Review of Remember the Night (1940) by Scott D — 11 Jan 2011

Maybe the reason so many Christmas movies are melancholy is because otherwise it'd all just be too sweet to handle. That's almost what happens here despite a heavy cloud hanging over the proceedings, as every scene of Stanwyck learning the simple joys of country living isn't far from a recognition of her looming court date.

I guess you could argue that the movie could have easily lost about ten minutes particularly from the second half, and that Stanwyck's character loses her edge too much when confronted with all the Norman Rockwell style Americana, but I can't be too much of a cynic about something this effective.