How Green Was My Valley

This is one of the best films of the 1940s but I've gotta warn you that it might take quite an emotional toll on you to see it! That's because the film is about a family of Welsh coal miners who experience many, many tragedies. And, because the acting, direction and writing are so superb and they must have had a genuine love for the material. As a result, you feel a very strong connection to the characters and it is truly painful at times to watch. But, given that the film seems so real and the film was so lovingly made, you will also most likely find yourself glued to the screen. It truly is an amazing and must-see film. The film is told my Roddy McDowell's character after he is grown and is reminiscing about life in his small Welsh town when he was just a boy. For his first acting job, McDowell did an amazing job. The only problem at all is that several years were to have passed in the film, but poor old Roddy always looks the same age! But this is such a minor problem that it can be overlooked. At first, the valley where he grew up in seems very idyllic. It's still beautiful despite the coal mine and the family enjoys a certain level of comfort. But, as the years pass, the wages begin to drop and the once lovely locals show that down deep they aren't so lovely--though all the while, the focal family in the film maintains its dignity and decency. I actually liked this aspect of the film, as in the beginning things just seemed too perfect--slowly exposing this undercurrent was marvelous and seemed awfully real. In addition to all the sad moments, there were some wonderful and happy moments as well (though in general, there seemed to be more sad ones). I particularly enjoyed the scene where the two local men went to Roddy's school and beat the man up in front of the class. He really, really deserved it and the scene was handled very well. The most amazing thing about this movie is when and how it was made. The film originally was to be made in Wales and in color, but WWII came and spoiled all that! So, the movie was actually made in a set constructed in Malibu--but it looks just like Wales! I know, because I have visited Wales and it was spot on! But, given that Malibu isn't the same lush green color but more of a yellow-green, this forced the film to be made in black and white--which I think actually works better in this film anyways. To learn more inside information, try watching the AMC short film "AMC BACKSTORY--HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY"--included on the DVD of this film. By the way, I feel compelled to throw in my two cents worth concerning the controversy over this film beating out CITIZEN KANE for Best Picture. A lot of people love KANE and it's a great film, but I have read some knuckleheaded comments online about "how bad HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY was". Perhaps the wrong decision was made (though I would have voted for HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY), but you can't rationally say that this isn't a great film--and probably John Ford's best--it's THAT good!!! It IS possible to love both films!

Old movies sometimes have a certain charm. We like Angels With Dirty Faces, even though the slapping antics and code of honor don't ring true for today. How Green Was My Valley suffers much more from the passing years. The whole set looks unrealistic - more like a themed area in a Las Vegas hotel than a real Welsh village. The community singing does not ring true, and there are even parts with choreography so you could call it a musical. It's a sugary sweet love story between Angharad (Maureen O'Hara - who is truly gorgeous) and the preacher (Walter Pigeon, who's not). It's also a story of a boy not quite becoming a man - his trials and triumphs all too predictable. I watched the movie to the end, because it's not a bad movie - it's just not a good one either. The biggest question to me is "why would this beat Citizen Kane for the best picture Oscar?" After watching the movie, I haven't a clue.

This film has received many positive reviews here at IMDb and I thought it was worthwhile adding a few comments on authenticity. This is a powerful story thanks to the writer Richard Llewellyn and it is beautifully filmed thanks to John Ford. However, this is not Wales. None of the principle actors are Welsh and they make no attempt to speak with a Welsh accent. Instead we get a mixture of Irish, Scottish, American and unspecified "rural". The external scenes were filmed on a ranch in Malibu Canyon, California - not in a village in South Wales. The interior sets owe more to American "shaker" than Victorian domestic and could well be reused from Ford's cowboy movies. The little "Welsh" cottages look remarkably spacious when you get inside them. The mine owner's house is American colonial - better suited for Scarlett O'Hara than the Evans family and the women's costumes are pure Southern Gothic. Does this lack of authenticity matter? Well - only to those people who notice and are aware of it. For me it is a constant distraction whereas to most Americans it probably wouldn't be. However, the maudlin music by Alfred Newman would get on anyone's nerves and is only relieved by some excellent Welsh choral singing. Individual scenes are stylishly framed, atmospherically lit and tightly directed but the non-authentic Yoda-like speech patterns just ruin the effect for me.

My Father was born in 1931 and grew up in South Wales, he said that virtually everything about this film is complete fantasy. They lived in the worst possible conditions imaginable in those days, he didn't have proper shoes, only wooden clogs, till he was old enough to wear an old pair of his fathers boots. The worst parts has to be the ridiculous singing and Irish accents of some of the actors. A small but interesting pointer to how the film cares little for reality or any sort of British audience, on the notice at the coal mine it says how the wages for all labor will be cut. Labour is not spelt labor in any part of the Uk then or now. A really good film could be made about this story but only by the British or indeed, maybe only by the Welsh.

Every time I hear the lines "Men like my father cannot die.They are with me still, real in memory as they were in flesh." near last scene,I cannot help from my tears flood out. Huw's two teachers of his life,Mr.Gruffydd and his father are both very attractive.Despite his position ,I move Mr.Gruffydd's indirect expression of his passion for Angharad.I also like the scene when Mr. Gwilym Morgan says "Call Dai Bando!" and following the scene Dai Bando teaches Huw how to fight. The scene Sara Allgood's speech protecting her husband reminds me (not actually saw)John Ford's famous speech in the middle of the McCarthy era Communist witch-hunt "My name is John Ford.I direct films...."

