Act of Love (1953)

Kirk Douglas: Robert Teller

Photos 

Quotes 

• Robert Teller : The River Seine. All my life I wanted to see it. Finally I saw it, with a gun in my hand. Travel, twentieth-century style.

• Henderson : Don't I know you from somewheres?

  Robert Teller : No, I-I don't think so.

  [Turns around and leaves] 

  Henderson : Queer?

• Robert Teller : I know which room I want.

  L'hôtelier de Villefranche : Yes?

  Robert Teller : Its on the corner, it has roses in the wallpaper, it has a little iron balcony, and it faces out toward Italy.

• L'hôtelier de Villefranche : Pardon, you forgot your occupation?

  Robert Teller : Tourist.

• Nina : I have a friend who does that kind of business, just around the corner. Want me to go?

  Robert Teller : Good ole Nina! Friend in every line of business, just around every corner.

  Nina : Well, if you don't want me to...

  Robert Teller : Sure,

  [Slaps Nina's behind] 

  Robert Teller : Go ahead.

• Nina : How long do you want this room for?

  Robert Teller : Why?

  Nina : Nothing. I just had an idea.

  Robert Teller : I want it forever.

  Nina : Forever? What do you call forever?

  Robert Teller : Forever is the day the war ends.

• Robert Teller : Love. The woman's cure for everything. Have a bullet in your head, have a little love. Are you losing weight? Try love. Is there a war on? Buy love. Better than penicillin or the seltzer drugs or a month in the country.

• Nina : Come on Bob. What do you want? What are you looking for?

  Robert Teller : What do I want? Oh, nothing much. Just a tall, slender, wide-eyed girl. A girl with soft hands and a soft voice. Someone who speaks my language. Someone who smiles when you suddenly feel well that's a real particular smile. Its a smile for me! Someone you can bear to look at when the last gun's been fired. You got anything like that in stock, Madame? Huh? Are you well supplied with that article?

• Robert Teller : A strange family.

  Lise Gudayec : France is full of strange families.

  Robert Teller : So is America.

• Robert Teller : Don't tell me you ate bananas out of banana trees when the Krauts were here.

  Lise Gudayec : That's a lie. We fought them! We fought them!

  Robert Teller : Where? Up in Pigalle?

  [Lise slaps Bob. Bob slaps her back] 

  Robert Teller : Listen lady, we didn't come here for the scenery. An awful lot of good boys got themselves hurt here. It wouldn't do you any harm to remember that!

• Robert Teller : You hate me, don't you?

  Lise Gudayec : No. I hate myself.

• Robert Teller : I don't know, I suddenly feel so good!

  Lise Gudayec : You're drunk.

  Robert Teller : I'm not drunk! I just feel good. Do you mind? I don't know, maybe, maybe its because I'm in a room with four walls and a door. Look! Its wonderful. You can open it. You can close it. You can even lock it. And besides, you didn't run away. I thought you might. But, you didn't. I always thought when I'd find me in a room with four walls and a door you could close, I'd go up my girl and kiss her.

  [Kiss] 

• Robert Teller : Tell me more about...

  Lise Gudayec : About what?

  Robert Teller : About you and the iron balcony and the Mediterranean.

  Lise Gudayec : Oh, your train will be here any minute, now.

  Robert Teller : Come on. Tell me.

  Lise Gudayec : Well, the last night I was promised that I could go out. But, my mother changed her mind. I couldn't sleep and I went out on the balcony. Then, suddenly, I saw two people walking on the dock. A boy and a girl. All alone. Just below my window, they stopped. They didn't say anything to each other and they didn't kiss. The girl looked up into the boy's face, as though they had a secret together. And suddenly, I felt, that's what it is. And I thought, when I grow up, I must come back here. When I fall in love, I must come back here. When I - I was sixteen years old. A sixteen year old girl is constantly thinking she's making an enormous discovery.

• Robert Teller : Look, when its all over, you know what we're going to do? We're going to travel, all over. You know what? We'll go to that town you went to when you were a girl. What was the name of it? What was it? Ville?

  Lise Gudayec : Villefranche.

  Robert Teller : Yes, that's it! Villefranche in the Mediterranean. And we'll rent that room. Because, you were happy there one summer when you were sixteen years old. Would I be happy there too?