Since You Went Away (1944)

Director:

John Cromwell

Writers:

Margaret Buell Wilder (book)
Margaret Buell Wilder (adaptation)

Release Date:

20 July 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

Great! . . . A Story So Warm . . . So Human . . . So Real . . . you'll wish it might never end! With seven great stars who were never greater!

Plot:

While husband Tim is away during World War II, Anne Hilton copes with problems on the homefront. Taking in a lodger...

Plot Keywords:

Rationing | Lodger | Homefront | Military Officer | Retiree

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 8 nominations

Cast

Claudette Colbert	...	Mrs. Anne Hilton
Jennifer Jones	...	Jane Deborah Hilton
Joseph Cotten	...	Lieutenant Tony Willett
Shirley Temple	...	Bridget 'Brig' Hilton
Monty Woolley	...	Colonel William G. Smollett
Lionel Barrymore	...	Clergyman
Robert Walker	...	Corporal William G. 'Bill' Smollett II
Hattie McDaniel	...	Fidelia
Agnes Moorehead	...	Mrs. Emily Hawkins
Alla Nazimova	...	Zofia Koslowska (as Nazimova)
Albert Bassermann	...	Dr. Sigmund Gottlieb Golden
Gordon Oliver	...	Marine Officer Seeking Room
Keenan Wynn	...	Lieutenant Solomon
Guy Madison	...	Sailor Harold E. Smith
Craig Stevens	...	Danny Williams

Runtime:

UK:172 min | USA:130 min (1949 re-release) | 177 min (DVD version) | 172 min (copyright length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Yiddish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:TV-G (TV rating) | UK:U | Australia:G | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #9990) | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Church of the Angels - 1100 Avenue 64, Pasadena, California, USA

Company:

Vanguard Films (III)

Trivia:

David O. Selznick was credited as producer for his writing the screenplay.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Colonel William G. Smollett introduces himself as such when he responds to the advertisement for an officer boarder, but is incorrectly called 'Colonel Smollie' by Bridget while tending the victory garden, and again at his birthday party with his cake having 'Colonel Smollie' written on it.

Quotes:

Jane Deborah Hilton: How are things out at the field?
Corporal William G. 'Bill' Smollett II: Oh, they're fine, thank you. How's everything with you?
Jane Deborah Hilton: Oh, just fine. I want to get a war job, but Mother won't let me.
Corporal William G. 'Bill' Smollett II: Well, I think she's right. You ought to stay home -
Jane Deborah Hilton: No, it isn't that at all. Mother wants me to go to college.
Corporal William G. 'Bill' Smollett II: Oh. Oh, gee. That would take four years, wouldn't it?
Jane Deborah Hilton: If I go.
Corporal William G. 'Bill' Smollett II: You don't want to go?
Jane Deborah Hilton: No, it's so silly. If I were three or four years older, I could be a Wave.
Corporal William G. 'Bill' Smollett II: Or a Wac.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Airplane! (1980)

Soundtrack:

Shoo-Shoo Baby

Personal Remarks

As I watched this recently on Turner Movie Classics, a number of trivial points ran through my mind. David O. Selznick certainly had a knack for making clear statements and making sure that everything in his productions (at least up to this time) was easily understood by viewers of all levels.

As his cinematographer, Lee Garmes, was noted for his tendency toward dark images, I was constantly aware of the many shadows in his shots. For his actors to move from one position to another they walk through at least one area of total darkness. There are many shadows on their faces, many profiles, and sharp light and dark contrasts in the background. While Selznick reportedly didn't appreciate Garmes' signature style for GWTW, David certainly tolerated it here, and this dark ambiance gave "Since You Went Away" a quality of depth and substance it might not otherwise have had.

David's effort to get the "perfect" cast paid off. With Colbert anchoring the enactment with a great performance, the film was also blessed with excellent work from Cotten, Jones, Temple, Wooley, McDaniel, Moorhead, et al.

It looks like Colbert's preference for being photographed from the left side is valid. On my system, motion can be stopped and slowly forwarded, observing her from the right side when she turns. In real time one only glimpses; in slow motion one can see her point.

Max Steiner's themes are quite haunting (one of his main ones reveals generic influences of the "Liebestod" from Tristan und Isolde--another the basis for a later Christmas song) and his careful underscoring of every action works well here. TMC Channel's inclusion of the complete Overture and Entr'acte enhances the presentation's effectiveness. It's a joy to see material once cut from so many "classics" now sensitively restored.

Knowing what the Walkers were going through in real life (marital separation) during this filming does indeed make me further appreciate the fine quality of their work. Though Jennifer reportedly often left the set in tears, not a hint of that shows. That indeed is strong acting.

The volume of sad and tragic events depicted in this film now seems, by the end, a wee bit much. Still, this "tear jerker supreme" continues to be enjoyed by many viewers, and "Since You Went Away," remains a nostalgic enactment of an emotional period in American history.