Year of Release: 1946Country of Origin: USA
Director: Mitchell Leisen
Cast: Olivia de Havilland, John Lund
Plot outline: During World War I, small-town girl Josephine Norris has an illegitimate son by an itinerant pilot. After a scheme to adopt him ends up giving him to another family, she devotes her life to loving him from afar (IMDb).
The story could have easily become melodramatic and tedious, but thanks to the script and the brilliant performance by Ms. de Havilland the pitfall is avoided. Good writing and good acting really do make a lot of difference. While the script keeps the spirit of the story high - right through the end of the movie - with smart and sharp dialogue, Ms. de Havilland - playing a double role as a young girl and a middle-aged woman - proves her acting agility as her character undergoes a gradual transformation from a foolish young girl to a fiercely independent woman. Without her superb acting the movie would not be half as good as it is. For this she earned her first Oscar for Best Actress.
My judgement: *** out of 4 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment