HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY: Blu-ray (2oth Century-Fox, 1941) Fox Home Video
BEST PICTURE -
1941
It is quite
simply impossible for me to get through John Ford’s Oscar-winning masterpiece, How Green Was My Valley (1941) without
shedding tears; its reverent and poetic celebration of life and love, perhaps
even more far-reaching beyond the truthfulness in those moments. Told almost
entirely in flashback, the earliest recollections are undiluted and joyous,
rekindled through the bright eyes of one of Hollywood’s truly inspired child
stars, Roddy McDowell, not yet fully able to comprehend the darkness that
thinly veils, but has yet to fully intrude on his idyllic surroundings. Like a romantic
elegy or meticulously woven arras, Ford integrates the various threads in
Philip Dunne’s nonpareil screenplay, producing a precisely gratifying, often nostalgic
visual rendering of a tightly knit family in decline. Plumbed through finely
wrought performances from its stellar cast, remarkable, though hardly iconic
performers – some, to go on and have lasting careers - How Green Was My Valley has endured the test of time, principally because
it seems excruciatingly authentic, not only to its source material, but to a
way of life all but overshadowed with the passage of time.
When asked to
name the favorite of all his many cinematic triumphs, Ford, a visionary in his
perennial renaissance of a certain type of masculine heroism and pageantry,
substituted as our collective truth for the American west, chose How Green Was My Valley above all others
to stand in for the formidable girth of his body of work. Although this may
seem ironic at first, given Ford’s irascible nature, and his affinity for
stories devoted to manly men, in hindsight one can plainly understand the
appeal for Ford in making this movie. It
remains Ford’s aide memoire to his Welsh roots. And Ford, who could be crass, often
adversarial, with stars – even the one most closely aligned to his own legacy –
John Wayne - herein, is working with an ensemble of solid, though hardly headlining
names above the title: front-lined by the luminous, Maureen O’Hara (then, only nineteen
years old), as the fiery Angharad, and transcendent Walter Pigeon, as Mr.
Mr.
Gruffyd, her never-to-be paramour.
Indeed, O’Hara would later tell stories of Ford’s tender encouragement,
the way he guided everyone through their performances – especially hers, and
even took time out to gather the ladies in the cast for a ritual afternoon tea
between takes. If Ford did have a soft side, it is most obviously exposed in
Angharad’s wistful assignations with Pigeon’s noble minister; O’Hara’s
forthright beauty, brought to heel in a loveless marriage to the wealthy son of
the local mine owner, poignantly offset by the memorably caustic deliberations,
lightly peppered in comedic irony, by Sarah Algood’s feisty matriarch, Beth.
Based on Richard
Llewellyn’s best seller, How Green Was
My Valley is perhaps the most perfectly realized family drama ever put on
film. The story concerns the Morgan clan; Welsh miners, overseen by a morally
benevolent, if outwardly stern patriarch, Gwilym (masterfully realized by
Donald Crisp) and his devoted, Beth. Crisp
and Allgood are genuine troopers. Crisp in particular, a consummate
professional, who rarely escaped being hired in support of other actors, often relegated
to minor parts, but who enriched virtually every movie in which he appeared, is
arguably the real star of How Green Was
My Valley. For generations yet to
follow, Crisp’s indomitable – and yes, ‘crisp’ pater, is precisely the sort one
would wish for from a loving, but propitious head of the family, the veritable glue
that keeps the Morgans honest and together. As an interesting aside: Donald
Crisp would take home the Best Supporting Actor’s Oscar for this performance
(shamelessly, the only time the Academy honored him so), go on to appear in
close to 200 movies, and, through wise investments in business and real estate,
died at the ripe old age of 92 in 1974, one of the richest actors of his
generation. Richard Llewellyn’s novel, first published to instant acclaim in
1939, is narrated by Huw Morgan – the youngest member of the clan; reflections
from a middle-aged man looking back on his childhood and youth with warmhearted
reminiscences. At the time of publication, Llewellyn claimed to have based the
book on personal experiences. Upon his death, this was revealed as a lie. The
English-born author had actually culled his inspiration from conversations with
local mining families in Gilfach Goch; most of the situations depicted in the
book, bearing no earthly resemblance to his upbringing.
In Hollywood,
the novel’s runaway international success was not lost on 2oth Century-Fox mogul,
Darryl F. Zanuck. Zanuck, who had begun his career as a writer, though hardly
of Llewellyn’s caliber, nevertheless could recognize quality authorship at a
glance. Securing the rights to the novel for a cool $300,000, Zanuck envisioned
How Green Was My Valley as a
monumental 3-hour epic shot in Technicolor; doing for Wales what David O. Selznick’s
Oscar-winning masterpiece, Gone With The
Wind had for the Old South. Wartime rationing prevented Zanuck’s vision
from taking hold. It also discouraged Ford from his desire to shoot the picture
abroad in authentic locations. Instead, Zanuck and Ford compensated by having art
directors, Richard Day and Nathan Juran construct a full-on Welsh mine and its
adjacent town on a hillside at the Fox Ranch in Calabasas; the set, employing
150 craftsmen over a period of six months to achieve its incredible
authenticity.
