Now here is a walk down memory lane… an oldie but a goodie as far as films go. If you have an hour and a half to kill at some point and the weather is kind of frightful then you can not go wrong by watching this film from the Hollywood Golden Age. Nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and winner of two, Separate Tables tells the story of several people who live at the Beauregard Hotel. They share one common trait: loneliness.

This movie based on a play by Terence Rattigan and John Gay. It was produced by Harold Hecht and directed by Delbert Mann. Vivien Leigh was to star as Ann Shankland, but bowed out when her husband, Laurence Olivier, decided not to direct the film adaptation.

Deborah Kerr plays Sibyl Railton, a shy neurotic unmarried woman who is unable to cope with daily life. She is finally able to overcome her timid behavior in order to confront her domineering mother. Sibyl (Kerr) strikes up a friendship with Major Pollack ( David Niven)  and is devastated when she learns of the Major’s dark past.

Major Pollack (Niven) is unsure how the people who live at the Beauregard Hotel will react when his secrets are  revealed.

John Malcolm (Burt Lancaster) a disillusioned writer who drowns his disappointment by drinking excessively must face his past when he has a confrontation with Ann Shankland (Rita Hayworth) a  new guest at the hotel. They were once married. Their relationship ended when she sought out the company of other men that lead up to their bitter separation. Malcolm(Lancaster) never forgave Shankland (Hayworth) for her deceitfulness.

There are several other characters living at the hotel. There are an aging spinster, an older gentleman and two women. One woman runs the hotel and the other seems content living among the others. There is a younger couple staying there as well. The young woman wants to remain single while the gentleman is set on getting her to the altar.  Each learns a lesson about forgiveness and acceptance as they get to know one another.

I prefer movies in black and white rather than the newer colorized versions that are available today. I found the characters interesting especially Lancaster and Hayworth. I would have liked the film to have gone deeper into the characters pasts.