How Green Was My Valley (1941)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written by Philip Dunne, based upon the novel by Richard Llewellyn
Directed by John Ford
Starring Roddy McDowell, Maureen O’Hara, Walter Pidgeon, Anna Lee, Donald Crisp, Sara Allgood, Barry Fitzgerald, Patric Knowles, and John Loder

Features:

• Full-length audio commentary by actress Lee and film historian Joseph McBride
  
• Stills gallery
  
• Original trailer
  
• Backstory episode
  

Released by: Fox
Rating: G
Region: 1
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format

My Advice: Buy it at once.

How Green Was My Valley won five Oscars in 1941, including “Best Picture” beating out, for one, Citizen Kane. John Ford’s masterpiece has stood the test of time, proving that films can come at the perfect time and tell us what we most need to hear.

This profound film tells the story of a Welsh mining family during the labor struggles of the early century, told from the viewpoint of a son of that family, young Huw (McDowall), as his family hopes to provide him a better life. The tale is both inspiring and miserable, given the great struggles that these good-hearted people must face.

The extras are exceptional. There is, first of all, an insightful and fun full-length commentary with actress Anna Lee Nathan and film historian Joseph McBride. This feature alone is worth the price of the total disc, providing in-depth information and context for this important film. There is also an episode from AMC’s excellent Backstory program, focusing on this film, which does a similar job of telling viewers what to look for as they watch the film and how to take it all in. The gallery is a collection of the movie’s promotional stills, and I don’t know why more movies, particularly classic movies, don’t do this: all they have to do is scan in some fine photos that have already been taken and processed.

Of course the acting is wonderful. Roddy McDowall’s first role as a youngster, freshly immigrated from war-torn England, is astonishingly played considering the lad was only twelve at the time. His skill already belies his young age. Maureen O’Hara shows once again why she is queen of the silver screen, possessing a range of emotions and a quiet dignity that make all of her scenes breathtaking--but especially the scenes of her unwanted wedding. We get to see why Donald Crisp deserved his Oscar, and Walter Pidgeon and Anna Lee are similarly stunning in their respective roles.

The audio and video quality are both quite good, especially given how old the original film stock is. The film was done in black and white, which adds a great deal to the overall look of the mining town, and it also makes the shapes crisper and clearer. The music is nicely poignant and effective, without giving way to maudlin and over-romanticizing cliche.

How Green Was My Valley is not an easy film to watch in many ways, containing as it does, a full serving of misery and angst. However, it is an important and phenomenally crafted film that is one of film history’s most important works for reasons obvious to any viewer. If you cannot bear to buy this film and watch it repeatedly, at least rent it and view it once. Not only will you be touched by the story itself, you will learn a great deal about film craft from the mastery of Ford and the skills of the actors.