Photographing How Green Was My Valley in B&W
proved an inspiration, Arthur C. Miller’s gorgeous cinematography typifying the
stark natural beauty and gradual decline of the valley, forever tainted in coal
dust. To add yet another layer of
authenticity, Zanuck elected to hire a Welsh choral, led by Tudor Williams,
from a nearby Los Angeles’ church, under a special dispensation from the Screen
Actors’ Guild. How Green Was My Valley
soars with some of the finest, and, most rousing, stout-hearted traditional
Welsh/Irish songs and ballads, including ‘Men
of Harlech’ – under the main titles, ‘Llwyn
Onn’– serenaded as a heartrending epitaph to Angharad’s wedding day, ‘Calon Lan’, ‘God Save the Queen’ and, ‘Bryn
Calfaria’ – an ebullient ‘coming home
from work’ song. These are interpolated with a first-class underscore by
Fox’s resident composer/conductor extraordinaire, Alfred Newman.
Ford begins his
story in the present: our narrator, never seen from the neck up, preparing a
modest kit bag for his departure from the only place he has ever known as home.
Yet the valley of the present, with its stone-pillared courtyards barren of
vegetation, in ruins, and void of any signs of life, save a few aged scraps of
humanity, unable or unwilling to leave it as yet, bears little resemblance to
the rolling countryside of natural promise into which we will shortly regress.
In less than a generation, we come to know the valley in its prime – an emerald
oasis with a thriving village of neatly kept houses built at the foot of the colliery;
its black-faced minions, happy-faced, and, returning after a hard day’s effort
of toiling deep within the bowels of the earth. The Morgans are well-respected
within this community. Gwilym is, in fact, an intermediary between the mine’s
boss, Mr. Evans (Lionel Pape) and the men – trusted, admired and charged with
facilitating their productivity. Gwilym’s eldest son, Ivor (Patric Knowles) has
become engaged to Bronwyn (Anna Lee) – a handsome lass from the neighboring
village. This announcement breaks the heart of the Morgan’s youngest son, Huw
(Roddy McDowell) who, while still a boy, has nevertheless developed a puppy
love crush on his elder brother’s wife. At the wedding reception, the Morgan’s only
daughter, Angharad (Maureen O’Hara) becomes smitten with the town’s newly-appointed
minister, the kind-hearted Mr. Gruffyd (Walter Pigeon).
However, in a
town where even the least flirtatious provocation can be misconstrued as
sinful, the tender relationship between Angharad and Mr. Gruffyd is doomed from
the start, particularly after Gwilym is approached by Mr. Evans to broker an
arrangement for his son, Lestyn (Marten Lamont). In a time when a young woman was
considered little more than property, servile and obligated to the wills and
whims of her father, Angharad’s complicity to enter into this loveless – but otherwise
‘respectable’ marriage is expected. Indeed, Gwilym believes it will ensure, if
not her happiness, then most assuredly, security for the future. As the wife of
a prominent businessman, she will want for nothing – except genuine passion. In the meantime, the workers have become
increasingly disgruntled with the owners. Gwilym’s adult sons, Ianto (John
Loder), Ivor, Davy (Richard Fraser), Gwilym Jr. (Evan S. Evans) and Owen (James
Monks) propose a rally for a union. Gwilym, who regards even talk of a union as
‘socialist nonsense’ refuses to
partake in their efforts. But Mr. Gruffyd encourages their decision to strike,
citing that, individually, they are weak, but collectively, each may share in
the strength and safety of their numbers. This decision backfires as the owners
call the bluff and the men are locked out. As the sting of sustained
unemployment bears down hard, a bitter resentment begins to mount. The mood
turns violent as neighboring men, hungry and careworn, throw rocks at the
Morgan home, shattering its front window.
Forging into a
blinding snowstorm, Beth confronts the strikers at their rally, declaring that
if any harm befalls her husband, the town will have her reckoning to endure. On
the way home, Beth loses her way and falls into the frigid lake with Huw
clinging to her side. Saved at the last possible moment from freezing to death,
Beth and Huw face months of painful recovery at home. As spring creeps over the
windowsill, Beth struggles to come downstairs from her bedroom, determined to
show Huw that his own health may too soon be restored. Indeed, the boy has
suffered a graver malady and setback – crippling self-doubt, resulting in depression.