This movie is a little long at times, but this is still a powerful story about the many stories that came out of the coal mining families in Wales, Great Britain. One of the top aspects of the movie is the cinematography, under the direction of John Ford. It is very effective. You can just feel the grime and dirt of the mines and cobblestone town. It looks really good now that's it out on DVD. Walter Pigeon is the likable minister, and lead character, "Mr. Gruffydd." He's likable because he doesn't judge people as the head deacon does. The latter is portrayed ludicrously by Barry Fitzgerald, much to the delight of secular-minded film critics, who loved his performance. Nonetheless, there is a lot of "religion" pictured positively in this film, a lot of spiritual scenes and most were done well. Roddy McDowell plays the most memorable character, I thought: "Huw," a young boy who went through some really tough times, as did most of the townsfolk. If you are used to modern films, be warned this film does drag in spots. It is a fine movie, to be sure, and a powerful and emotional story.

How Green Was My Valley. The film infamous for beating Citizen Kane at the Oscars. Not only that but The Maltese Falcon and Sergeant York too. Although it's known that it this was due to a public affairs issue at the time, How Green Was My Valley is one of the earliest cases of Oscar baiting I've ever seen. Perhaps this was the film that shaped the mould? It has everything the Oscars dream of and in the most sentimental doses too. As all Oscar baited films, it feels like it skims the surface of its story and its sequences feel more like a checklist rather than organic storytelling. Singing, disability, kindness, hardships. Even today, it feels forced, especially the character archetypes. That said, the performances are pretty good given the contrived platform to work with. The overall drama about the strikes and the family conflict is quite interesting and engaging, but the depth of the film is rather laughable. Its triumphs and tragedies are just too romanticised to be convincing, especially the depiction of Wales which is just far from the truth. That said, the cinematography is really great and definitely the best part. Its story can be trite, but it's very watchable and entertaining. But that's all its trying to be anyway. That and a good cry from sensitive hearts. 6/10

This movie tugged at my heart strings like few others. I was thoroughly immersed in the lives of the Morgans and found myself especially drawn to young Huw's trials, tribulations, and triumphs. The scene where he taps his fork twice and sneezes before he is acknowledged by his father was poignant beyond belief. Despite the hardships and tragedies there is also warmth and humor such as when family friends of the Morgans visit the schoolmaster after he had been especially harsh with Huw. The romantic aspect of the film is also well done by its primary principles, Angharad and the pastor. All in all the films does a magnificent job of capturing the lives of a family in a bygone time and place. There is no doubt that this is a great film and the fact that it beat out the likes of Citizen Kane for Best Picture is a testament to that fact. 9/10.

The story is told by an adult who remembers his childhood:Roddy McDowall gives a very sensitive performance in this part,he's simply the best actor of a topflight cast (to think that nowadays McDowall is remembered by the young generations mainly for his part of Cornelius the ape)All the scenes which involve the boy are simply wonderful,particularly the one with the daffodils (it 'd have been shot in color!),and the one with his father in his arms at the end.John Ford ,as usual , is a master when it comes to depict a small community who's got to stand together to survive.And he does not spare us the tragedies ,the bigotry ,the slander,but he adds humor,joie de vivre (the men,turning their nose on tea and wanting beer). But sometimes it seems too good to be true:the boss's offspring marrying a miner's daughter,even when she's a beauty like Maureen O'Hara?The boss asking the poor father's permission?We are far from Emile Zola's "Germinal" :both stories happen about during the same era ,both with the miners' life both are radically different.Zola's world is a bleak,desperate world ,his depiction of the families' houses and meals (when there is food) and the pictures of Ford's movie are worlds apart.But the biggest difference is the omnipresence of the Lord's will:in "how green" the minister is a cool young handsome man (Pidgeon),in "Germinal" ,the priest's only a silhouette,but a selfish cruel one,unconcerned to man's plight:Zola's miners do not put their trust in a God anymore . Wales and the east of France ,were they that much different?You can only say they were novels and movies,and reality is probably somewhere between them.

In Wales, Huw Morgan recalls his childhood fifty years ago, in the end of Nineteenth Century. In a green valley, where the colliery is the unique economical activity, Huw (Roddy McDowall), his brothers and his sister are raised by his beloved parents, Mr. Gwilym Morgan Sr. (Donald Crisp) and Mrs. Beth Morgan (Sara Allgood). In times of changes and exploitations of the worker class, the young workers try to gather their power in a labor union and fight against the unemployed reserve army with a strike, while Mr. Morgan is against their movement. Along the years, the situation of the dwellers gets worse and worse, with poverty, while the coal mine blackens the hills of the valley with the slag. What a magnificent movie "How Green Was My Valley" is! This is the first time I see this movie, and I am really excited with such masterpiece. The outstanding and awesome direction of John Ford certainly deserved the Oscar he won in 1942. The story is excellent, with drama and romance in a period of economical and political changes in the world. There are many important and strong characters, built with heart by the cast, and I was particularly impressed with the touching performance of Roddy McDowall, in the role of a boy with strong personality and moral qualities. The awarded black and white cinematography is also remarkable. The wonderful metaphoric title completes this classic. My vote is ten. Title (Brazil): "Como Era Verde Meu Vale" ("How Green Was My Valley")