How Green Was My Valley
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A Wonderful Collaboration
  • Which valley was this?
  • One of the Great Films of the 40's
  • Movie DVD
  • How Green Was My Valley
How Green Was My Valley
Starring: Walter Pidgeon , Maureen O'Hara , Anna Lee , Donald Crisp , and Roddy McDowall
Director: John Ford
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Allgood, SaraAllgood, Sara | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Crisp, DonaldCrisp, Donald | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Fitzgerald, BarryFitzgerald, Barry | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Fraser, RichardFraser, Richard | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Griffies, EthelGriffies, Ethel | ( G ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Knowles, PatricKnowles, Patric | ( K ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Lee, AnnaLee, Anna | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Loder, JohnLoder, John | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Lowry, MortonLowry, Morton | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
McDowall, RoddyMcDowall, Roddy | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
O'Hara, MaureenO'Hara, Maureen | ( O ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Pidgeon, WalterPidgeon, Walter | ( P ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Shields, ArthurShields, Arthur | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Williams, RhysWilliams, Rhys | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
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Similar Items:
  1. Mrs. Miniver Mrs. Miniver
  2. The Grapes of Wrath The Grapes of Wrath
  3. Gentleman's Agreement Gentleman's Agreement
  4. The Best Years of Our Lives The Best Years of Our Lives
  5. All About Eve All About Eve

ASIN: B00006RCO3
Release Date: 2003-01-14

Amazon.com essential video

John Ford's beautiful, heartfelt drama about a close-knit family of Welsh coal miners is one of the greatest films of Hollywood's golden age--a gentle masterpiece that beat Citizen Kane in the Best Picture race for the 1941 Academy Awards. The picture also won Oscars for Best Director (Ford), Best Supporting Actor (Donald Crisp), Best Art Direction, and Best Cinematography; all of those awards were richly deserved, even if they came at the expense of Kane and Orson Welles. Based on the novel by Richard Llewellyn, the film focuses its eventful story on 10-year-old Huw (Roddy McDowall), youngest of seven children to Mr. and Mrs. Morgan (Donald Crisp, Sarah Allgood), a hardy couple who've seen the best and worst of times in their South Wales mining town. They're facing one of the worst times as Mr. Morgan refuses to join a miners union whose members have begun a long-term strike. Family tensions grow and Huw must learn many of life's harsher lessons under the tutelage of the local preacher (Walter Pidgeon), who has fallen in love with Huw's sister (Maureen O'Hara). As various crises are confronted and devastating losses endured, How Green Was My Valley unfolds as a rich, moving portrait of family strength and integrity. It's also a nod to a simpler, more innocent time--and to the preciousness of memory and the inevitable passage from youth to adulthood. An all-time classic, not to be missed. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Sixty year-old Huw Morgan looks back on his life as a boy (Roddy McDowall) in a small Welsh mining town. His reminiscences reveal the disintegration of the closely knit Morgans, and his devoted parents (Donald Crisp, Sara Allgood), while capturing the sentiments and issues of their time. Maureen O'Hara and Walter Pidgeon co-star in this acclaimed screen classic, the story of one family's dreams, struggles and triumphs.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Collaboration.......2007-08-12

John Ford was the greatest born and raised American director. HGWMV is just one of several masterpieces he helmed in 60 years of directing. Working with a beautiful script by Philip Dunne, Ford crafts a slow careful character driven evocation of a time gone by. Donald Crisp, Walter Pidgeon and Maureen O'Hara give pitch perfect performances.

Watching HGWMV does take a little suspension of disbelief. Little Huw looks exactly the same age over several years. Purhaps in a more extravagent enterprise, Huw would have been played by different actors at different ages but this is a two hour black and white movie. An epic full color filmed in Wales Gone With the Windesque extravaganza was planned but the Nazis decided to interfere. The filming was moved to Southern California and black and white filming was used as an attempt to make up the difference between the lush green Welsh countryside and the dry brown California hills. Also, all the principle actors are English, Irish, Canadien and American. Pretty much every accent but Welsh. At least they got the singing right.

Still, it is a wonderful movie. The characters and pacing make the film. This is a family film. Through all of their differences, the Morgans persevere. The sons break with their father over unionizing & finally move away to get work but they are not forgotten or rejected. Huw grows up poor but loved and guided. As he recovers from a terrible illness, goes to school, and joins his father in the mine, he is unfailingly supported & loved by family and neighbors.

