Although the public’s reception for the picture was mild, Love in the Afternoonremains one of Billy Wilder’s richest and most personal films. Audrey Hepburn was Wilder’s perfect heroine, ‘combining innocence and fragility with a sure sense of purpose and playfulness.’
So I re watched the scene where Michael is interviewing everyone, including Mallory, and I noticed some really interesting details. Like how she is the only one out of the whole group who Michael maintained eye contact with. I noticed how he made contact with the others as well, but he always turned his back to them and got bored with their answers. I didn’t see him turn his back towards Mallory, once. Even when he was bending down to her level his eyes stayed on hers. I honestly think he used eye contact with the others to assert his power and dominance over them. But with Mallory he was genuinely intrigued by her. Another thing I noticed is he brushed the others off a lot. He would turn his back to them, speak to them in a bored monotone voice, and even dismissed them. When it came to Mallory he was looking at her in a different way than the others. I noticed how it seemed like he softened a little in her presence. He touched her the most out of all the other characters, kneeled before her so she wouldn’t feel intimidated by him and have to look up at him, and his voice got lower and sweeter when talking to her. He is even the one who said he wanted to take her to the sanctuary, even when she didn’t show much interest in going. I noticed that he touched Gallant and Timothy’s shoulder, but with Mallory he caressed her face, and held her hand. And did you all see the way he looked at her?!
ladywriter94 