INDISCREET 🤩 

Most of you know, I was a teen from the ’60s. It was a wild decade that quickly rolled over right into the even crazier 70s. Yes, that is logical, but what most don’t understand is how rock music and drugs pushed the sexual revolution into directions most never anticipated. Free love was real. Every day, morals and values took a huge detour. It was a moment when dissent was loudly and clearly voiced. The easiest way to protest and shake off conservative blankets was to do and say things outside of the box. It was essential to shock people into realizing how far society would go before, hopefully, finding a solid footing again. 

Finding love, being loved, and giving love were the journeys most of us were traveling. The problem was that we were not looking in all the acceptable places. It was a confusing time to be young and sow your oats so to speak. My friends and I got caught up in that spiral just like everyone else. We would flit from relationship to relationship without ever considering the consequences in advance, and no one was listening to the good advice of the previous generation. For all our slogans of loving everyone, it was a pretty selfish period. 

I hate to admit it, but I made a bucketload of mistakes. I dated many men, and some, I would never want to bring home to meet the parents. At one point, I even found myself in a relationship with a married man, who said he and his wife had an open marriage. They were both free to see whoever they wanted. I fell for his line. After all, he was older, had money, and treated me very well. I always said it was wrong to date a married man, but there I was — the other woman — the adulteress. Who would have thought? Our affair didn’t last long. It petered out as we both got tired of sex with each other since we didn’t have a foundation or a future together. I am glad I came to my senses and grew up. My life would have been quite different if I had continued to be such a free spirit. 

In the 50s, Hollywood decided to push the boundaries on screen. They were trying to share a more realistic, lusty side of how and with whom famous people dated. Affairs were pretty common. The artistic community bared its true colors, and the gossip columnists had a field day every day. Dating married men was not unusual. The rules and norms protected men. Women had it harder and were judged harshly. For a woman to be caught in a love triangle with a married man was considered scandalous. 

The movie industry wanted to bring the word, adultery, out into the light of day. They found the perfect plot in 1958 with a film called INDISCREET. It was based on the Broadway play KIND SIR, which had closed after fewer than 166 performances. It was time to blur those lines of what constitutes a rom-com. INDISCREET succeeded, and studio executives have never looked back.

INDISCREET starred the handsome Cary Grant as Philip, the married man, alongside the beautiful Ingrid Bergman as Anna, the adulteress. It was not a case of knowing better, since both were middle-aged. It was a matter of not being able to hold themselves back from the moment they met. The attraction was that strong. The two actors knew each other previously, and Grant only wanted Bergman to portray his love interest on screen (They had previously worked together in the film NOTORIOUS). Their chemistry was palatable and yet tastefully presented. Zooming in on a closed door says it all, for most of us can imagine the passion that goes on behind it quite vividly in our minds and hearts. 

The writer Norman Krasna gave the actors witty, sarcastic, intelligent, and loving words to perform. It was funny, light, and free-spirited. Two hours flew by and ended with a twist not foreseen. It was a great payoff and took the adultery sting out of the equation. It was clever and helped smooth over nervous studio execs. It was all brilliantly conceived and made it easy to suspend disbelief, with Grant and Bergman leading the way. This was their story, and it made the film feel real and right despite what society said. 

Stanley Donen was the director. He and Grant were pals and formed the production company, Grandon, to bring this screenplay to fruition. Donen was brilliant in how he handled the scenes with Anna and Philip in bed together. This wasn’t shown in the 50s, so Donen made the bedroom a split-screen. He filmed them together in one bed (fully clothed) and later made it look like they were in two different bedrooms…touching but not touching. (Think PILLOW TALK with Rock Hudson and Doris Day) Hands, arms, and lusting eyes were lined up perfectly with a neat border around both beds. Audiences got the innuendo loud and clear, but no reputations were ruined in the process, which is ironic since Bergman was just coming off a scandalous affair with an Italian director in real life. Silly Hollywood. 

I must also mention the gorgeous costumes. The details of each gown were picture-perfect. The long, over-the-elbow gloves added immensely, as well as the spectacular jewelry. Every frame planted an image in our minds of wealth and the LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS. Grant’s suits were just as splendid. It was all a visionary dream of delight. 

The definition of the word INDISCREET is to reveal things that should remain private or a secret. The film did just the opposite of its title. It felt like there was nowhere to hide. The lights were on. This is a good thing, especially since the movie also noted the double standard for men and women caught in the throes of a passionate web. INDISCREET is a ground-breaking rom-com. It challenged norms and made audiences think and feel while being entertained. Life is funny, how it can sometimes come full circle. Double standards still exist, and we are all, at times, too judgmental. We think there are specific lines we would never cross. All I can say is…never say never. 

INDISCREET is available on TCM.