Random Harvest
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Movie Reviews of Random Harvest
Movie Review: BITTERSWEET TEAR-JERKER IN GLORIOUS TRANSFER
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the all time great four hanky tearjerkers, "Random Harvest" (1942) is a bittersweet tale of love and sacrifice, set against that mythical backdrop of jolly ol' Britain that never was. It stars Ronald Colman as Charles Rainier, a war veteran who is suffering from amnesia. Paula Ridgway (Greer Garson) is the unfortunate dance-hall hostess who falls in love and marries Charles - renamed John Smith. But true love never runs a straight course and John and Paula's brief chance at divine happiness is overturned when a car accident jogs John's memory. He returns to the life he once knew, oblivious that his new and fragile world with Paula ever existed.
Colman's gentlemanly congeniality, as always, astounds with genuine canter and frank grace and maturity - qualities soarly lacking from the leading men of today's cinema. Garson is charming; blowing in as a summer's breeze and just as passionate, divine and charming as Colman. Director Mervyn LeRoy modulates each plot point and circumstance with subtle panache and quiet rectitude for his subject matter. There's never a point at which the melodrama becomes cheap, exploitive or overwrought. Ah, but the years may pass and memories fade, but "Random Harvest" has proven to be that rarest of eternal cinematic treasures - genuine and outstanding in every way.
Warner Home Video delivers a marvelous DVD transfer. The gray scale has been impeccably rendered with fine tonality and attention to fine detail. The picture is generally sharp and pleasing on the eyes. Blacks are very rich, deep and solid. Whites are on the whole clean. Occasionally one will detect a note of edge enhancement and the odd age related artifact, but these are bare quibbling on an otherwise flawless presentation. The audio is mono and very nicely balanced. A hint of background hiss is detected in quiescent scenes, but again, for a film element that is pushing 70 plus years, there's really nothing to complain about here. Two vintage short subjects, a trailer gallery and audio only broadcast of the film round out the extras. A very nicely put together trip down memory lane from the good people over at Warner Brothers. Top marks and highly recommended!
Movie Review: Classic Tear-Jerker Still Leaves You With Wet Kleenex
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the all time great four hanky tearjerkers, "Random Harvest" (1942) is a bittersweet tale of love and sacrifice, set against that mythical backdrop of jolly ol' Britain that never was. It stars Ronald Colman as Charles Rainier, a war veteran who is suffering from amnesia. Paula Ridgway (Greer Garson) is the unfortunate dance-hall hostess who falls in love and marries Charles - renamed John Smith. But true love never runs a straight course and John and Paula's brief chance at divine happiness is overturned when a car accident jogs John's memory. He returns to the life he once knew, oblivious that his new and fragile world with Paula ever existed. Colman's gentlemanly congeniality, as always, astounds with genuine canter and frank grace and maturity - qualities soarly lacking from the leading men of today's cinema. Garson is charming; blowing in as a summer's breeze and just as passionate, divine and charming as Colman. Director Mervyn LeRoy modulates each plot point and circumstance with subtle panache and quiet rectitude for his subject matter. There's never a point at which the melodrama becomes cheap, exploitive or overwrought. Ah, but the years may pass and memories fade, but "Random Harvest" has proven to be that rarest of eternal cinematic treasures - genuine and outstanding in every way.
Warner Home Video delivers a marvelous DVD transfer. The gray scale has been impeccably rendered with fine tonality and attention to fine detail. The picture is generally sharp and pleasing on the eyes. Blacks are very rich, deep and solid. Whites are on the whole clean. Occasionally one will detect a note of edge enhancement and the odd age related artifact, but these are bare quibbling on an otherwise flawless presentation. The audio is mono and very nicely balanced. A hint of background hiss is detected in quiescent scenes, but again, for a film element that is pushing 70 plus years, there's really nothing to complain about here. Two vintage short subjects, a trailer gallery and audio only broadcast of the film round out the extras. A very nicely put together trip down memory lane from the good people over at Warner Brothers. Top marks and highly recommended!
Movie Review: Classic tearjerker
Summary: 5 Stars
"Random Harvest", a novel by James Hilton, was an enormous hit when it appeared in the late thirties. The story of a war veteran who suffers amnesia and marries the same girl twice, however contrived, tore at the heart strings.
