Review of A New Kind of Love (1963) by Aaron C — 03 May 2011

A down-and-out reporter and a fashion designer fall in love in Paris.

Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward's excuse to be together while working is a costume drama, except there's very little drama. It's more like a costume/farce. The rather contrived situations are interrupted by dumb special effects/schtick, and there's almost no character development. Even though Edith Head's costumes are great to look at and Newman and Woodward occasionally have the type of chemistry that only an off-screen husband and wife can convey on film, the film ultimately fails.

What is more, films always uphold or reject a certain set of values, and in this case, women are supposed to be virgins who don't work or have any will that isn't subservient to a man. Woodward's character, Sam, is a successful working woman, but in order to woo Steve she puts on the guise of a socialite/prostitute. Think the reverse of As You Like It. Over the course of the film, Sam insists on being called Samantha, and she incurs Steve's wrath for her whore act. Meanwhile, Steve philanders like the last of the red hot lovers, and there is very little comment, as though such behavior is not only accepted but encouraged. The film's conclusion reveals its morality: though made in 1963, the roles of women in this film are stuck in the 50s.

Overall, this is another great example for someone looking to write a feminist critique against a movie.