A Touch of Class

Romantic comedy about a pair of clandestine lovers in a London-Spain tryst.

The story goes that the lead role of Steve was originally offered to Cary Grant, with a promise by Melvin Frank to rewrite the script to play up the age difference between Steve and Vickie. However, Grant opted to remain in retirement from filmmaking, and he turned the role down. He did remain connected to the film, however, as it was produced by Fabergé's Brut Productions, and Grant was on the board of directors for Fabergé.

The film is funny, though not in a laugh-out-loud sort of way. More because of the uncomfortable situations. It also puts the audience in an unusual spot, because who are we to root for? The lead character is kind of a cad, and do we really want to encourage infidelity? The winning of the Best Actress Oscar is perhaps the biggest surprise. It was a surprise in its own time, but seems even more so today. The performance, while not bad, is hardly one that stands out, and the film itself has not gone on to be as iconic as some of its competitors (including "The Exorcist").