arfdawg-1 The Plot.As Julie prepares to leave her husband Roger, she begins to play through a stack of recordings, each of which reminds her of events in their lives together. One of them is the song that was playing when she and Roger first met in a music store. Other songs remind her of their courtship, their marriage, their desire for a child, and the joys and sorrows that they have shared. A flood of memories comes back to her as she ponders their present problems and how they arose.Jesus this plot sounds depressing. The 40s were a time when Hollywood was in flux. Late 40s already saw the rise of television which would explode in the 50s. The movies made in the 40s were largely the built on post war conventions we don't hold dearly today.I found it very hard to look beyond the dated sensibility of this film. The script conventions that have been done a million times. Maybe it's just me. i don't know.I just found the movie annoying.

lbbrooks I remember first seeing this film on the early, early morning movie as a very young child in the 1960s. It was the first Irene Dunne movie I ever saw and she was of particular interest to my older family members since she hailed from our hometown of Louisville, KY. I think the most masterful scene (the one that displays George Stevens' qualities as an auteur the best) is the train sequence when Roger and Julie have just been married but Roger must leave immediately to take up his assignment in Tokyo. To leave Julie without benefit of a honeymoon is too much for both her and the audience to bear. What complete romance, he makes good his promise and gets her off at the next stop. Notice the sign on the train platform viewed from the train window indicating just how far this young couple has traveled through the night on their impromptu honeymoon. They are in and we are out. All is left to the imagination and there is nothing more romantic nor sexier than that. And lo and behold, when Julie is finally reunited with Roger in Tokyo she informs him of their impending parenthood. A successful honeymoon indeed!

SnoopyStyle Julie (Irene Dunne) is leaving her husband Roger Adams (Cary Grant). Her friend Applejack Carney (Edgar Buchanan) tries to help. She plays some records which reminds her of their happier days. Roger first meets Julie as a sales clerk in a record store. Applejack warns her about dating newspaper man Roger. The newspaper takes him to Japan and he asks her to marry. An earthquake in Japan causes Julie to miscarry. She can't have children anymore. Roger's small newspaper is struggling and money is tight. They adopt a little girl but the struggle continues and then the girl suddenly dies.This movie lacks a drive to move the story at the beginning. The first section is pedestrian and slow. Dunne and Grant are basically 40 year olds doing the young love story. They are rather bland and Grant isn't allowed much comedic leeway. The earthquake shakes things up a bit literally. The story stops being so bland. As adoptive parents, they show a bit more color. Roger is reluctant and Julie is eager. They start to have better chemistry. They get to do some fun bits like the alarm clock. The emotional content is also heightened. However the final act is rushed. The audience needs time to process the death. The letters are also hard to read. The death occurring off-scene is somewhat expected for the time. However it does take away the big cinematic move of the parents finding their dead child. It's better to take out most of the courtship. That's not the interesting part of the story.

vincentlynch-moonoi This is a very old-fashioned type of movie, so you have to be prepared for that when you sit down to watch it. It certainly seems older than 1941! But it rather nicely shows -- in episodic style -- the trials and tribulations of a marriage.Ironically, Cary Grant -- my favorite actor -- was nominated for an Academy Award for his role here, although I don't feel it's a stellar performance at all. Decent, but not stellar. And, Grant's character is not totally likable...but perhaps realistic. I guess I'd rather a nomination went to Irene Dunne, who shines as the wife. One of my favorite character actresses also shines here -- Beulah Bondi -- as the head of the adoption agency. Edgar Buchanan, not usually one of my favorites, does nicely here as a surprisingly sensitive newspaper printer and friend of Grant and Dunne.Generally speaking, the film drags a bit. The earthquake scene, though brief, is quite well done. It's a very sentimental story, and you may just shed a tear. It's nice to see a better print now on TCM. The film fell into the public domain, and for a while only poor prints were available for watching.Worth a watch, but far from my favorite film of either Cary Grant or Irene Dunne.