The Astonished Heart

"A daring experiment in love!"

Apr 12 1950 Approved 1h 25m
Drama, Romance

Several years after graduation, best friends Barbara (Celia Johnson) and Leonora (Margaret Leighton) reconnect as if not a day has gone by. But Leonora could do without Barbara's husband, Christian (Noel Coward), whom she finds arrogant and off-putting ... at first. One evening alone together, romance is set ablaze, leaving Christian with a lot of explaining to do to Barbara.

Plot

This movie begins with a scene in which Barbara (Celia Johnson) rings Leonora (Margaret Leighton) to tell her that something has happened to Chris (Noël Coward). At this point, we don't know who Chris is or what has happened, only that he has lost conciousness. The movie then flashes back a year, to when old friends Barbara and Leonora meet again after having lost contact for many years. Time has not strained their relationship it seems, and Barbara invites Leonora to her house a few days later to meet her husband. Her husband Chris, a pompous, austere psychologist, gets off to a bad start with Leonora. The two despise each other until one night when Barbara has to leave town to look after her mother. Because of this, she is unable to go to the play she had arranged to go with Leonora to. Chris reluctantly decides to go in place of Barbara, and the two hit it off and begin a relationship.

Written by

Noël Coward

Directed by

Antony Darnborough, Terence Fisher

Production Countries

United Kingdom

Production Companies

Sydney Box Productions, Gainsborough Pictures

Languages

English

Awards

N/A

Scores
# of Votes
462
Average Rating
6 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA