Smoke Still Gets in My Eyes

One of my favorite romantic films of all time is Spielberg’s, Always. He assembled one of the best casts, each having a rare ability to ad-lib with perfection, adding their unique humor. You felt like you were watching a home movie and they were truly friends, not just acting.
I think I’ve seen this over 20 times. All I know is if you have a favorite film when it comes on you say, okay, I’ll watch a couple more minutes but then watch an hour longer.

This film was a remake of another old WWII (also a favorite) “A Guy Named Joe” with Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne. That version in itself you’d think could NEVER be remade. Spielberg updated the story for 1989 and made it his own. It’s wonderful. I’d say only a handful of remakes are good. And those are the ones that don’t particularly repeat everything with different actors.

Pete and Dorinda are very different here. The charisma and attraction between Dreyfuss and Hunter are off the charts. The whole cast is great as seen here:

There are some scenes I can’t find online, one of which is Dorinda whispering in her sleep. She just says grocery list words………eggs……butter…..mayonnaise… while Pete stares at her in his intense, sweet way while smiling. You watch this scene and know these two are very content. But it’s their humor – silliness & sense of fun that speak to me very deeply – as this is the type of relationship I’ve never experienced, but always…..wished for.