Since You Went Away

Rating:
Summary: The train platform farewell is peerless
Review: among sentimental tearjerkers in this classic tale of the brave American women who keep the homefires burning during the dark days of WWII. The title refers to all that is happening to one American family while the father is away at war. Claudette Colbert stars as the mother with Jennifer Jones and Shirley Temple as her daughters. Joseph Cotten is the old family friend who may or may not be in love with Colbert, Monty Wooley the crusty lodger the family takes in to earn some money. Through Wooley enters into the family his grandson Robert Walker, a shy soldier with whom Jennifer Jones eventually falls in love. "Since You Went Away" is second only to "How Green Was My Valley" for annual tearfall in my lowly opinion. Made at the height of the actual war, this movie captured and preserved for our later generations the terrible experience of trying to go on with a normal life as loved ones were facing death at the front. Yet there is joy too for this family as they go about the ordinary things through which our happiness comes. There are other vignettes depicting minor characters, featuring situations familiar to the wartime audience, which now are like so many time capsules for us more than fifty years after the war. A wonderful movie that would move even the most cynical viewer, "Since You Went Away" is tops in my books.

Rating:
Summary: Selznick's Second Masterpiece!
Review: Gone with the Wind will always be David O. Selznick's supreme masterpiece. But right behind GWTW is this ravishing, tear-jerker concerning a mother and her two daughters during World War II. The gorgeous black and white photography, creating shadows and drama, the fireplaces always crackling cozily, the snow outside, the by-gone lifestyle of the early l940s, these are just one layer of this classic to enjoy. Claudette Colbert is perfect as the heroic mother-wife of the Hilton clan. The last scenes, where she finds a gift from her husband whose off somewhere around the world fighting the enemy, is heart-breaking.And it takes place beneath a Christmas tree! Even the yule-tide wrapping is endearing since it's another relic from a long-gone era. I watch this movie several times a year, but especially during the Christmas holidays, because its scenes of snows and warm hearths really do belong to an era when we once enjoyed something called a White Christmas. This movie should have swept all the Oscars, especially the redoutable Max Steiner for his stunning musical score. An even better way to spend a wintry weekend is to curl up with both Gone With the Wind and Since You Went Away and you'll be one happy viewer!

Rating:
Summary: The perfect Sunday afternoon experience.
Review: I saw this yesterday on TCM. Yes it is sentimental and patriotic and a bit syrupy in the dialog. But it was released in 1944- meaning it was filmed right in the middle of World War II, so the sentiment and especially the times are aptly reflected. More than anything else, the film's virtues are from the performances. Claudette Colbert reminds me very much of Norma Shearer's matriarch in 'The Women:' warm, intelligent, and very likable, but surrounded by the constrictions and circumstances of the time. (It's interesting to hear her tell Joseph Cotten two hours into the film that she feels useless and is not contributing to the war effort when in fact she's been contributing all along.) Cotten is wonderful as her surrogate mate (still carrying a torch after all these years) and daughters Temple and the beautiful Jones are quite good. There is magnificent b/w cinematography- rich in shadows and geometric patterns, and fine editing which shows off a Norman Rockwell-like presentation of day-to-day life in rural America. The standout scene, of course is Jennifer Jones and Robert Walker (married in real life but separating at the time of the film) parting at the train station. The Steiner score (echoing the chugging of the train) and especially Jones' tearful run after the departing train are especially heartbreaking. (Does she sense her soldier's fate? Note the tragic, almost psychic expression on her face as she reads the engraving on the watch.) Good performances also from Agnes Moorehead and Selznick veteran Hattie McDaniel. Nominated for a ton of Oscars, and deservedly so.

Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Love Story
Review: I wasn't alive during World War II, but this movie along with The Best Years of Our Lives made me long for that feeling of love of America that people had so long ago. All of the actors in Since You Went Away made me feel that this was a labor of love. I was particularly moved by the performances of Claudette Colbert, Joseph Cotten and Monty Woolley. They could be members of my family now. It's a shame that this movie is no longer available on videotape. I think the children in our country need to see the type of patriotism that was once present in our country. I think that David Selznick gave us the two best movies of all times: Since You Went Away and Gone With the Wind!

Rating:
Summary: Exceptionally fantastic film
Review: Oh, I am SO thrilled that this finally came out on DVD! I've yet to see it on disc, obviously, but regardless: it is an excellent film. Made me cry several times, and the family life depicted was moving and realistic. I would recommend it to just about anyone! Claudette Colbert is great as the mother, and it is neat seeing an older-at-last Shirley Temple. : ) Buy/see this wonderful movie today; can't go wrong with it on DVD!!! :D

Rating:
Summary: Oldie-Goldie Masterpiece!
Review: This is a great l944 movie from David Selznick ("Gone with the Wind") to watch around the holidays, especially on a snowy afternoon because some of the best scenes in this classic occur against a wintry backdrop and at Christmas. Claudette Colbert portrays Ann Hilton, the courageous mother of two daughters: sensitive, romantic Jennifer Jones and her earthy, likeable sister, Shirley Temple. Throughout the movie, you see how they try to cope in an America of the 40s with World War II raging and Mr. Hilton has gone off to fight the enemy. The Gone-With-the-Wind long length sparkles with numerous great turns by Hollywood's greatest: Hattie McDaniel as Vadelia, the legendary Nazimova as a Russian emigrant,Agnes Morehead as the vicious, shallow hypocrite (a role she mastered in), etc. Selznick later wished he had filmed this classic in color. But the ravishing photography shimmers in its luscious black and white. Shadows galore, great crane shots, windows always sparkling from rain or gleaming with snow. A fascinating, poignant look at a long-ago America during World War II, where hearths always crackled invitingly, families sat around playing cards for fun (no TV yet) and Western Union could deliver news that horrified or give one hope. The final scene of the Hilton women, gathered close together as they read that fateful telegram is unforgettable. Selznick wanted this movie to outdo his mythical masterpiece, "Gone with the Wind." Of course it didn't. There's only one GWTW but "Since You Went Away" certainly played to tens of millions of movie goers during the 40s (it's listed as one of Hollwood's all-time highest grossing movies)and once you've seen it, you'll never forget Ann Hilton and Daughters as they struggle to keep the homefront strong. By the way, the unlucky unknown actor playing Mr. Hilton had all of his scenes cut out and you only see him briefly as a framed photograph.I've written much about David Selznick in my book on old Hollywood, "The Kiss of King Kong."