Review of How Green Was My Valley (1941) by Rick C — 03 Jul 2006
Forever to be known as the film to win the Best Picture Oscar in the year of Citizen Kane, Ford's film is itself truly great and worthy of sitting beside Welles' masterpiece. A human drama that presents a community on the verge of death, living and fighting against an uncertain future the only way they know.
The film strikingly shows the line between the value of tradition, the need for progress and how society handles it. It is an epic but intimate tale of love, life, death, family, religion and society.
The film crams a vast and rich thematic palette into its absorbing two hour runtime. Not a scene is wasted or uninspired. John Ford's masterful direction and Arthur Miller's beautiful cinematography create a perfectly stark, and frequently beautiful, representation of a Welsh village at the turn of the century.
Ford's affection towards the dying culture is clearly evident. A haunting, inspiring and beautiful film. Do see it.
This review of How Green Was My Valley (1941) was written by Rick C on 03 Jul 2006.
How Green Was My Valley has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
