oOoBarracuda My vote for the most under-appreciated film of all time far and away goes to How Green Was My Valley. This beautiful drama, masterfully directed by John Ford, had the unfortunate coincidence of being released in 1941, the same year as the seminal masterpiece, and freshman full-length directorial effort by Orson Welles; Citizen Kane. Welles' Citizen Kane is an important film, brilliant in technical achievement and instrumental in terms of influence to the best of film directors. You'll scarcely find a person willing to argue the importance and effulgence of Citizen Kane; you will often, however, find people willing to downplay How Green Was My Valley, as if dimming its light will make Kane shine brighter. It's time to forgive the film starring Maureen O'Hara, Roddy McDowall, and Walter Pidgeon for taking the Academy Award for Best Picture that many believe to be owed to Citizen Kane. Release the hate for How Green Was My Valley, the film following the heartbreaking lives of the impoverished Welsch mining Morgan family. Sure, there are places in which How Green Was My Valley is recognized for its sheer brilliance, but more often is the film vilified for being perceived as a "lesser film" to Welles' Citizen Kane. The fact of the matter is that both Citizen Kane and How Green Was My Valley are perfect films (I don't use that term lightly) and need to be respected as such. It's not as if How Green Was My Valley was a horrible film undeserving of Oscar's top prize, surpassing an obviously superior film; it was just as good, if not better than Citizen Kane just in different ways. Oscar has made that mistake before (I'm looking at you, 1994) but they did not award a film that was undeserving in 1941. 1941 was a stacked year for American films, being the same year that audiences were graced with The Maltese Falcon and Suspicion. I long to live in a world where How Green Was My Valley is given its due, and this is my slight contribution to that dream. Huw Morgan (Roderick McDowall) is the youngest member of the struggling, hard-working Morgan family. From his point of view, the audience gets to experience what life is like for each of the members of his family, while his family tries their hardest to make sure he has a better life than each of his siblings before him. The family is embattled with many trials and tribulations including layoffs, famine, and labor disputes. As the role of the worker, shifts throughout the years in the Welch mining town in which the Morgans live, so too do tensions rise within the Morgan family. As the men battle the dangerous, unhealthy working conditions in the mines day in and day out, the women in the family struggle to take care of the home and feed each member of the family on the meager income that is brought in. The eldest daughter, Angharad (Maureen O'Hara) has fallen desperately in love with Preacher Mr. Gruffydd (Walter Pidgeon) who loves Angharad, as well, but is not certain he can provide an adequate life for her. Their romance is also tested by the gossip of the town at the wretched thought of a young girl and a preacher falling in love. Following Huw as he ages and learns from the mistakes and turmoil his family endures, How Green Was My Valley is a beautiful story capturing the heart of everything that American cinema is capable of being.John Ford is the ultimate master of the melodrama. The same mind that brought audiences The Grapes of Wrath, Stagecoach, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, John Ford was at the top of his already stellar game with his adaptation of How Green Was My Valley, based on the novel of the same name by Richard Llewellyn. It has been noted that How Green Was My Valley was Ford's favorite of the films he directed, and it is easy to see why. How Green Was My Valley was a beautifully shot, artfully told story that really made personal the struggles endured by the Morgan family. How Green Was My Valley remains a gorgeous, heartwarming, grand film that can also be described as undervalued, under-appreciated, and oft forgotten, except when arguments arise as to the merit of How Green over Citizen Kane. Citizen Kane was a pioneer, and deserves the status it receives as such, but How Green Was My Valley was a forger of the melodrama. A brilliant film, despite the technically superior Citizen Kane, that proves to all fans of classic cinema that two wonderful films don't need to be pitted against each other, and instead, should be enjoyed for exactly as each stands on its own.

steve_jm_kidd How Green Was My Valley is a bit like one of those books you have to read at school, but don't really want to and don't enjoy as much as you should. Altogether too twee, and whereas things like Lassie Come Home and Mrs Miniver tug the heartstrings to breaking point this seems a deal, clumsier? (That's not the right word, perhaps reckless might be a better term) The thing is, it pertains to being right-on, it could have been an incredible ecological pioneer, and begins as if it is going to be, but falters from the get go. It could be a tribute to the working man, but it is unconvincing. It could be an homage to Wales but it is a load of Yanks in a studio with California backgrounds*. It could have been a counterpoint to Goodbye Mr Chips, but it ended up just with a short but total indictment of teachers whilst forgetting the system. Most of all it could be an epic on rational economics but it never actually makes its mind up enough to get started. Its loudest clarion is for that oxymoron 'sensible religion', so all in all, I was happy to watch it from the point of cinema history, but I enjoyed my sweet potato fries with coconut and mushroom sauce a deal more. (The food got a 7.7). The Hayes code has got a lot to answer for. I wonder if William Wyler would have done it better?* Called that before I read it "Fox wanted to shoot the movie in Wales in Technicolor, but events in Europe during World War II made this impossible. Instead, Ford had the studio build an 80 acre authentic replica of a Welsh mining town at Brent's Crags (subsequently Crags Country Club) in the Santa Monica Mountains near Malibu, California. The cast had one Welsh actor, Rhys Williams, in a minor role." (Wikipedia)If you do watch this listen for the cast all conjugating sentences like Yoda! "How green was my Valley that day, too, green and bright in the sun."

