* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: Many critics panned it as too similar to Creator/DavidLean's previous film, ''Film/BriefEncounter'', down to casting Creator/TrevorHoward as the "other man" in a love triangle (he's even a doctor in both films). Its reputation has improved over time, though it's still one of Lean's more obscure films.
* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Mary. This might have to do with the passing of time and changing values, or deliberate ambiguity from the film-maker. Mary's refusal to 'belong' to anyone was apparently supposed to come across as independence, and her feelings for Steven as true love. However, all we see is a woman who causes pain to both men in her life by refusing to emotionally commit to either of them. Her 'grand passion' also looks very much like the adolescent daydreams of a bored housewife. The character comes across as pretty cold, too, so it's hard to sympathise with her.
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