I'll Be Seeing You

Rating:
Summary: A BITTERSWEET VALENTINE TO LOST LOVES REMEMBERED
Review: "I'll Be Seeing You" is a bittersweet melodrama about a female convict, Mary Marshall (Ginger Rogers) who is released from the state penitentiary on a Christmas leave. Boarding a westbound train, Mary meets Zachary Morgan (Joseph Cotten) an army sergeant who has just been released from a mental hospital. The two develop an affinity for one another on their journey, so much so that, after learning he'll be spending Christmas alone, Mary invites Zach to her place for dinner. The unlikely romance that blossoms between these two is both tragic and poignant. Mary keeps her incarceration a secret and Zach does his best to conceal the fact that he is a man with more than his share of psychological problems. Ultimately the story dissolves into the sort of treacle one might expect from war time schlock and nonsense, but it's central performances are so solid and poignant that one easily overlooks the implausibility of it all and has a tear jerking, heart-rending good cry and smile through it all.
MGM's DVD is impressive. The B&W picture exhibits a very nicely balanced gray scale with smooth, solid blacks and very clean whites. Age related artifacts are present throughout but do not distract. Some minor edge enhancement crops up and there is more than a hint of pixelization in infrequent spots but overall the picture will surely not disappoint. The audio is mono but more than adequate for a film of this vintage. There are no extras.


Rating:
Summary: very nice picture
Review: at first i didn't know what to expect from this movie, seeing as it deals with the later part of ginger's peak career, (mid-late forties) I needn't have worried however, for Ginger and Mr. Joseph Cotten give truly wonderful performances. These were two of the best actors of their day, and it shows in their suble, yet powerful performnaces. They have a very intense chemistry together, and it's a shame they didn't work together again. They were friends off camera though, as Ginger was really friends with everyone in Hollywood back then. The color and sound qulaity here are terrific with good solid blacks, and crisp greys and whites. A teenage Shirley Temple appears as Ginger's cousin, and it's fun to see the two musical queens of the thirties together. Now all we need is some music! Although she appears sans her sprightly curls, Temple gives a spirited and realistic performance that really shows off her acting ability. Two scenes that really impressed me, the first, after saing goodnight to Ginger on New Years, he goes back to his room, where he has another phsychological attack. It's incredibly done, and really attention grabbing. When he looks up at the lightbulb, and hallucinates that it's a bomb falling, it's reaaly quite frightening. The other scene that I though was particarly well done was the very last scene. As ginger wals back to prison, Joseph is waiting for her in the shadow. In one swift motion, she spies him, drops her bag and runs into his arms. Other actresses may have looked, put down the bag, and then ran to him, but not Ginger, in one action, she can accomplish so much. The ending lines are dramatic, but not treachly, or overly so as the other reviewer may have suggested. Ginger says one of the things that she rarely says, "I love you [so much]" in the past, she has said, "I'm in love with you/him" etc... but never really a direct statement. He then explains that he'll be there for her and that he'll marry her when she gets out. It's bittersweet to be sure, but Optmism never alluded these two. This movie is a perfect example of how the movie's used to be, and probably never will be again. Not to mentio, all the talent that we used to get from the movies has disappeared, so see this nostalgic flick, and see the movies, Ginger Rogers and Joseph Cotten in their Golden age.

Rating:
Summary: AT LONG LAST!
Review: I have been looking for this film on VHS (now DVD) since the dawn of time! I saw it many years ago on television, and a friend had made a poor quality VHS off the television, so I could get a "fix" every so often. Actually, I remember watching this on television as a kid. The title song was my parents' song - it probably was for most WWII couples. I'm surprised neither Ginger Rogers or Shirley Temple were nominated for Oscars - Shirley Temple's especially, as the teenaged cousin, Barbara, was a breakoout role and she really played against type. There is some typical era sentimentality, naturally, but not much. There is also one really funny FUNNY scene where Ginger and her aunt, played by Spring Byington, go to buy her a gown for New Year's Eve. But of course, the core of this film, is the relationship between Mary, out on Christmas leave from prison, and Joseph Cotton, trying to hide his tenuous grasp on reality, caused by combat shock. In flashback, told by Mary to her Barbara who cannot hide her scorn for the jailbird, she tells why she is in prison - basically for fighting off an attempted rape by her boss. I cannot emphasize how moving this film is - without being mushy or corny or sloppy. It's one of those movues that make people ask, "Why can't they make movies like that any more?"
BUT - do keep that hankie ready!