This was Ford's last fictional film until 1945. During the war, he made several documentaries for the war effort. He was even wounded during the Midway battle. Made as Britain was being pounded by the Germans and the Americans were gearing up to enter the war, HGWWMV was a heartfelt shot in the arm and can easily be seen as a celebration of the British way of life and freedom in dark times.

2 out of 5 stars Which valley was this?.......2007-08-01

How Green Was My Valley has rightly become a modern classic, much too good for merely studying at school. So it was with some considerable anticipation that I sat down to enjoy this DVD. Yet I had to wonder which valley they are talking about. Having some familiarity with the South Wales coalpits area, I could not believe how unlike Wales the setting is. Just shoving a feeble impression of a coal mine on a hill gives no indications of what Wales is like. Nor does a group of guys bursting into song every five minutes.

If the setting is hopeless, the attempts at Welsh accents are worse. We have an intriguing mixture of mainly Irish, sometimes American dialects. The adaptation is hopeless; just picking odd scenes from the book with no continuity results in a disjointed and hesitant screenplay with no flow at all. I love old films but this one is as bad as it gets. Did it really beat Citizen Kane to those Oscars? I give it 2 stars to compensate for Roddy McDowall's excellent performance. The rest of the cast, including the very American looking and sounding Miss O'Hara, you could give away with a lucky bag.

5 out of 5 stars One of the Great Films of the 40's.......2007-07-30

Released in 1941, based on the popular novel by Richard Llewellyn, the legendary director, John Ford, known more for his innovative Western films, brought a little 19th century Welsh town to life during a time of harsh transition from an idyllic rural setting to the callous reality of the sudden onslaught of the Industrial Revolution. This may be the historic backdrop to this story, but it more concerns the memory of a man sentimentally harking back to his family of hard working coal miners and those basic values of love, family loyalty and the at times cruelty of life in general. The tale is told by the protagonist, Huw Morgan (Roddy McDowall), though is narrated by an adult voice, which unfortunately, the credits of the film have left anonymous. That said, there is something extraordinary about this story and I believe it is the notion of a close-knit family, sticking together, no matter what may be thrown their way.

Roddy McDowall was an exceptional child actor. The utter sensitivity and innocence in his expressions reveal a boy of truly great talent.

One of the most memorable scenes is Huw's first day at school. The teacher played with authentic sadism, Mr. Jonas (Morton Lowry) brought back images of my early school days: bully students and bully teachers. Little Huw is humiliated in front of the class because of his lowly status in the community. During recess, the boy's bully him further leading to a fight on the playground. Huw is of course blamed and given a sadistic whipping with a yard stick with relish from Mr. Jonas. The boy staggers home and father and his brother's discover the truth and pay a visit to the school. After this encounter, it is possible that Mr. Jonas will think twice about cruelly hurting a "Morgan" boy or any other child for that matter.

The dialogue in this 40's film is also superb, for example, Walter Pidgeon as Mr.Gruffydd, when poor Hue is laid up sick:

"You've been lucky, Huw. Lucky to suffer and lucky to spend these weary months in bed. For so God has given you a chance to make the spirit within yourself. And as your father cleans his lamp to have good light, so keep clean your spirit... By prayer, Huw. And by prayer, I don't mean shouting, mumbling, and wallowing like a hog in religious sentiment. Prayer is only another name for good, clean, direct thinking. When you pray, think. Think well what you're saying. Make your thoughts into things that are solid. In that way, your prayer will have strength, and that strength will become a part of you, body, mind, and spirit."

One of the most memorable passages of the film.

How Green Was My Valley gave us a glimpse into this Welsh community and the trials and basic day to day hardships of the period with realism, pathos and a pinch of lament... and that so-called simplicity in our modern era could well be lost.

This is one of my all time favourite films and a film to be watched when the time feels appropriate to look back to the past and imagine its simplicity; an illusion perhaps, but a grand one at that...










5 out of 5 stars Movie DVD.......2007-07-21

Item arrived in excellent condition. I have seen this classic movie many times, but have not taken the time to watch my newly purchased DVD.

