Love with the Proper Stranger: Finding Hope in the Bells and the Banjos.

Chemistry is the primary component for a film to emotionally resonate with me. Second is a compelling story. A lost cinematic gem in the collection of classics, Love with the Proper Stranger (1963) is a film whose story is ahead of its time, and encompasses both of these things.

Emotionally complex and authentic, this drama focuses on a controversial subject—abortion in 1963 in NYC. It seamlessly intertwines this with a love story of two strangers who find the light in a difficult situation. Although the subject matter is heavy, the dialogue is sprinkled with comic relief through a superb supporting cast, including Edie Adams and a young Tom Bosley, while the captivating chemistry between Wood and McQueen provides emotional relief.

Director Robert Mulligan, known for his humanistic American dramas including To Kill a Mockingbird, decided to shoot the film in black and white. It’s an artfully beautiful decision that works perfectly, enhancing the cinematography with a raw realism that mirrors the somberness of the situation.

In the film, Natalie Wood plays Angie Rossini. Angie is a naive Italian American shop girl who finds herself pregnant after a one-night stand with carefree musician Rock Papasano played by Steve McQueen. Rocky is the typical musician stereotype—irresponsible and selfish. When Angie seeks him out to tell him about the situation, he has trouble pinpointing exactly who she is.

Their emotional journey together takes place all in one day—the day of the abortion. Rocky meets Angie in an abandoned alley in the city on a cold windy day. The setting acts as a subtle cinematic knock to the anxiety whipping up inside of them and the lonely, dangerous reality of getting an abortion at that time in history.

McQueen brings an effortless ease and optimism to Rocky as the story progresses, illustrating his growth as a person in addition to complementing Angie’s pessimism about love and life. Their chemistry is so natural you start to believe Wood and McQueen are really these characters.

As they battle unexpected tribulations to discreetly take care of the pregnancy, they quickly begin to get to know each other in the desperation of the situation talking about everything from family to the meaning of love.

Through their conversations, the anxiety about the imminent abortion is palpable, even though they never utter the word “abortion.” Mulligan employs the use of a soft and soothing score to ease the angst of their high running emotions, creating an uneasy serenity building up to the most emotional scene in the film.

In the scene of the attempted abortion, Wood is extraordinary. She gives a performance well worthy of the Oscar nomination she received. In a broken-down apartment building, a suffocating energy as dark and dangerous as what is about to happen infiltrates the scene. Wood undresses quivering in a squalid bedroom, never looking at the area being set up—a dirty blanket, a flashlight and some tools—by a “midwife” on a filthy floor.

It’s bone chilling and startling, and you can’t take your eyes off the screen. This film is worth watching just for this scene alone.

I’m not going to give away the ending, but I will say that in the darkest of hours, when things seem hopeless, people show what they are truly made of. Your qualities present themselves and you react to what’s going on around you, which speaks volumes to the kind of person you are.

Compassionate, kind and caring, Rocky shows his true feelings for Angie during this scene, which is about three quarters through the film. And you won’t be able to turn away in hopes that they get their happy ending.

“The most rewarding experience I had in all films, all the way around,” remarked Wood about making Love With the Proper Stranger. Rewarding it is. This film effortlessly sheds light on the disturbing reality of abortion in the early 1960s while creating a love story that will weave a special place into your heart. If you're a romantic like myself, you too will fall in love with these proper strangers.

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