avi-greene2 I borrowed this movie on DVD from the library this recent August, and when I watched it I thought "This is a hallmark cinematic masterpiece in Hollywood history". There were many things I loved about this movie. First off, the Canadian actor Walter Pidgeon in the role of Mr. Gruffydd was a wonderful actor, and so was Maureen O'Hara as Angharad Morgan and the rest of the Morgan family played by Donald Crisp, Sara Allgood and the newcomer Roddy McDowall. Secondly, this movie also had a gorgeous setting taking place in a mining town in 1890 Wales. Third, I loved the Welsh singing in this film, like the popular traditional hymn "MyFanwy" which is sung by the villagers to Mrs. Morgan (Sara Allgood). However, this classic film has a very depressing story line that makes some people cry, but not me though because I really liked watching this from the library. I highly recommend this John Ford masterpiece to any movie fans of all generations old and young, because it is a very significant film to learn about, based on the book by British author Richard Llewyn.

gkeith_1 My observations: Beautiful Maureen O'Hara. Talented Roddy McDowall. Poignant performances by Donald Crisp and Sara Allgood. Rhys Williams very good; I also saw him in "The Corn Is Green", with Bette Davis. Shields and Fitzgerald also in "The Quiet Man", and so is Maureen O'Hara. Walter Pidgeon very funny later in "Julia Misbehaves" (Greer Garson), where Walter is upstaged (smacked around?) by a trained seal. Beautiful Welsh singing. Makes me think of their Eistydfodd (sp.?) annual singing contest. Gritty, scary mine sequences. That flooding gave me the creeps.Lovely fake-Welsh village. So what about the fakeness and fake backdrops, etc.? Saves a ton of money, and besides the British Isles were all involved in that war business. Not good to have Nazis attacking John Ford's film crew if he had shot in Wales. Crappy husband Maureen married, but beautiful home and clothes she got ahold of. Still, there was nothing good about being separated from her true love, Walter Pidgeon. You have to remember that Walter would co-star with at least two beautiful women, Greer Garson and Maureen O'Hara. Walter (Gruffydd) gives their comeuppance to a whole church-full of gossipy hypocritical nitwits out for blood, even though they don't get it and it's over their cotton-filled heads. It looks as though very few of them have any personal romantic notions, so of course they would be jealous of Maureen and Walter, lol. (Does "church lady" ring a bell?).Two movies I am reminded of here. "The Corn is Green" (already mentioned) is set in Wales, and deals with coal miners and their lack of formal education. "Corn" has a central young male character "Morgan Evans" who tries to get formal education. IN "HOW GREEN" THE FAMILY NAME IS MORGAN, AND ANGHARAD IS MARRYING "MR. EVANS". Rhys Williams is assistant to the schoolmarm (Bette Davis) in "Corn". The second movie is "The Little Minister" (1934), where Katharine Hepburn (wealthy woman in disguise as a gypsy) is in love with the new minister (John Beal). Apparently her father/benefactor wants her to marry someone else, but she has her eye set on Reverend Dishart. I thought of this when I saw Angharad (Maureen) in love/attraction with Gruffydd/Walter.One more thing: One of the "gossips" in "How Green Was My Valley" was portrayed by Mary Gordon, who portrayed Nanny Webster (older, wise woman) in "The Little Minister". I recognized Mary's face right away.The mine tragedies in this movie are horrendous, yet believable. Even though I know it is all fake, it is very realistic and brings horror and painful watching.Talk about painful watching, when I saw Huw/Roddy getting beaten up by the young tough boys, I wanted to stop recording and erase this movie. Getting treated so badly by the schoolmaster was also pretty evil. Finally, I forced myself to continue watching. When Rhys Williams and Barry Fitzgerald descend upon the schoolmaster and give him a taste of his own medicine I thought that it was an hilarious scene. I was able to finish watching the movie.10/10