5 out of 5 stars How Green Was My Valley.......2007-06-22

A touching, tenderly acted family saga based on the novel by Richard Llewellyn, Ford's "Valley" was a sensation in 1941, beating out "Citizen Kane" for the Best Picture Oscar. Championed by producer Darryl F. Zanuck, who worked closely with Ford, and majestically photographed, the film offers a poignant look at the fading of small-town pastoral life as it gives way to the forces of modernization. As the stern, principled patriarch who refuses to join the union, Oscar winner Crisp is solid as granite ore. Walter Pidgeon also stands out playing a minister who takes young Huw under his wing. One of Ford's fondest valentines to family, worker dignity, and the innocence of an earlier era.
Studio Classics - Best Picture Collection (Sunrise / How Green Was My Valley / Gentleman's Agreement / All About Eve)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Great movies
  • Collection does not overlap the other Best Picture collections
  • Hollywood masterpieces
  • Very good value -- even if you own a couple already!
  • Clever Packaging!
Studio Classics - Best Picture Collection (Sunrise / How Green Was My Valley / Gentleman's Agreement / All About Eve)
Starring: Bette Davis , Anne Baxter , George Sanders , Celeste Holm , and Gary Merrill
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz , Elia Kazan , and John Ford
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
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Ford, JohnFord, John | ( F ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B0000AINLS
Release Date: 2003-10-14

Amazon.com

Sunrise (1927)
There are those who rate Sunrise the greatest of all silent films. Then again, some consider it the finest film from any era. Such claims invite a backlash, but do yourself a favor and give it a look. At the very least, you'll know you've seen a movie of extraordinary visual beauty and emotional purity. This universal tale of a farm couple's journey from country to city and back again was the first American film for F.W. Murnau, the German director of Nosferatu and The Last Laugh whose everyday scenes seemed haunted by phantoms and whose most extravagant visions never lost touch with reality. Hollywood afforded him the technical resources to unleash his imagination, and in turn he opened up the power of camera movement and composition for a generation of American filmmakers. You'll never forget the walk in the swamp, the ripples on the lake, the trolley ride from forest to metropolis. This movie defines the cinema. --Richard T. Jameson

How Green Was My Valley (1941)
John Ford's beautiful, heartfelt drama about a close-knit family of Welsh coal miners is one of the greatest films of Hollywood's golden age--a gentle masterpiece that beat Citizen Kane in the Best Picture race for the 1941 Academy Awards. The picture also won Oscars for Best Director (Ford), Best Supporting Actor (Donald Crisp), Best Art Direction, and Best Cinematography; all of those awards were richly deserved, even if they came at the expense of Kane and Orson Welles. Based on the novel by Richard Llewellyn, the film focuses its eventful story on 10-year-old Huw (Roddy McDowall), youngest of seven children to Mr. and Mrs. Morgan (Donald Crisp, Sarah Allgood), a hardy couple who've seen the best and worst of times in their South Wales mining town. They're facing one of the worst times as Mr. Morgan refuses to join a miners union whose members have begun a long-term strike. Family tensions grow and Huw must learn many of life's harsher lessons under the tutelage of the local preacher (Walter Pidgeon), who has fallen in love with Huw's sister (Maureen O'Hara). As various crises are confronted and devastating losses endured, How Green Was My Valley unfolds as a rich, moving portrait of family strength and integrity. It's also a nod to a simpler, more innocent time--and to the preciousness of memory and the inevitable passage from youth to adulthood. An all-time classic, not to be missed. --Jeff Shannon

Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
Elia Kazan directed this sometimes powerful study of anti-Semitism in nicer circles, based on Laura Z. Hobson's post-World War II novel. Gregory Peck is a hotshot magazine writer who has been blind to the problem; to ferret it out, he passes himself off as Jewish and watches the WASPs squirm. Seen a half-century later, the attitudes seem quaint and dated: Could it really have been like this? Yet the truth of the story comes through, in the wounded dignity of John Garfield, the upright indignation of Peck, and the hidden ways bigotry and hatred can poison relationships. That's particularly true in the Oscar-winning performance of Celeste Holm, who finds more layers than you'd expect in what seems like a stock character. --Marshall Fine

All About Eve (1950)
Showered with Oscars, this wonderfully bitchy (and witty) comedy written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz concerns an aging theater star (Bette Davis) whose life is being supplanted by a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing ingenue (Anne Baxter) whom she helped. This is a film for a viewer to take in like a box of chocolates, packed with scene-for-scene delights that make the entire story even better than it really is. The film also gives deviously talented actors such as George Sanders and Thelma Ritter a chance to speak dazzling lines; Davis bites into her role and never lets go. A classic from Mankiewicz, a legendary screenwriter and the brilliant director of A Letter to Three Wives, The Barefoot Contessa, and Sleuth. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Great movies.......2007-05-11

