Yeah, because of the dinner scene, where she nearly tries to kiss him, but I always knew that he loved Elinor, even before they had become friends.. he tried avoiding seeing her - for a special reason, I think, 'cause he already felt attracted... :)
I think it was so cute when he kissed her... but sadly it was the only kiss through the entire movie.
By the way, I have written a whole review of the movie now... just in case anybody is interested....
"American Friends", it's about an Oxford University Professor, Francis Ashby, who decides to go on holiday to Switzerland where he meets Mrs. Caroline Hartley, whose father was the author of a book which isn't well-known but she believes it is (at least a copy of it stands in the library at Oxford, as the viewer later gets to know)... anyway, Ashby also gets himself aquainted to a young girl who is an orphan and has become the ward of Mrs. Caroline, Miss Elinor.
But before they do so, Elinor sees Ashby with her telescop, he had taken off all of his clothing, sang a song and took a bath somewhere near the Alps.
Elinor amuses herself about all sorts of things and while she wants to go up the Alps, a friend of hers who had paid the guide to take her up there feels ill and decides to go back. But Elinor insists on going up without the guide and finds Ashby sitting alone and fortunately persuades him to lead her and her "aunt". - well, that's how she calls Mrs. Hartley.
Anyway, Ashby is far too confused about it all and soon they loose their way, Elinor even starts shouting "We're lost", but suddenly she sees the way back and tries to tell Ashby, who is so confused about it that he falls down and gets hurts on one of his legs. The next day, Elinor decides to visit him and excuses for her behaviour, Ashby seems rather confused to see her and all of a sudden they become friends. A few days later, they have a little party at the village and Elinor is very disappointed that Ashby dances with her aunt, but not with her. She follows him and confronts him: "I want to take this happy memory with me, but which one will you take?"... then they kiss.
But suddenly the husband whose woman had got ill on the trip up to the Alps sees them and tells Ashby that he wishes to talk to him about his son, who wants to attend Oxford - the man is a doctor who works near the college. Ashby receives a telegram the next day, that his colleague and president of the college is seriously ill and wishes to see him. He leaves without talking to Elinor or Mrs. Hartley.
His friends try to talk about his trip to Switzerland with him, but he just seems to block up everything which concerns this matter. "Switzerland is over". Probably a week later or so, the two woman arrive in Oxford, though they are not allowed to go inside the college, they wish to speak Ashby, who then shows them around. He doesn't seem to take any notice of Elinor, who is so frustrated that she leaves her aunt and him and goes trough the college on her own, where she is seen by a very young colleague of Ashby, who is a well-know womanizer.
After her aunt and Ashby have a dinner together, she decides to run away from the hotel where they stayed and goes to Ashby's home inside the college and waits there for him. Her aunt has already fallen in love with the handsome professor, but has not the slightest idea that he cares only for Elinor.
As he finds her, she is soaking wet and he tries to warm her with a blanket. Then he speaks with her about the situation, she confronts him again with her feelings, but he resists and tells her that he would loose all he ever wanted - the chance to become the president of the college... therefore he brings her back home, where they are seen at two o'clock at the morning by the doctor, whose son wanted to attend Oxford - but was too dumb to do so. He then starts blackmailing Ashby but he still has a slight chance to become the president of the college.
His colleague persuades him to stay away from the college for a couple of days and he makes him swear never to see his "american friends" again. Meanwhile Ashby's dirty younger colleague, Syme's seduces Elinor... and Mrs. Hartley tries to propose to Ashby, who refuses her feelings.
The president of the college dies, and suddenly there will be an election, while Ashby still wishes to become the president, he gets the terrible news by his former blackmailer that the young girl, Elinor, is pregnant. He looses the election, and Syme's - the father of the child and the man who secuded poor Elinor becomes the president... Ashy decides to leave the college, he goes to Elinor and talks with her about everything. She knows that she has done a mistake, but she wouldn't be against a marriage of him and her aunt anymore... Ashby regrets his horrible faults as well and tells her that he has never loved Mrs. Hartley but her.
At the end they talk about their first meeting and he reminds her of the first words she has ever said to him. "Did i disturb you, Sir?"... Elinor smilingly says that it wasn't the first time that they had met or seen each other, she asks him which song he had sung at one day in Switzerland... for a moment he wonders what she means and suddenly they begin to laugh.
The movie ends with her and Ashby standing somewhere in Switzerland and she looks through the telescop again and seems very happy...
The Cast:
Michael Palin - Francis Ashby
Trini Alvarado - Elinor Hartle
Connie Booth - Mrs. Caroline Hartley
Alfred Molina - Mr. Syme
Actually the story was based upon the travel diaries of Edward Palin, Michael Palin's great-grandfather, who then married the girl and they had seven children. His grandfather had also met the girl in Switzerland, and she was Irish just like Elinor, but I doubt that she was actually pregnant with another man's baby at the time of their marriage... but Edward Palin had also been at Oxford at that time and left it behind for his love...
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You have bewitched me body and soul!
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