, an era changes an era. Gabriel García Márquez once said, “Don’t be sad that it has passed, smile at what it was.” He's infinitely right. We should sometimes watch a movie, a movie forever bygone era. Not because it's about eternal values; it's interesting to look at those values.
Perhaps, when watching, you will not only get aesthetic pleasure, but also understand something important. Something that can't be seen in today's movies; something that's left there in another era.
9 out of 10