I was looking for All About Eve, but I ended up three othet great movies. What a wonderful bonus

5 out of 5 stars Collection does not overlap the other Best Picture collections.......2007-02-03

These are four of the eight Best Picture winners produced by Fox Film Corporation, the others being "Cavalcade", "Sound of Music", "Patton", and "The French Connection". I'll give a brief run down on my opinion of each film:

Sunrise (1927) - Winner of "Best Artistic Picture" of 1927-8, this is actually NOT a best picture winner in the strict sense. That film would be "Wings". However, this is a much better movie. The whole picture is a work of art. Director F.W. Murnau actually makes you somewhat sorry that silent pictures are obsolete, and the cinematography has to be seen to be believed. The story is simple - A farmer falls for a woman from the city, almost resorts to killing his wife to be rid of her, comes to his senses, and the man and wife remember why they got married in the first place while having a day of fun in the City. If you don't like artistic pictures, you may not like this one, but it is one of my favorites.

How Green Was My Valley (1941) - The most amazing factoid about this film is that it beat Citizen Kane for Best Picture, and yet today it is relatively forgotten compared to that film. The film is pretty good though. It is about a Welsh family and the impact of how their green lush Welsh valley is ruined by mining at the turn of the twentieth century. John Ford directs.

Gentleman's Agreement (1947) - One of the first "socially relevant" films to win Best Picture. Gregory Peck pretends to be Jewish to collect material for a story on being Jewish in America. The message is powerful, but there are some distracting subplots going on - most notably Peck and his relationship with his sick mother, and Peck's romance with Dorothy McGuire that rings hollow.

All About Eve (1950) - This is a great one. Powerful acting by everyone. Just when you think there is nobody more evil than Anne Baxter's Eve Harrington, along comes George Sander's Addison DeWitt and kicks her to the curb in that category. Then there's the wonderful Bette Davis as aging star Margo Channing. This role reinvigorated Davis' career, which had been on a downward slide for a few years.

In summary you get two great Best Pictures - Sunrise and All About Eve, and two good Best Pictures - How Green was My Valley and Gentleman's Agreement, all for a reasonable price that does not overlap with other Best Picture boxed sets and DVD bundles. I recommend it.

5 out of 5 stars Hollywood masterpieces.......2007-01-16

I have been trying for over a year to obtain a copy of Sunrise. I had seen the film about two years ago on the Turner Classical Movies channel and it had a profound impact on me. The characters were so human and modern in their behavior. And, although certain directors of the 20's seemed to like advancing the plot or time element through superimposing one frame over another and it could be annoying and confusing, in this film it was a fascinating technique to watch. This is a film in which you can get totally engrossed. The story is timeless and poignant. I am so glad this film was included with the "talkie" best picture films (which, it goes without saying are among the superior films of the 30's and 40's).

5 out of 5 stars Very good value -- even if you own a couple already!.......2005-07-01

I have to take issue with "Moviefanatic", who objected to having no lower-cost, 'Sunrise'-only alternative to this set.

I could see his point if they were charging a premium price for the set, but they're not. The cost of this 4-film set is less, for example, than for the 1-disk Criterion edition of 'The Passion of Joan of Arc', or the Kino or Image Entertainment versions of 'Intolerance'. (To say nothing of other silent masterpieces, like 'The Crowd', which have never received DVD release.)

If it helps, you can think of the other three films as bonus filler items. They are all worthy pictures. 'How Green Was My Valley' is often called sentimental, and in some ways it is, but it is a dark, sad movie, and one of Ford's best. 'Gentleman's Agreement' is the weakest film here, a sincere and well-intentioned attack on American anti-Semitism, but rather talky and slow. If it doesn't represent Kazan's best work, it still stands up as historically important. 'All About Eve' was for years the film with the most Oscar nominations (14); it too is talky, but with dialogue this memorable, talky is in this case a good thing.