Mr. Gruffyd arrives one afternoon. Unable to shake the boy free of his melancholy,
he declares “Where is the light I thought
to see in your eyes?” before taking Huw – whose legs remain weakened by
hypothermia – on his back, and, into the hills just beyond. There, Gruffyd encourages
Huw to walk again on his own. Meanwhile, an accident at the mine claims Ivor. Bronwyn moves in with the Morgans temporarily
and gives birth to her late husband’s only son. At approximately the same time,
Huw is sent to school. It is Gwilym’s sincere hope the boy will become
something better than a miner. Indeed, he has promise. Regrettably, the
schoolmaster, Mr. Parry (Arthur Shields) is a ruthless disciplinarian who
regards Huw with a contemptible desire to see him fail. After being pummeled by
a schoolyard bully, Huw is taught to defend himself by the Morgan’s close
friend - fisticuffs champion, Dai Bando (Rhys Williams). Although Huw is
successful in a subsequent bout at school, Mr. Parry exploits his victory as an
excuse to severely cane him, resulting in Dai Bando returning to give Parry a
taste of his own medicine.
Angharad marries
Lestyn and moves away to a great house in a neighboring village. Despite having provided Angharad with every luxury,
Gwilym’s intervention has deprived his daughter of the satisfaction of knowing
genuine happiness. The busybodies in town waste no time concocting rumors about
Angharad and Mr. Gruffyd. As a result, the church deacons elect to remove Mr.
Gruffyd from his post as their pastor. Having left school, Huw takes a job in
the colliery with his father and brothers, moving into the home Bronwyn once
shared with Ivor to support her. The Morgan clan is split apart yet again, as
Davy, Owen and Gwilym Jr. elect to leave the valley for more fruitful prospects
in America. An explosion at the mine traps Gwilym. Hurrying to his rescue, the
men arrive too late, and Gwilym’s remains are brought to the surface by a stoic
Mr. Gruffyd and Huw. Aside: the look of utter desolation caught in young Roddy
McDowell’s eyes in this scene is penetrating and will break your heart. Our flashback concludes with Beth’s hopeful,
haunting vision, telling Bromwyn she saw Gwilym ‘just now’ and Ivor again, walking
off together in the distance. We return to the present and realize Huw is all
grown up, having just finished his packing; his declaration that “Men like my father cannot die. They are
with me still, real in memory as they were in flesh, loving and beloved
forever. How green was my valley then?” resonating with a compendium of
flashbacks that extol the idyllic memories of a way of life, alas, no more.
How Green Was My Valley is a superior
example of 2oth Century-Fox’s studio craftsmanship at its zenith. The amalgam
of Fox Picture Corp. and 20th Century Pictures may have come late to
Hollywood’s party (the studio, officially founded on May, 31st, 1935),
but under Zanuck’s aegis, Fox’s ascendance as one of the irrefutable titans in
the industry in less than a decade, made even the cynics take pause. From the
advantage of hindsight, we can clearly take stock of the studio’s heritage as a
vibrant assortment of outstanding artistic achievements; How Green Was My Valley, among its rarest crown jewels. Apart from
its’ remarkable production design, the picture ought to be highly regarded for
its ensemble cast; Zanuck, having assembled actors – rather than stars – to populate
this intimate familial saga – a character study of life’s triumphs and
tragedies. The result – not a false note among them; the emotion, wrought genuinely,
and, the alliances, wholly believable. In
hindsight, it seems predestined John Ford should have directed this picture;
Ford’s natural affinity for blending the lithe and lyrical with the harsh and cruel,
weaving his rich tapestry of human dignity, frailty and the understanding heart
that beat so gently beneath his outwardly cantankerous façade. So, it is
perhaps a minor revelation to recall Ford was not Zanuck’s first choice to
direct this movie; rather, an impressive substitute, after odds-on favorite, William
Wyler bowed out. Many a story told on celluloid before and since its time has
tried to evoke the vast integrity of mankind, as distilled into the microcosm of
just a simple ‘little’ story about people; applying universal truths to
mitigating circumstances. But How Green
Was My Valley outshines them all in its affecting genuineness.
Fox Home Video’s
Blu-ray does justice to Ford’s masterpiece. Previous DVD incarnations have
yielded images too stark and far too gritty to evoke Arthur Miller’s
cinematography. By comparison, this Blu-ray radiates every stunning grain in
Miller’s sumptuous visual design. Truly, watching How Green Was My Valley on Blu-ray is like seeing the movie for the
very first time with a heightened sense of Miller and Ford’s sublime visual storytelling.
The B&W image reveals great depth and tonality, close-ups, bringing out
every handsome, craggy detail.
Establishing shots are razor sharp with film grain appearing indigenous to
its source. We get 2 audio tracks: a DTS ‘stereo’ and the original ‘restored’
mono. The mono here is preferred, as the ‘stereo’ merely splits the full
spectrum across two channels. Extras are all imported from Fox’s long-defunct ‘Studio
Classics’ DVD series: an episode of Hollywood:
Back Story, providing a truncated ‘making of’ and an audio commentary. Bottom
line: while I could have wished for Fox to do more with the extras, the quality
of their transfer is A-1 perfection. Very highly recommended!
FILM RATING (out of 5 – 5 being the best)
5+
VIDEO/AUDIO
5
EXTRAS
2.5
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