Overshadowed by its 1957 remake, An Affair to Remember (with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, also directed by McCarey), the 1939 Love Affair is every bit as much a film to remember. Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne meet on a cruise ship and fall in love; as both are engaged to be married to others (for reasons other than passion), they agree to meet again after a six month test of their feelings. The meeting--to be held atop the Empire State Building--is aborted and a conspiracy of chance and tragedy keeps them apart until coincidence reunites them at last. "The story is the least important part of Love Affair," writes William K. Everson in his book, "Love in Film." "What matters far more is the deft way that Leo McCarey (with superb collaboration from his two stars) keeps it all bowling along merrily within the structure of a comedy, yet constantly pulls drama and pathos from thin air. Little gems of comedy, often totally unrelated to the basic storyline, constantly act as punctuation and prevent the honest sentiment from ever becoming sticky--though there are one or two very narrow escapes.... At the time, (the film's) warmth, sincerity and charm--to say nothing of its overall elegance--were its mainstays. But it is so firmly entrenched in the Hollywood tradition of the late '30s--resolutely turning its back on the Depression...--that today it takes on an added socio-historical dimension as well."