I'll Be Seeing You

This film shows that on the home front, World War 2 was a tough time. Soldiers were attacked by dogs, women were pushing men out windows, and Shirley Temple was a teenager. Still, romance managed to flourish, which is evident in the skyrocketing divorce rate that followed the conclusion of WW2. Our two heroes in "I'll Be Seeing You" certainly have their troubles. Despite being shell shocked and despite being a jailbird, Cotton and Rogers manage to fall in love during the hectic holidays. Of course Cotton is unaware of Rogers' manslaughtering ways, and when he finds out about her past will he still love her? Although I found myself initially caught up in discovering the main characters backgrounds, by the end I didn't feel that emotionally involved in Cotton and Rogers' romantic plight. I was glad, however, that it ended happily with Cotton going back to the mental institution and Rogers back to jail. Another poster said Ginger does not dance in this film, but she does. She goes to a New Years Eve dance with Cotton and they dance. She doesn't dance like Ginger Rogers in the scene. She dances more like us mortals dance.

This story is too slow, simple, and predictable for me. Furthermore, the premise of the plot is unrealistic. I can't believe any prison would let any inmates out on a holiday vacation, traveling wherever they wish! Either they are on parole or house arrest or they stay in prison until released. Similarly, I can't believe a mental hospital would allow a patient to go home or wherever during the holiday season unless they are considered an outpatient. As the story suggests, being out in a normal world may reduce mental symptoms if they find someone sympathetic to their problem. Shirley Temple is mainly decorative, exhibiting some of the characteristics of a teen at that time, but finally spilling the beans to Cotton that Ginger is a jailbird out on furlough..... Nearly a decade later, Joseph Cotton would again play a soldier suffering from lingering combat fatigue, in "Niagara", costarring Marilyn Monroe. The title song is a classic, and we hear it during the opening credits, as well as at a dance. It was published in 1938, included that year in the Broadway play "Right This Way". Along with the film, several artists recorded it in 1944.

The other users have described the plot so no further comment is necessary therefore I will restrict myself to the acting and character portrayals.This film was produced in the same year that "Since You Went Away" was released by Selznick and contains two actors in that film, Shirley Temple and Joseph Cotton.It certainly did not have the same budget or production values as the aforesaid film, so I could only award it 6/10 as it is a rather straightforward "romcom". Todays liberal 2009 UK/(US?) courts would probably have given Ginger Rogers' character Mary an absolute discharge where she had no previous convictions and where the prosecution and defence teams agree that no useful purpose would be served to society giving the accused defendant a custodial sentence.However in 1944 the justice system was more severe and literal.To show Ginger Rogers could do straight dramatic roles look no further than "Kitty Foyle" (1940) for which she won her best actress "Oscar".Ginger was 33 when she acted this role so was a little mature but William Dieterle gave her soft focus lens close-ups and a youthful dress to take a few years off her age. This was the first time I had seen this film which is surprising as I thought I knew most popular 1940s films, it certainly has not been seen on UK TV network stations to my knowledge.After having seen Hitchcock's acclaimed "Shadow of a Doubt" (1943),I was preparing myself for Joseph Cotton to perform another "Uncle Charlie" role especially as he appeared to have suffered psychiatric medical problems.However this suspicion was allayed early on and "Zach" became more normal as the film progressed.One thing puzzled me. How did Zach know which prison to wait for Mary and when she would be returning there especially as she and her relatives had not given him its address.The ending was rather sappy but presumably done to cheer up war time audiences.Also I do wish directors would insist on actors carrying a full suitcase as an empty one is obvious when someone attempts to pick it up, i.e. Mary's initial arrival at her Aunt & Uncle's house.This fault in leaving home scenes still persists in todays soaps/films, despite cinema verite.

Pleasing Wartime melodrama with troubled soldier Joseph Cotten trying to recover while keeping company with sympathetic Ginger Rogers. Love blossoms but he doesn't know she on leave from a term in prison. It all builds up to a climax, but it is handled very ineptly and abruptly, and leaves the premise unfulfilled.

A bit offbeat is this story of a girl on prison furlough (Ginger Rogers) who meets a shell-shocked soldier (Joseph Cotten), each keeping their past secret. She invites him to spend some holiday time with her family during the Christmas season and gradually the romance begins. Nice to see Shirley Temple in a pivotal role doing a nice job as the selfish Barbara who unintentionally reveals Ginger's secret. Spring Byington and Tom Tully are fine in supporting roles and John Derek (then called John Harris) makes a brief appearance as Shirley's date. A bit dated and rather slow moving, but worthwhile because of the fine performances of the leads. Interesting tidbits: Ginger Rogers was not the first choice for the leading role--it was originally offered to Joan Fontaine who disliked the script and was having contract troubles with Selznick and turned it down. Ginger was said to be against using Temple in the movie and wanted her removed since she had a clause in her contract re cast approval. Nevertheless, wiser heads prevailed and Shirley received excellent reviews for her contribution. Shirley documents this in her book, "Child Star"--for some reason Ginger took an instant dislike to her.