But the big attraction of this set is 'Sunrise'. Technically, you could argue 'Sunrise' is out of place here, as is not exactly a "Best Picture" Oscar-winner. In the first year of the Academy Awards, 1927-28, the award for "Best Production" was split between 'Wings' and 'The Last Command', while 'Sunrise' got the award -- issued that year only -- for "Best Artistic Quality of Production", beating out 'The Crowd' and 'Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness'. (Incidentally, none of those three films were nominated for "Best Production", and 'The Crowd' would have taken the Artistic Quality award if not for an all-night fillibuster by L.B. Mayer.) But this is trivia; both 'Sunrise' and 'The Crowd' are legitimate masterpieces.

I had never heard of 'Chang', but it is available on DVD, from Image Entertainment -- for about the same price as this 4-disk set.

Bottom line: This set features three great movies, one of which is otherwise unavailable, and one good one. The set is a terrific bargain. Case closed; buy it.

3 out of 5 stars Clever Packaging!.......2005-06-06

I have to admit that all of these movies are great. Unfortunately, all of them (except 'Sunrise') have been available in other editions. So what do the lovers of Murnau's masterpiece have to do? In order to get their hands on the cherished bonus, they have to buy three other movies that they have probably watched countless number of times. I have to give credit to this DVD set creators/promoters. This is business sense (shameless and greedy) at its best! And people flock to buy it and give praises. Everybody is happy (or furious)... You decide.
How Green Was My Valley
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A Wonderful Collaboration
  • Which valley was this?
  • One of the Great Films of the 40's
  • Movie DVD
  • How Green Was My Valley
How Green Was My Valley
Starring: Walter Pidgeon , Maureen O'Hara , Anna Lee , Donald Crisp , and Roddy McDowall
Director: John Ford
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
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Crisp, DonaldCrisp, Donald | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Fitzgerald, BarryFitzgerald, Barry | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Fraser, RichardFraser, Richard | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Griffies, EthelGriffies, Ethel | ( G ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Knowles, PatricKnowles, Patric | ( K ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Lee, AnnaLee, Anna | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Loder, JohnLoder, John | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Lowry, MortonLowry, Morton | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
McDowall, RoddyMcDowall, Roddy | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
O'Hara, MaureenO'Hara, Maureen | ( O ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Pidgeon, WalterPidgeon, Walter | ( P ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Shields, ArthurShields, Arthur | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Williams, RhysWilliams, Rhys | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
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Similar Items:
  1. Mrs. Miniver Mrs. Miniver
  2. The Grapes of Wrath The Grapes of Wrath
  3. Gentleman's Agreement Gentleman's Agreement
  4. The Best Years of Our Lives The Best Years of Our Lives
  5. All About Eve All About Eve

ASIN: B00003Q435
Release Date: 2000-03-07

Amazon.com essential video

John Ford's beautiful, heartfelt drama about a close-knit family of Welsh coal miners is one of the greatest films of Hollywood's golden age--a gentle masterpiece that beat Citizen Kane in the Best Picture race for the 1941 Academy Awards. The picture also won Oscars for Best Director (Ford), Best Supporting Actor (Donald Crisp), Best Art Direction, and Best Cinematography; all of those awards were richly deserved, even if they came at the expense of Kane and Orson Welles. Based on the novel by Richard Llewellyn, the film focuses its eventful story on 10-year-old Huw (Roddy McDowall), youngest of seven children to Mr. and Mrs. Morgan (Donald Crisp, Sarah Allgood), a hardy couple who've seen the best and worst of times in their South Wales mining town. They're facing one of the worst times as Mr. Morgan refuses to join a miners union whose members have begun a long-term strike. Family tensions grow and Huw must learn many of life's harsher lessons under the tutelage of the local preacher (Walter Pidgeon), who has fallen in love with Huw's sister (Maureen O'Hara). As various crises are confronted and devastating losses endured, How Green Was My Valley unfolds as a rich, moving portrait of family strength and integrity. It's also a nod to a simpler, more innocent time--and to the preciousness of memory and the inevitable passage from youth to adulthood. An all-time classic, not to be missed. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Collaboration.......2007-08-12

John Ford was the greatest born and raised American director. HGWMV is just one of several masterpieces he helmed in 60 years of directing. Working with a beautiful script by Philip Dunne, Ford crafts a slow careful character driven evocation of a time gone by. Donald Crisp, Walter Pidgeon and Maureen O'Hara give pitch perfect performances.

