WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

ScoobyMint Disappointment for a huge fan!

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

RanchoTuVu A successful cosmetics tycoon (Olivia de Havilland) goes on a flashback of her life story as she mans her assigned post during a bombing raid in 1944 London. This trip takes us to her youthful days as the beautiful daughter working in her father's pharmacy in small-town New York state where she's the prize for a couple of suitors, but falls for a barnstorming WWI pilot (John Lund) and ends up having a son out of wedlock. The prevailing morals make keeping the child out of the question, but her love for her son is at the center of the film, as is her emerging success as a businesswoman which allows her financial independence which opens more doors for her character. This role won de Havilland the Oscar for best actress and it is a great part which shows a woman taking on her times and succeeding in doing so.

robert-temple-1 Olivia de Havilland well deserved the Oscar she got for the lead role in this melodrama. In an astonishing display of virtuosity, she plays the character over the course of 20 years, being utterly convincing both as a sweet young thing with an innocent smile and a hard-bitten middle-aged business woman whose lips are hardened into a permanent grimace of determined refusal to feel anything. Rarely has an actress shown such a range of both age and mood in the same film. As always, Miss de Havilland's eyes positively glow like hot coals with the intelligence and high character which are so much her own personal nature. Having known Miss de Havilland somewhat during the 1990s in Paris, I can testify that even in her eighties she was mesmerising and perfectly spell-binding as a woman, and one of the most fascinating people I have ever met. She has such a fine, generous and loving nature, and such a sound character that she is simply a paragon of human goodness. All of these qualities shine forth in her movies, and were responsible for her turning Hollywood upside down with the famous 'de Havilland Decision' of the courts, which restricted the power of the Hollywod studios over their actors. She has always been as courageous as, presumably, her ancestor must have been who accompanied William the Conqueror when he invaded England. And yes, Miss de Havilland is connected with the once-famous de Havilland aircraft: that was the same family. She is British, which explains why she was able to speak like that in this film during the London scenes (one reviewer wondered how she did it). Another sterling performance in this film was by the wonderful Roland Culver, one of Britain's best-loved character actors. In this film, he showed such finesse and such an impeccably delicate touch that he acted circles round everyone but Miss de Havilland herself. John Lund made his film debut here, in a double-role, which called upon him to play two very different types of personality, which he did very well indeed. Mary Anderson was especially fine in her portrayal of a sweet girl who goes mad with jealousy and becomes a virago when her back is against the wall. But the main importance of this film was its social message, valid for the times although irrelevant now, of intolerance for the unmarried mother. Now they are everywhere, and we pay for them in their hundreds of thousands with our taxes. But in those days, it took rare courage to dare to have a baby and attempt to keep it if you had no husband. Social ostracism and vilification were so strong then, when humans were still acting with their 'herd mentality' of exclusion of anyone challenging the norms. This film helped to change the social picture, and it is well for us to remember that such films as this did not only have a message, they often delivered it too. But without Miss de Havilland in the lead, this film might well have fallen into a sentimental slop bucket. It was she who raised its tone to that of art.

cjohnso8 The title of the movie was misleading,but as a huge fan of Ms. de Havilland, I watched this movie. It was a very tender story of the enduring and endearing love a mother had for her child.It brought to mind the contrast of today's societal views of unwed mothers(as it were).The story made me even more grateful to have 3 wonderful sons.I would love watch this movie with my mom and my five sister,on the day before mothers' day. What a good way to have your 'tears jerked'! What a celebration of motherhood!I will be happy when it is released on DVD. Hopefully very soon.

dougandwin As an unreserved fan of Olivia de Havilland I have to say that this was not her best film despite the fact that she acted her role brilliantly and won an Academy Award for it. I genuinely believe the film was let down by a very average supporting cast, not the least of whom was the very forgettable John Lund. Only Bill Goodwin, Roland Culver and Mary Anderson gave suitable support. The story line today seems very unbelievable, but stood up very well in the Forties. Mitchell Leisen did an excellent job of directing, and the aging of Olivia as Josephine Norris was very good. Her acting as a young beautiful girl( smitten with a flier) to the somewhat frustrated middle-aged woman was quite brilliant - the make-up was good and made the transition very believable. When one compares Miss de Havilland with her performances in "The Snake Pit" amd "The Heiress", I find it hard to believe she did not end up with 3 Oscars!