It's funny, but despite having seen and reviewed a bazillion different movies, I'd never heard of this film until I saw it on Netflix recently. Since I really liked Joseph Cotten (a highly underrated actor, if you ask me), I thought I'd give it a try--and I am glad I did, as it's a dandy old film--full of sentiment and romance. The film begins with Cotten meeting Ginger Rogers on a train. She is going to visit her Aunt and Uncle for the Christmas holiday, though he does not know that she's on furlough from prison. He is also on leave--from a military psychiatric hospital where he's recuperating from a serious injury as well as post-traumatic stress disorder. Considering he served on Guadalcanal (one of the longest and most horrible battles of the war), it's perfectly understandable that he is a bit of a mess. What is surprising, though, is that the movie even addresses this. Very, very few films made during or even soon after the war talked about the psychological effects of war. This one dared to talk about the psychiatric cases resulting from such horrors. Partly because she is ashamed and partly because she doesn't want Cotten to be further burdened after she learns of his struggle, Rogers keeps her incarceration a secret to him. It's funny, because when you learn about why she was jailed, it seems that nowadays she'd never have served a day in prison as she accidentally killed a man who was trying to rape her!! I think the problem was that she couldn't prove it and juries were less likely to believe that rapes occurred back then. Regardless, she says nothing and they spend many lovely moments together during both their vacations. He, in particular, likes being able to hang out with her family, as he has none of his own. There's much more to the film than this, but it gets very high marks not only for its willingness to talk about combat fatigue but because it is highly romantic and sweet. It's a great sentimental film that doesn't manage to get gooey or sickly sweet--just nice and a decent film for the holidays. Watch this hidden little gem.

There's nothing I can say....usual sentimental torture...Gosh I love this stuff! Some will find it a bit old-fashioned in timing and plot. I'm maybe old-fashioned myself, but I think the story is very beautiful. Ginger Rogers is (she's one of my favorites!) really good, a very underrated actress of that time...she could do anything and do it fine, with class and elegance. A real dramatic performer. Haven't seen Cotten before, he's a fine actor too! I like his reflective way of acting, the postures he takes when the voice comes in his head, which is a good idea of the director I guess...very effective, drags you into the character's inner feelings. They make a fine couple! But the real surprise is a grown Shirley Temple, whom can carry herself very well in drama too, a bit too exaggerate in the gestures, sometimes too simpering, after all she's an adolescent, but very good indeed! In the end I highly recommend this movie to everyone who hasn't seen it yet. For me (remember, I'm old-fashioned) rating is 10/10!

I usually gobble up 1940's romantic movies like freshly made creamed rice pudding, so I was most surprised to see this on DVD whilst looking for something else ! For the occasion, I gave in to an impulse and came home with the DVD in my bags ! This is not normal as I only usually buy DVD's of films I know and like. The "risk" paid off ........ I thoroughly enjoyed the film, of course, I dearly love both of the main actors and am also fairly fond of Shirley Temple ( it's a change to see her as an adolescent instead of as a small kid ). Although the beginning of the film is a tad slow, the whole outfit soon warms up and of course viewer suspense is maintained by asking oneself when each one of the couple will discover the "terrible" secret of the other. It's an old and tried formula, but the hard fact is that it WORKS ! The only unpleasant moment is a frighteningly savage dog attack on Mr Cotten - which I wasn't expecting - and left me momentarily breathless (let's face it, those big white teeth were impressive !!!). I am happy to have this film as part of my DVD collection and would highly recommend it to all of you who are smitten with 1940's style romanticism !

Old-fashioned corn, romance and nice, wholesome people - just what the sick movie critics hate.....but I find refreshingly nice to see. Yes, it's dated, but that's part of the charm. In this movie, people say their prayers, sing hymns, are respectful to one another, are considerate, etc. Unfortunately, they exhibit a trait that Hollywood has always loved to portray: they lie or, if you prefer, they cover up the truth. Here, Rogers does it, trying to hide her past while Cotten almost does the same, but comes clean early on. Other than that, it's a throwback-to-the-more-wholesome-past film that, while it might be a bit slow in parts, features interesting lead characters by famous actors of their day: Joseph Cotten, Ginger Rogers and Shirley Temple. The latter is almost as entertaining as when she was the incredible child star but it was strange to see her in a role where she's trying to show off her chest! Yikes! Well, I guess you can't play a little kid forever. Even though they were famous, Cotten and Rogers, I believe, were two of the most underrated actors of their day, particularly Rogers who was far more than just a great dancer.

I didn't know what I was going to see when I first watched this film. It's not big and splashy but it's a quiet film that I almost overlooked. I'm so glad I didn't. This movie made me a fan of Ginger Rogers and Joseph Cotten even more. It's an amazing movie and the ending was a great twist. The quiet and subtle performances are what made it more personal. It's one movie that is overlooked that shouldn't be. It's a small and quiet film, but it's a great one at that. I'm used to seeing Ginger Rogers either dancing around with Fred Astaire or playing a chorus girl in a show that is struggling, but this movie has shown me how much talent she really had. And I only saw Joseph Cotten in Citizen Kane and Since You Went Away. This movie made me take notice and see how good he was as a leading man and actor. The story is simple and is perfectly played that way. Although it might seem a little too melodramatic and hokey, it's really not. For anyone interested in old movies, I would recommend it to them. This needs to be on television and seen a lot more.