jandesimpson
It was the type of film I used to see with my mother when she met me after school with a packed tea during those far off days of the war; the type of film I would look out for many years later on afternoon TV to share with her once more during the closing days of her life in a nearby nursing home. I have never lost my affection for those American 'weepies' of the '40's even though I now have to admit that many like John Cromwell's "Since You Went Away" fall some way short of the greatest by William Wyler and John Ford. There are even examples by lesser directors such as Anatole Litvak's "All This and Heaven Too" and Henry King's "Song of Bernadette" that are head and shoulders above it in overall quality. Nevertheless, as I waded through almost three hours of treacle the other evening I felt that "Since You Went Away" was an experience worth resurrecting if only for three factors, as a historical document, one sequence of tremendous emotional power and a reminder of the glorious black and white photography of some of those Hollywood masters, in this case Stanley Cortez ("The Magnificent Ambersons" and "Night of the Hunter"). Made at the height of the second world war the film was intended as a tribute to those wives, youngsters and others left behind on the home front. It generated enormous empathy from housewives everywhere with its central character played by Claudette Colbert, the embodiment of the 'stiff upper lip'. In probably her best role she keeps the whole film together in spite of its indulgent over length and often discursive irrelevant frills such as the martinet lodger's eating habits and his relations with the family dog. Often it needs the mention of 'Corregidor' or 'Salerno' to get back on course. I don't suppose I would be taking the trouble to pen this review were it not for a wonderful thing that happens well into the film, the meeting and steadily growing relationship between daughter Jane (Jennifer Jones) and the lodger's grandson (Robert Walker). In countless war films particularly those of this period there were attempts so encapsulate the intense preciousness of a couple's short time together before being torn apart by enforced separation. Of course it's that old love-youth-death cocktail yet again but I cannot remember it being more movingly done than here. Marvellous use of the pathetic fallacy of being caught in a thunderstorm in a country landscape followed by possibly the greatest cinematic train departure ever. Worth seeing if for nothing else.
denisa-dellinger
I watched this movie on TCM but I had to buy it because I have come to enjoy the older films more than the contemporary ones. I pulled it out this afternoon and watched it. I love all the actors in this film and the theme of hearth and home. That was the reason the men and women fought that war. It was sentimental and old fashioned but not in a schmaltzy way. Everyone pulled together because they were Americans and did their part for the war effort. It was very interesting to see mother and daughters playing gin rummy for things to do at night and doing hairstyles that were in Vogue. For entertainment, they all played charades at a party instead of watching TV and looking down at cell phones. How refreshing.
mark.waltz
Two years before Fredric March came home to his wife and children in "The Best Years of Our Lives", there was "Since You Went Away", the salute to the lonely wives waiting for their man to return. Of course, not every wife waiting for the spouse looked like Claudette Colbert, so it is no wonder that Claudette, thanks to painter Joseph Cotten, gets her own pin-up to remind the boys of what they were fighting for. Unlike other pin-up girls of the 1940's, Claudette had been around for a long time making movies, but she still looked gorgeous and could still pack in audiences during this time of her career.Usually cast in romantic comedies, Colbert rarely had a chance to show off her dramatic talents, although films such as "Drums Along the Mohawk", "Arise My Love" and "Boom Town" prove differently amongst her usual screwball antics. She's dealing with the typical crisis of wives during the war-not enough money coming in, bill collectors calling and problems with the children. In this case, its her two daughters, the beautiful Jennifer Jones and the precocious Shirley Temple. Forced to let her wonderful cook (Hattie McDaniel) go, Colbert turns to her social engagements for solace, and this includes luncheons with the snooty Agnes Moorehead who seems to be more interested in her own publicity than the one going on with the boys overseas. When Colbert rents a room to the elderly Monty Woolley, a crotchety old man who doesn't at all hit it off with either Temple or the family bulldog, Moorehead is aghast. Then, Jennifer Jones meets Woolley's handsome grandson (Robert Walker), and romance slowly blooms. One episode has Jones and Walker being hassled by a sailor (the very handsome Guy Madison) then bringing them along on their date, simply because they know he's lonely.As for Colbert's friendship with painter Cotten, its enough to get Moorehead suspicious again, but Colbert is totally loyal to her husband. Of course, the predictable telegram arrives, telling of her husband's absence, but in wartime, sometimes husbands do return, especially in Hollywood movies where for the most part, a happy ending was much needed. Among the major players, Temple is the weak spot, but her role really is limited, so that softens the blow of her sulking and pouty impish performance.This is the American homefront at its most clean-cut. Of course, not everybody lived the way Colbert and her family did, and even got free cooking to boot as at another point, the feisty McDaniel returns, "I needs my solitude and privitation", she claims, keeping the other position as a day job but needing a place to get away from the family she hasn't quite hit it off with as much as Colbert's. This is quite ironic considering Colbert's friendship with another movie maid, the magnificently sweet Louise Beavers just a decade before in the original "Imitation of Life". McDaniels is a lot more cynical yet equally as lovable as Beavers, so it is easy to see why certain film books sometimes confuse the two heavyset but wonderful black character actors.There's room for plenty of tears here as lovers are torn apart (the famous scene between Jones and Walker saying goodbye at the train depot) or Colbert dealing with a sudden telegram. Everything here is touching, and even if made in the typical Hollywood fashion, producer David O. Selznick and director John Cromwell get everything just right. Throw in a last minute war speech by the preacher (Lionel Barrymore) and you've got the feel-good war drama that provided hope for audiences around the country and even the world.
atafero
Since You Went Away, written and produced by David Selznik, and starring Claudette Colbert in an Oscar-nominated role, Jennifer Jones in a brilliant performance, and a solid cast of supporting actors that give the film great authenticity. This film was shot during WW 2 itself, and as such, has a greater feel of reality that most WW2 films made after the end of the war.Although a bit overly-sentimental in a few scenes, and a bit too long, the film still manages to hit our emotional cores with an array of issues that were prevalent during WW2. The telegram scenes, the phone calls and the work with disabled veterans all cannot fail to move the viewer. Selznik used almost his complete core of actors from Gone With the Wind to make this film, and for the most part, they clicked together again very well. The cinematography is first-rate and the dance scenes at the GI canteen are extremely impressive. The film highlights the struggles of American women and children who had to cope with long absences of their loved ones during the war. The music by Max Steiner won the Oscar for best music that year and it was well-deserved. Better bring at least two hankies for the ladies.
