FILM SCREENINGS

Separate Tables

1958. USA. Directed by Delbert Mann. Screenplay by Terence Rattigan, John Gay, adapted from two of Gay’s plays. With David Niven, Deborah Kerr, Burt Lancaster, Rita Hayworth, Wendy Hiller. Set in a small-scale grand hotel, this story of a strange crew of unfulfilled people trying to find solace in one another occasionally betrays its theatrical origins. Yet when Mann—a Yale School of Drama graduate and specialist in adapting plays—keeps the focus on the performances of his all-star cast, his “uncinematic” vision becomes a virtue. Niven’s very moving final scene helped to win him an Oscar for this, his fifty-fifth film. 108 min.