It Really Is De-Lovely: At Long Last, "At Long Last Love" Returns | TV/Streaming

Reynolds, on the other hand, was a bona fide movie star in the mold of Cary Grant — suave, debonair, funny, and catnip for the ladies. By assuming a Grant-like approach within a musical-comedy context and without the offbeat quality of Astaire or Kelly to reduce the whimsy, Reynolds is so overly light and charming that at times he practically floats off the screen. I have a sneaking suspicion that if Bogdanovich could somehow magically go back in time and redo the film, he might recast this role. (As it turns out, after briefly flirting with the idea of playing the role himself, Bogdanovich initially offered the part to Elliot Gould; in hindsight, he probably would have been a better choice.)

Other than that, "At Long Last Love" plays so well today in so many ways that it almost feels as if those who lambasted it back in the day must have seen a different movie. As it turns out, that is indeed pretty much the case. In an article for Indiewire that anyone intrigued by the film should read, Bogdanovich tells of how, in the wake of a couple of unsuccessful preview screenings, he grudgingly agreed to do a lot of last-minute editing just before it had its premiere at Radio City Music Hall. Alas, this cut proved to be even less impressive than the others and it was this version that inspired all the vitriol. As the story goes, Bogdanovich asked for the chance to make a few more changes for its television version at his own expense and while he was allowed to make them, they were not enough to change its fortunes. In fact, after its release, Bogdanovich took out full-page ads in newspapers across the country apologizing for the film.

A couple of years ago, the film popped up on Netflix Instant and when Bogdanovich sat down to watch it, he was stunned to discover that this was not the version that bombed so badly back in 1975. In fact, it seemed to be a much more refined version of the original cut that he turned in before that last-second recut. As it turns out, a veteran employee of 20th Century Fox's editorial department — who was also a huge Cole Porter fan — took it upon himself to surreptitiously repair the damage that had been done to the film, and it was this version that had been making those occasional broadcast appearances since 1979 and amassing a small but devoted cult over the years without anyone realizing exactly what it was. Technically, this was a big no-no because Bogdanovich had the right to final cut in his contract, but he loved it so much that it is this version — cleaned up further and with a few additional tweaks — that now stands as the definitive version of the film for its Blu-Ray release.

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