A New Kind of Love (1963)

0% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
51% of users liked it
(1,858 ratings)

A man falls for an exotic "bad girl," unaware he's already met the nice girl lurking beneath the surface, in this romantic comedy. Samantha Blake (Joanne Woodward) works for a large department store in New York City as a sort of industrial spy; while ostensively a buyer, Blake's greatest… More A man falls for an exotic "bad girl," unaware he's already met the nice girl lurking beneath the surface, in this romantic comedy. Samantha Blake (Joanne Woodward) works for a large department store in New York City as a sort of industrial spy; while ostensively a buyer, Blake's greatest responsibility is to find out what the hot new fashions are going to be, so her store can have cut-price knockoffs on the racks once they hit the boutiques. Samantha is flying to Paris with her co-workers Leena (Thelma Ritter) and Joe (George Tobias) when she meets Steve Sherman (Paul Newman), a no-nonsense reporter who has been assigned to cover the unveiling of the new designer lines. Samantha and Steve don't exactly hit it off, and after arriving in Paris, a depressed Samantha makes her way to a beauty salon after a few cocktails too many. Decked out in a new wig and dressed to the nines, Samantha bumps into Steve, who is convinced she's one of the city of lights' glamorous high-priced call girls. Samantha plays along, and Steve writes a story about her which proves to be a hit with his readers, but as she finds herself falling for Steve, she isn't sure how to tell him that she's really the mousy woman he met on his flight to Paris. A New Kind Of Love also features cameo appearances from Maurice Chevalier and Frank Sinatra, the latter of whom sings the title song. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 50 min.
Directed By: Melville Shavelson
Written By: Melville Shavelson
Genres: Romance, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Oct 30, 1963 Limited
On DVD: Jan 18, 2005
Studio: Paramount Pictures

Critic Reviews

Bosley Crowther, New York Times
Mr. Shavelson's quips are fast, contemporary and polished to a bright slickness but his story is obvious and thin and his principals belabor the obvious to little avail.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
The fourth onscreen teaming of Paul Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward is a thin, lame comedy, written and directed by Shavelson, which doesn't befit the caliber of their talents.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Some sharp lines of dialog, a few too many camera tricks, and a general feeling of going-through-the-motions.
Kevin Jagernauth, PopMatters
Predictable and borderline offensive.
, Time Out
[A] laboured, overdressed Parisian comedy.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
men are from Mars, women are from Venus, and writer-director Melville Shavelson is from Neptune

Read all 6 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jim H

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… More
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 <i>As You Like It</i>. 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.
jay n

Silly comedy bouyed enormously by the supporting performances of Thelma Ritter, Eva Gabor, and George Tobias.

Cast

            Paul Newman as Steve Sherman

            Joanne Woodward as Samantha "Sam" Blake

            Thelma Ritter as Lena O'Connor

            Eva Gabor as Felicianne Courbeau

            George Tobias as Joseph Bergner

            Marvin Kaplan as Harry Gorman

            Maurice Chevalier as Himself

            ROBERT CLARY as Albert Sardou

            Jan Moriarty as Suzanne

            Valerie Varda as Mrs. Chalmers

            Joan Staley as Stewardess

            Army Archerd as Onlooker

            Danielle Aubry
            
            Audrey Betz
            
            Eugene Borden
            
            Albert Carrier as Gendarme

            Peter Canon
            
            Sue Casey
            
            Ralf Harolde as French Waiter

            Christian Kay as Model with Pearls

            Ted Mapes as Floor Walker

            Alphonse Martell
            
            Laurie Mitchell as Parisienne Poule

            Francis Ravel
            
            Annie Ross
            
            Vernon Scott as Himself

            Robert F. Simon as Bertram Chalmers

            Lomax Study as Hansom Cab Driver

            Audrey Swanson
            
            Trude Wyler as Midinette

            Celeste Yarnall
            
            Francine York
            
            James A. Starr
            
            George Bruggeman
            
            George Nardelli as Waiter

            Mabel Smaney
            
            Allyson Daniell as Lingerie Model

            Pat Jones
            
            Emily LaRue
            
            Paul Micale as Shopper

            June Smaney
            
See full cast