THE VALLEY OF DECISION (MGM, 1945) Warner Archive
The mid-1940’s were a blossoming period at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Long had
the studio’s head, L.B. Mayer perceived his V.P. in Charge of Production, Irving
Thalberg’s pursuit of cinematic excellence as a costly impediment to their
profit margin – the studio’s expensively mounted super-entertainments from the
1930’s, almost immediately replaced, after Thalberg's untimely passing, by Mayer’s edict for more streamlined and
family-oriented film fare in the 40’s, made cheaply, and with more malleable ‘young' talent in the driver’s seat, gradually to weed out the established glamour gals
that had lionized the Thalberg era as an age for mature actors and
actresses to shine. Mayer was not entirely averse to grown-up talent,
especially if they continued to turn a profit and do his bidding as he saw fit.
But in turning to ‘youth’ after 1939, Mayer effectively began to broaden the
marketability of his studio to a newer generation of picture-goers, eager for
entertainments that did not resemble those once frequented by their parents. While
MGM’s motto ‘ars gratia artis’ continued to lead the way, with Mayer
instructing all facets of his kingdom to ‘do it right, do it big and give it
class’, Mayer’s own predilection for movies he could take his own daughters to
see, paved the way for the studio’s pursuit of the most widely acclaimed
literary properties of their time. Among these was The Valley of Decision
(1945) – a melodrama, based on the sweeping novel by Marcia Davenport, onto
which a romantic milieu was hand-crafted by screenwriters, Sonya Levien and
John Meehan. A cordially engrossing, if occasionally wordy drama, with its
backbone firmly rooted in social issues, director Tay Garnett's The Valley
of Decision became a compelling human saga set against the tempestuous
backdrop of American enterprise; in this case, the sooty steel mills of Pittsburgh.
The film stars Greer Garson as Mary Rafferty; a young Irish lass, living
in the slum shadows of the great mills with her crippled father, Pat (Lionel
Barrymore) and widowed sister, Kate Shannon (Geraldine Wall). Pat is a bitter old man, driven in his hatred
of William Scott (Donald Crisp); the wealthy mill owner, even though it is
revealed early on the accident that deprived Pat of the use of his legs was
just that - an accident Scott has ever since and dutifully continued to
compensate him for with full wages. Friend of the family, Jim Brennan (Preston
Foster) is a stabilizing force for the family, particularly as a mediator
during these frequent heated disagreements between Mary and her father
regarding the Scott family. Learning of a job as a house maid in the Scott
mansion, Mary applies for the position and is readily welcomed with open arms
into their home. In fact, Mrs. Clarissa Scott (Gladys Cooper) is a warm-hearted
matriarch who appreciates Mary for both her forthrightness and her honesty. The
family tree also includes sons, Will Jr. (Dan Duryea), playboy Ted (Marshall
Thompson), eldest Paul (Gregory Peck) and impetuous 'man crazy' daughter,
Constance (Marsha Hunt). Mary meets everyone in short order, including Paul's
girlfriend, Louise Kane (Jessica Tandy), and although she gets off to a firm,
but rough start with Constance, the two eventually become quite close.
For all their wealth and power, the Scotts are mindful of the workers they
employ. They also harbor no prejudice towards Mary, whom they have taken to
their bosom as a trusted working girl. After Mary thwarts what might have been
a disastrous midnight rendezvous between Constance and one of her suitors, Mrs.
Scott decides she should accompany the family to Boston for Will Jr.'s wedding.
On the boat, Paul - who has admired Mary from afar - makes romantic overtures.
Despite Mary's obvious reciprocation of his affections, she denies herself the
luxury of falling in love with him. Upon returning to Pittsburgh, Constance
elopes with Giles (John Warburton); an English Lord. Incurring the brief wrath
of her father, Constance quickly gains the family's consent. Better still, Mrs.
Scott makes Constance a present of Mary's services. Reluctantly, Mary accepts
her new post as Constance's lady in waiting. They move to Giles' great castle
in England where Paul writes to Mary most every week. Mary does not return
Paul's letters, despite Constance's insistence that she should. In the
meantime, a strike looms large over the mills, instigated by Pat's vengeful
campaign to spread distrust and bitterness among the workers and by Jim's
insistence that William Scott recognize their need for a union. Will challenges
Paul to marry Kate, whereupon Paul explains to his father he cannot oblige the
request since he is already in love with someone else. Mrs. Scott explains to
her husband the great sacrifice Mary has made for the sake of propriety and her
continuing loyalty to the Scott family and Will, humbled by this revelation,
sends for her immediately.
