★ 7 / 10
Claudette Colbert is great as the struggling "Anne
CinemaSerf
Claudette Colbert is great as the struggling "Anne", who must bring up her two daughters "Jane" (Jennifer Jones) and "Brig" (Shirley Temple) whilst her husband…
Claudette Colbert is great as the struggling "Anne", who must bring up her two daughters "Jane" (Jennifer Jones) and "Brig" (Shirley Temple) whilst her husband is off fighting in WWII. To assist with the usual problems of making ends meet, she must take in a lodger "Col. Smollett" (Monty Woolley). At times you cannot help but feel for this poor lady who is constantly at the end of her tether. Their lodger is fastidious to say the least - he hates children, pets and yes, who better to illustrate that military pomposity than an on-form Woolley. To add to her woes, the young "Jane" is obsessed with men - more particularly their family friend "Tony" (Joseph Cotton). A man some years her senior who joins the navy leaving poor old "Jane" unaware that she is the object of the affections of their house guest's rather hapless grandson "Bill" (Robert Walker). On the face of it, this all appears rather convoluted but Colbert, Woolley and Cotten really do gel well together providing a quickly paced and entertaining series of escapades that, though exaggerated, do ring true a little for many households during the war that were left bereft of funds and a father/husband. Temple features now and again, largely do-gooding for the war effort by collecting junk, and Jones delivers well as both girls have to grip up - whether they like it or not. Max Steiner provides a lively, jaunty, score that sets and keeps the pace engaging and sometimes frenetic - but it's Colbert who shows she is very much the star here. I enjoyed it.
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★ 7 / 10
War heroes left homes with flags of patriotism, but they didn't know they were leaving their families uncovered. Know their story here.
SAMTHEBESTEST
Since You Went Away (1944) : Brief Review - War heroes left homes with flags of patriotism, but they didn't know they were leaving their families uncovered.…
Since You Went Away (1944) :
Brief Review -
War heroes left homes with flags of patriotism, but they didn't know they were leaving their families uncovered. Know their story here. The 1940s decade gave us the best World War films; let's not argue about that. There have been films about the battlefield, horrors of war, spy dramas, inspiring musicals, comedies, family dramas, and even the post-war situation. Buck Privates (1941), Mrs. Miniver (1942), The Best of Our Lives (1946), Germany Year Zero (1948), and The Search (1948) can be named as a few. While almost every angle of the world war has been attempted, Cromwell had an idea to take up the story of a family-the women who are left behind by men to complete their patriotic duties towards the country. Well, it was hard, as we all know, but having a sneak peek into their daily lives was no ordinary job. John Cromwell does that here. Yes, it's a long film of almost 3 hours, with 10 minutes wasted in the overture and all, but it will never make you feel bored. It has various interesting scenes and events lined up one after another to keep you hooked on the film. The film is about a housewife who has to take care of her two daughters and the home as her husband is away fighting the war for the country. Let me tell you, the film doesn't show the face of her husband once. Not even once. Maybe that's the most unique part about it. The writer and the director wanted that character to be the one from every family; hence, they didn't give him a face. If they had, it would have become a personal family drama, not a film about society. Yes, Claudette Colbert has done "Cleopatra," "Imitation of Life," and "It Happened One Night," but this was her best on-screen performance. Period. The rest of the cast is good too. The screenplay, cinematography, editing, emotions, social appeal, and direction all go well. All said and done, this WW II flick will never go away from our memories.
RATING - 7.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.
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