Watching HGWMV does take a little suspension of disbelief. Little Huw looks exactly the same age over several years. Purhaps in a more extravagent enterprise, Huw would have been played by different actors at different ages but this is a two hour black and white movie. An epic full color filmed in Wales Gone With the Windesque extravaganza was planned but the Nazis decided to interfere. The filming was moved to Southern California and black and white filming was used as an attempt to make up the difference between the lush green Welsh countryside and the dry brown California hills. Also, all the principle actors are English, Irish, Canadien and American. Pretty much every accent but Welsh. At least they got the singing right.

Still, it is a wonderful movie. The characters and pacing make the film. This is a family film. Through all of their differences, the Morgans persevere. The sons break with their father over unionizing & finally move away to get work but they are not forgotten or rejected. Huw grows up poor but loved and guided. As he recovers from a terrible illness, goes to school, and joins his father in the mine, he is unfailingly supported & loved by family and neighbors.

This was Ford's last fictional film until 1945. During the war, he made several documentaries for the war effort. He was even wounded during the Midway battle. Made as Britain was being pounded by the Germans and the Americans were gearing up to enter the war, HGWWMV was a heartfelt shot in the arm and can easily be seen as a celebration of the British way of life and freedom in dark times.

2 out of 5 stars Which valley was this?.......2007-08-01

How Green Was My Valley has rightly become a modern classic, much too good for merely studying at school. So it was with some considerable anticipation that I sat down to enjoy this DVD. Yet I had to wonder which valley they are talking about. Having some familiarity with the South Wales coalpits area, I could not believe how unlike Wales the setting is. Just shoving a feeble impression of a coal mine on a hill gives no indications of what Wales is like. Nor does a group of guys bursting into song every five minutes.

If the setting is hopeless, the attempts at Welsh accents are worse. We have an intriguing mixture of mainly Irish, sometimes American dialects. The adaptation is hopeless; just picking odd scenes from the book with no continuity results in a disjointed and hesitant screenplay with no flow at all. I love old films but this one is as bad as it gets. Did it really beat Citizen Kane to those Oscars? I give it 2 stars to compensate for Roddy McDowall's excellent performance. The rest of the cast, including the very American looking and sounding Miss O'Hara, you could give away with a lucky bag.

5 out of 5 stars One of the Great Films of the 40's.......2007-07-30

Released in 1941, based on the popular novel by Richard Llewellyn, the legendary director, John Ford, known more for his innovative Western films, brought a little 19th century Welsh town to life during a time of harsh transition from an idyllic rural setting to the callous reality of the sudden onslaught of the Industrial Revolution. This may be the historic backdrop to this story, but it more concerns the memory of a man sentimentally harking back to his family of hard working coal miners and those basic values of love, family loyalty and the at times cruelty of life in general. The tale is told by the protagonist, Huw Morgan (Roddy McDowall), though is narrated by an adult voice, which unfortunately, the credits of the film have left anonymous. That said, there is something extraordinary about this story and I believe it is the notion of a close-knit family, sticking together, no matter what may be thrown their way.

Roddy McDowall was an exceptional child actor. The utter sensitivity and innocence in his expressions reveal a boy of truly great talent.

One of the most memorable scenes is Huw's first day at school. The teacher played with authentic sadism, Mr. Jonas (Morton Lowry) brought back images of my early school days: bully students and bully teachers. Little Huw is humiliated in front of the class because of his lowly status in the community. During recess, the boy's bully him further leading to a fight on the playground. Huw is of course blamed and given a sadistic whipping with a yard stick with relish from Mr. Jonas. The boy staggers home and father and his brother's discover the truth and pay a visit to the school. After this encounter, it is possible that Mr. Jonas will think twice about cruelly hurting a "Morgan" boy or any other child for that matter.

The dialogue in this 40's film is also superb, for example, Walter Pidgeon as Mr.Gruffydd, when poor Hue is laid up sick:

"You've been lucky, Huw. Lucky to suffer and lucky to spend these weary months in bed. For so God has given you a chance to make the spirit within yourself. And as your father cleans his lamp to have good light, so keep clean your spirit... By prayer, Huw. And by prayer, I don't mean shouting, mumbling, and wallowing like a hog in religious sentiment. Prayer is only another name for good, clean, direct thinking. When you pray, think. Think well what you're saying. Make your thoughts into things that are solid. In that way, your prayer will have strength, and that strength will become a part of you, body, mind, and spirit."

One of the most memorable passages of the film.

How Green Was My Valley gave us a glimpse into this Welsh community and the trials and basic day to day hardships of the period with realism, pathos and a pinch of lament... and that so-called simplicity in our modern era could well be lost.