Mary returns to Pittsburgh to find the atmosphere of dissension at the
mills growing. Paul's love for her, however, has not changed and after Will and
Mrs. Scott give their approval, Mary and Paul become engaged. Their happiness
is short-lived. A worker's strike forces Mr. Scott to consider Will Jr.'s
proposal that he hire strike busters from Detroit to get the mills back up and
running. Mr. Scott reluctantly agrees and tells his son to proceed with the
plan. In the meantime, Mary intercedes on the family's behalf, encouraging Mr.
Scott and Jim to meet each other half way in their demands. Both men agree to
this truce and Mr. Scott sends Ted to the depot with a message to pay off the
strike busters and send them back to Detroit. Unfortunately, Ted's drinking
gets the better of him and he misses this rendezvous at the train depot. The
strike busters arrive at the mill at precisely the moment Mr. Scott and his
workers have agreed to reconcile with the union’s demands and go back to work. Assuming
Scott has lied to them, Pat incites the workers to rebel. In the resulting mayhem
and violence, Pat murders Mr. Scott before he and Jim are gunned down by
security guards. Mary decides she and Paul can never be happy and calls off
their engagement.
Years pass with painful regret. Mrs. Scott sets Mary up in her own dress
maker's shop that she continues to frequent even though her health is in steep
decline. Paul marries Louise and the two have a son, Paulie (Scotty Beckett).
But the marriage is most unhappy, fueled by Louise's contempt for the mill and
its workers, whom she regards as unworthy rabble beneath her station in life. After
Mrs. Scott suffers a fatal heart attack, Mary learns she is to inherit her
share of the mill with instructions that it be kept intact, despite Will Jr.'s
greedy desire to sell his father's legacy for pure profit. Barely a day after
their mother's death, Will Jr. convene a meeting where he encourages the others
to sell their shares in the mill. Constance at first agrees, for she and Giles
have run out of money thanks to her wanton spending. But Mary and Paul implore
Constance to reconsider. Louise tells Paul if he refuses to sell his shares in
the mill, she will leave the house and take Paulie with her, whereupon Paul at
last declares his undying love for Mary and informs Louise that she is to pack
her bags and get out of his life for good. The film ends with Paul escorting
Mary by carriage back home, presumably to collect her things so they can go
somewhere and be happy together.
The Valley of Decision is compelling melodrama of the highest order,
expertly played with conviction and heart; essential qualities that carry the
film to its satisfying conclusion. The screenplay does a superb job condensing
Davenport's sprawling narrative without losing the romantic essence of the
piece. Greer Garson and Gregory Peck have wonderful heartrending chemistry as
the star-crossed lovers on whose side time itself never seems to favor. Their
scenes crackle with a sexual tension that makes their bittersweet separation
all the more intimately rife with romantic longing, fulfilled moments before
the final fade out. Lionel Barrymore is at his caustic best, seething with
self-destructive venom and vinegar. Donald Crisp and Gladys Cooper are in fine
form as the idyllic wealthy couple whose shared familial warmth supersedes even
their desire to accrue more wealth. The Valley of Decision hails from Metro’s
golden epoch in turning high-profile novels into even more exquisitely hand-crafted
motion pictures. While some have criticized Metro’s film output of the
mid-to-late 1940’s as sporting a homogenized look, one cannot deny the fact
that Mayer’s dream factory is on full display herein; the well-oiled machinery,
from stars to the lowly gaffer, pumping out the magic with seemingly effortless
aplomb in an assembly-like manufacturer’s atmosphere, more often than not, to
yield many good things, and, a litany of popular entertainments that have
continued to hold up even under today’s jaded scrutiny.
The Valley of Decision is a Warner Archive MOD DVD release and like other
titles in this collection of less than well-preserved classics, the resulting
image quality falters. The standard def image here is quite grainy. The B&W
image seems muddier than usual with weaker than anticipated contrast. Rarely do
these B&W elements deliver a crisp or refined visual appeal, with age-related
artifacts prevalent throughout and, on occasion, quite distracting. The audio
here is as problematic, crackling with a considerable amount of hiss and pop.
Dialogue appears to have been recorded with a slight muffle, while music cues
practically shatter the speakers with their sudden sonic surge. As with other
titles in the Archive Collection, the only extra feature is a badly worn
theatrical trailer. Bottom line: The Valley of Decision is a very fine
film, deserving of better than what it gets here. In a perfect world, it would
already be a candidate for a Blu-ray release via the Warner Archive. The
performances are solid, and the production values can scarcely be challenged.
So, we’ll wait in the hope that WAC is even harder at work in the new year,
bringing to light some of these nearly forgotten gemstones in a manner
befitting the quality of their content. Wait and see, folks. Wait and see.
FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)
4
VIDEO/AUDIO
2.5
EXTRAS
1
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