I’ve always thought that Kim Novak had no real acting ability. I feel differently after I saw her in “Strangers When We Meet,” (1960). Kim plays a woman, Margaret Gault, who is deprived of love and affection from her very disconnected husband. She goes through all the motions of being a wife and mother and has become numb until she meets Larry Coe ruggedly played by Kirk Douglas. Any woman would sin for that…I digress. Larry Coe is a neighbor and married to a beautiful, but ambitious wife played wonderfully by Barbara Rush.
As life may have it Larry Coe is swepted off his feet by Margaret. They have an affair and their love grows more and more with each passing day. It didn’t matter who they were hurting as long as they were together. Their passion for each other was much stronger than guilt. A nosey and lecherous neighbor Felix Anders played to the tilt by Walter Matthau lets Larry know he knows what is going on, but not to worry Felix understands, so he says. Felix was like, do what you want, whenever you want to, it’s all good.
Larry knows differently. He knows the secret is out and the affair must end. He tries to break off the relationship, but it is gut retching. You get the feeling he was going to break it off with his wife rather than his lover. Meanwhile Felix thinks he can take liberties with Larry’s wife. He attempts to rape her and feels justified in doing so. After all her husband is a cad. Larry comes clean with his wife and tells her of the affair. This scene is pretty intense. The mix of high emotions his wife has is heart retching. But the love she has for her husband is much stronger than her rage. Larry realizes the pain he has caused his wife. You get the feeling that he realized how much he really loved his wife. You can also feel the anguish and storm inside his head about Margaret. But he knew he had to do the right thing.
In the last scene Larry is breaking off the relationship with Margaret, (this is when you will need the tissue) and Margaret is taken a back, but realizes that this had to end. Her heart is torn to pieces. They both speak of what could’ve been in another place and time. But they were in the here and now, and the consequence of their infidelity was all too clear.
Kim Novak played this sad and lost wife so powerfully. She captured Margaret’s sadness, loneliness, confusion, and courage. Although I didn’t condoned the act of infidelity, I couldn’t help feeling bad for her, and understanding why she did it. But most of all, I admired her courage to do the right thing in spite her feelings for Larry.
The movie is a little melodramatic and long…a chick flick. However, it is a pretty good movie from a bygone era starring two of Hollywood’s legendary actors in leading roles, and Barbara Rush and Walter Matthau in supporting roles. It is my opinion that this role was the role for Kim Novak and makes the movie worthwhile to watch.
