''Bittersweet Love'' is a 1976 American

DeLuxe Color DeLuxe Color or Deluxe color or Color by DeLuxe is Deluxe Laboratories brand of color process for motion pictures. DeLuxe Color is Eastmancolor-based, with certain adaptations for improved compositing for printing (similar to Technicolor's "sel ...

romantic drama film directed by David Miller, written by Adrian Morrall and D.A. Kellogg, starring

Lana Turner Lana Turner ( ; born Julia Jean Turner; February 8, 1921June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Over the course of her nearly 50-year career, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized pe ...

Robert Lansing Robert Lansing (; October 17, 1864 – October 30, 1928) was an American lawyer and diplomat who served as Counselor to the State Department at the outbreak of World War I, and then as United States Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wi ...

Celeste Holm Celeste Holm (April 29, 1917 – July 15, 2012) was an American stage, film and television actress. Holm won an Academy Award for her performance in Elia Kazan's '' Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947), and was nominated for her roles in ''Come to ...

Robert Alda Robert Alda (born Alfonso Giuseppe Giovanni Roberto D'Abruzzo; February 26, 1914 – May 3, 1986) was an Italian-American theatrical and film actor, a singer, and a dancer. He was the father of actors Alan and Antony Alda. Alda was featured in a ...

Scott Hylands Scott Hylands Douglas (born 1943) is a Canadian actor who has appeared in movies, on television, and on the stage. Because of his longevity and versatility, critics have called him "one of Canada's greatest actors." Early years Hylands was born ...

, and Meredith Baxter-Birney in

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Plot

Michael Lewis and Patricia Peterson meet in an unusual way—while on a date with another woman, Michael attempts to retrieve his date's car keys from a fountain. When his date abandons him, he meets Patricia and they soon find themselves falling in love. After learning that she is pregnant, they decide to get married and hold a small ceremony in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, where Michael's family lives. Patricia's parents, Ben and Claire, have never met Michael, and are out of the country when the wedding takes place. They meet their new son-in-law after returning from their travels. While reviewing pictures from the wedding she missed, Claire is shocked to discover that she knows Michael's father; the two had a one-night stand after meeting at a

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dance years ago. This one-night stand resulted in Patricia's birth; making the newly married couple half-siblings, with a pregnancy already underway. Distraught over the news, Patricia goes to her doctor to see if she can obtain a late-term

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

. The doctor tells her that if the fetal weight is still low, they may be able to terminate the pregnancy due to her situation. Patricia ultimately decides not to go through with the abortion, but is still wary of her relationship with Michael. The couple spend the rest of the pregnancy isolated from their friends and family. Patricia's mother begs her to reconsider ending the pregnancy, or to go away and give the baby up for adoption, but Patricia reprimands her and says that doesn't want anymore family secrets. Michael also starts to research the history of

incest Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adopti ...

, and its effects on people. While at home, Patricia goes into labor and has Michael take her to the hospital. She later gives birth to a healthy baby girl named Amy. When their daughter is six weeks old, Michael attempts to celebrate by cooking a nice dinner for himself and Patricia. But the evening quickly turns sour when Patricia becomes hysterical as she and Michael are kissing. The couple ultimately split up; with Michael moving out of the house and Patricia keeping Amy. As she later holds her daughter, a voice-over of Patricia rings out: ''″In the middle of the night I think of how it would have been never to know the truth. I put myself there and in that time before the truth I find peace and sleep. But the sleep ends, and I wake to who and what we are. Brother and sister. Strangers.″''

Cast

References

External links

* * * * 1976 films 1976 romantic drama films 1970s American films 1970s English-language films American romantic drama films Embassy Pictures films Films directed by David Miller Incest in film {{romantic-drama-film-stub