MGM purchased the rights and the film broke box office records in 1942. Filmed in typical MGM style, which means a syrupy score, artificial sets and soft focus camerawork, it is beautifully mounted and therefore completely unrealistic but it doesn't matter. A cynical view is easy to adopt but ultimately irrelevent. When I showed the film to a friend recently, she was riveted to the twists and turns of the plot and reduced to tears by the end. After 60 years it still works.
This is possibly Greer Garson's best performance. In contrast to Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer and so many MGM stars, Garson was a trained actress and in the right circumstances, she could transcend the artificial settings and really create a character. In this film, she does just that and Ronald Colman, who is much too old for his part, matches her. His underacting, handsome face, modesty and overwhelming magnetism and charm win you over and together they make a memorable team. Garson was on record that this was her favourite film and that she loved making it. It shows. The rapport of the leads added so much to the onscreen relationship. She also performs a song and dance, an imitation of Harry Lauder which she carries off very well. Special mention too of the tragic Susan Peters who superbly plays the girl Colman almost marries. By the way, LISTEN to the film. You may never hear the English language spoken so beautifully. The leads' voices are a large part of the magic.
The DVD print is good and the package contains a few extras which are of marginal interest. The Lux Radio version is irrelevant when you can view the original and the Garson film trailers are really a marketing exercise. The 2 shorts are of historical interest.
Movie Review: My Father's Favorite Film
Summary: 5 Stars
My father -- who passed nearly three years ago now -- said "Random Harvest" was his all-time favorite movie; and Ronald Coleman was his favorite actor. I'm so glad I finally got to see this film. Coleman with his little pencil mustache was nominated for Best Actor for the film. While James Cagny would take home the trophy for "Yankee Doodle Dandy," Coleman turns in an excellent understated performance as the amnesia victim called "Smithy" and Charles Rainer, the wealthy businessman. Greer Garson shines on screen as Paula, the British actress who befriends Coleman, marries him and has his son. The early scenes with her witty repartee as she tries to draw out the taciturn Smithy are charming. Susan Peters was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role as Kitty, the young girl who wants Rainer to marry her. Teresa Wright took home the trophy that year for Mrs. Miniver. But Peters' story is touching, being paralyzed in a hunting accident two years later and dying at age 31. As Kitty, she is full of youthful optimism and then has a great scene where she lets Charles go. Philip Dorn who was in "I Remember Mama" and "Paris After Dark" plays Paula's friend Dr. Jonathan Benet in a touching cameo. Irish actress Una Connor who was in "The Invisible Man" also has a nice cameo as the tobacconist. Mervyn Roy was nominated for the Best Director Oscar that year, but saw William Wyler take home the trophy for "Mrs. Miniver." Roy went on to direct "Mister Roberts" in 1955 and "Gypsy" in 1962. He took home the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1975. Greer Garson won a Best Actress Oscar that year, but for her role as Mrs. Miniver. James Hilton's story works well 66 years later as the romantic connection jumps alive. Dad was right! Enjoy!Movie Review: " So, You believe in Fairies, too? "
Summary: 5 Stars
Kidding aside, this piece of romantic nostalgia recently prompted mcHaiku's husband to morph into a convincing *Smitty* - - the role of the WWI soldier played by Ronald Colman in RANDOM HARVEST. In real life Colman was swooned over by women; in this movie he played the part of an amnesiac just as the war ended. In the excitement of victory he eluded the hospital guards and was rescued by Greer Garson, a beautiful music hall dancer of unusual refinement. And the story builds from there to a satisfactory close. When I question this cotton-candy ending, asking "You must believe in Fairies, too?" he replies, "In this world maybe that's not such a bad idea?"
He contends that today's movies don't have real storylines. An accurate translation is that no film matches his favorite, LOST HORIZON. Interestingly, James Hilton authored both books from which the two films were made. We do not ask if we saw this film in 1943 >OR< if we also suffer from amnesia, >OR< are we just too ancient to remember? We won't forget the perfection of Greer, the charming persistence of Susan Peters and the suave syllables of Ronald Colman - - or the sharp black & white photography with some moody grays! RANDOM HARVEST exerts an emotional hold on us that takes us back through our own 'pea soup fog' of past decades. It is not to be missed.
Don Freeman wrote something that reminds me of this movie: "Our memories are an untidy family album crammed with images & dreams, scattered and uncatalogued, and their sudden recurrence is totally unpredictable."