I Remember Mama (1948)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

George Stevens

Writers:

Kathryn Forbes (novel)
John Van Druten (play)

Release Date:

17 March 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family

Tagline:

You'll just love...MAMA!

Plot:

The ups and downs of a Norwegian immigrant family, circa 1910.

Plot Keywords:

Immigrant | Love | 1910s | Uncle | Extended Family

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Irene Dunne	...	Martha 'Mama' Hanson
Barbara Bel Geddes	...	Katrin Hanson
Oskar Homolka	...	Uncle Chris Halverson
Philip Dorn	...	Lars Hanson
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Jonathan Hyde (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Edgar Bergen	...	Peter Thorkelson
Rudy Vallee	...	Dr. Johnson
Barbara O'Neil	...	Jessie Brown
Florence Bates	...	Florence Dana Moorhead
Peggy McIntyre	...	Christine Hanson
June Hedin	...	Dagmar Hanson
Steve Brown	...	Nels Hanson
Ellen Corby	...	Aunt Trina
Hope Landin	...	Aunt Jenny
Edith Evanson	...	Aunt Sigrid

Runtime:

134 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Norwegian | Latin | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

The previous play was produced on Broadway by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The film's producers purchased the rights for $2500 for each week of the play's run, up to $150,000, on the condition that the film would not be made until the play closed. The stage version ended up running for nearly two years. The original Broadway production opened on October 19, 1944 at the Music Box Theater and ran for 713 performances with a cast that included Marlon Brando in his Broadway debut.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the aunts are sitting at the table drinking coffee, Jenny is on the right and Sigrid are on the left. After Jenny asks, "Where are the children?" and gets up, she and Sigrid have switched places.

Quotes:

Martha 'Mama' Hanson: Being rich is like being ten feet tall. Good for some things, bad for others.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Enfant Terrible: A Conversation with Patty McCormack (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Sovnen

A Delightful Combination of Humor, Drama, & Family Life

Often amusing, often contemplative, and always enjoyable, "I Remember Mama" is about as good as any movie ever made about family life. The writing, the cast, and the characters make relatively commonplace events seem significant and interesting, the episodic style works very well, and the story-telling is well done. Without anything that seems forced or unnatural, the movie covers just about every aspect of family life, and always has something worthwhile to say.

Irene Dunne heads up a fine cast, and she gives one of her many quality performances as "Mama". The supporting cast are all good as well, and they complement each other nicely. Oskar Homolka is especially worthy of note as Uncle Chris, the kind of character who seems to be found in so many families. The portrayals of the characters and the selection of situations in their lives are both so good that you feel very much a part of things, almost from the beginning.

Everything is nicely conceived and carefully crafted, and it is also a good example of the ideal way to adapt written material for the screen. Without adhering strictly to the original, it captures the feel and the themes of the original stories, showing with talking pictures what Kathryn Forbes had said so well with words.

Both the material itself and the style of the adaptation are delightful, and this is the kind of movie that takes much more skill to produce than may seem to be the case. While this kind of thoughtful, deliberately-paced film has unfortunately gone out of style at the present time, "I Remember Mama" is enduring, enjoyable, and worthwhile.