Day 27: How Green Was My Valley

How Green Was My Valley: 1941: Winner of the 14th Academy Award

Starring:

Sara Allgood as Beth Morgan and Roddy McDowall as Huw Morgan.Walter Pidgeon as Mr. Gruffydd

Maureen O'Hara as Angharad Morgan

Anna Lee as Bronwyn, Ivor's wife

Donald Crisp as Gwilym Morgan

Roddy McDowall as Huw Morgan

John Loder as Ianto Morgan

Sara Allgood as Mrs. Beth Morgan

Barry Fitzgerald as Cyfartha

Patric Knowles as Ivor Morgan

Morton Lowry as Mr. Jonas

Arthur Shields as Mr. Parry

Ann Todd as Ceinwen

Frederick Worlock as Dr. Richards

Richard Fraser as Davy Morgan

Evan S. Evans as Gwilym Morgan

James Monks as Owen Morgan

Rhys Williams as Dai Bando

Lionel Pape as Evans

Ethel Griffies as Mrs. Nicholas

Marten Lamont as Iestyn Evans

This movie is good but oh so sad. It was like nothing in this movie could save the Morgans from their stream of bad luck! The beginning is the whole family and you see how close they are, how loving and dependent they are of one another. There are a grand total of 6 boys and 1 female. Then you got mom and dad who btw are super adorable in their patriarchal staging. The story told thru the eyes of the youngest in the family Huw is both lighthearted and tragic. First the older brother gets married but that’s about the only good thing, then bad things start to happen. As they work in a coal mine, they are reducing pages and so the two next to older brothers decide that because of the no union and because there isn't enough money to go around they will try their luck in America. That leaves four brothers still  and  Angharad who has the hots for the preacher. Meanwhile Huw goes to school and he gets picked on and beat by the other kids and bullied by his teacher. Which reminds me, any adult who has the gall to talk to a defenseless eleven year old in that manner should be dropped kicked. Ok back to story, so Huw and the mom go to put the men back in their places after they all gang up on the dad and they fall into an ice hole and they freeze a bit and it is quite some time before either of them get completely better. Angharad, the only character other than Bron :the first brothers wife who's name I believe is Ivor is the only names I remember, anyway she is in love with the preacher but he tells her he can't see her living in the dumps like him because he loves her too much and soon she is courted by the wealthiest man in town and off she goes. Then they lay of the two brothers and so they pack up and call it quits in the town, leaving mom, dad and Huw with Bron and Ivor. Tragedy strikes again as Ivor is killed in a mining accident. Then Angharad who has gone comes back and is accused of filing for divorce and because of the scandal the father goes to work on a day he usually doesn’t and gets killed. The story has a lot of heart and is told beautifully. Its a story about a hard working family trying to stay together throughout  the different fast changing pace of time and space. Also props to Walter Pidegon for not having an accent, he just delivers the line and doesn't deal with the middle man. I noticed it in “ Mrs. Miniver” and loved that he does it! Go Walter! By the way this movie beat out the more memorable Maltese Falcon with Bogart and Citizen Kane, I love Citizen Kane so think this should have not been the chosen, but I can understand why, Citizen Kane is unabashedly long.

It also won awards for:

Best Director - John Ford
Best Supporting Actor - Donald Crisp

Best Black-and-White Cinematography - Arthur C. Miller
Best Black-and-White Art Direction-Interior Decoration - Richard Day, Nathan H. Juran and Thomas Little