This is one of my all time favourite films and a film to be watched when the time feels appropriate to look back to the past and imagine its simplicity; an illusion perhaps, but a grand one at that...










5 out of 5 stars Movie DVD.......2007-07-21

Item arrived in excellent condition. I have seen this classic movie many times, but have not taken the time to watch my newly purchased DVD.

5 out of 5 stars How Green Was My Valley.......2007-06-22

A touching, tenderly acted family saga based on the novel by Richard Llewellyn, Ford's "Valley" was a sensation in 1941, beating out "Citizen Kane" for the Best Picture Oscar. Championed by producer Darryl F. Zanuck, who worked closely with Ford, and majestically photographed, the film offers a poignant look at the fading of small-town pastoral life as it gives way to the forces of modernization. As the stern, principled patriarch who refuses to join the union, Oscar winner Crisp is solid as granite ore. Walter Pidgeon also stands out playing a minister who takes young Huw under his wing. One of Ford's fondest valentines to family, worker dignity, and the innocence of an earlier era.
Studio Classics Collection Boxed Set
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A sticky bundle
  • Studio Classics - That's Entertainment
  • A good collection of movies from 1937-1969
  • What is this?
Studio Classics Collection Boxed Set
Starring: Audrey Hepburn , Tyrone Power , Bette Davis , Maureen O'Hara , and Walter Pidgeon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Davis, BetteDavis, Bette | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Harrison, RexHarrison, Rex | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Hepburn, AudreyHepburn, Audrey | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
O'Hara, MaureenO'Hara, Maureen | ( O ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Peck, GregoryPeck, Gregory | ( P ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Pidgeon, WalterPidgeon, Walter | ( P ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Power, TyronePower, Tyrone | ( P ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Tierney, GeneTierney, Gene | ( T ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Tracy, SpencerTracy, Spencer | ( T ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
( S )( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000MCH7G6
Release Date: 2007-03-01

Amazon.com

This 40-Disc Collection includes some of the best in classic film, including 15 films nominated by the Academy of Arts and Sciences for Best Picture of the Year. This is a must-have in any classic film lover's library.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars A sticky bundle.......2007-08-14

This is a great value for some very good films indeed (about $6 per film at Amazon's discount). However, as one of the other reviewers noted, this is a bundle, not a proper collection. That means that all 40 films are separately wrapped with Fox's infuriating security stickers that do not come off cleanly. After spending an hour removing the stickers, you can expect to find DVD cases sticking together because of all the adhesive residue. Tacky in both the literal and figurative senses!

Otherwise a great deal (especially when you consider that most if not all titles include an audio commentary and other special features.)

5 out of 5 stars Studio Classics - That's Entertainment.......2007-07-04

No - Studio Classics are not the great musicals of MGM, but it is a group of great movies from Hollywood. All but four of the movies are Oscar winners in a major category and four best picture winners. You need to like the black and white movies of the late 30's into the 40's and the All-Star color classics of the 50's. Not certain I'd call this a "collection," since it is a pretty eclectic group of movies, but a treasure chest of viewing pleasure for those that can watch a great movie again and again. Bring on the popcorn!

5 out of 5 stars A good collection of movies from 1937-1969.......2007-01-27

The previous reviewer asked an excellent question - Why part with all of that money if you don't even know what films are included? So, I looked it up and here's the list:

In Old Chicago (1937), Nominated Best Picture, won Best Supporting Actress
Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938), Nominated for Best Picture
The Rains Came (1939), Stars Myrna Loy in an OK sentimental disaster film.

The Grapes of Wrath (1940), Nominated Best Picture, in AFI top 100 Films.
The Mark of Zorro (1940), Stars Tyrone Power in title role.
How Green Was My Valley (1941), Won Best Picture
The Black Swan (1942), Tyrone Power & Maureen O'Hara in a pirate film.
Orchestra Wives (1942), Stars Glenn Miller and his band.
The Ox-Bow Incident(1943), Nominated for Best Picture starring Henry Fonda.
The Song of Bernadette (1943), Nominated for Best Picture, won Best Actress.
The Keys of the Kingdom (1944), Gregory Peck nominated for Best Actor
Leave Her to Heaven (1945), Melodrama with Cornell Wilde & Gene Tierney
Anna and the King of Siam (1946), Rex Harrison in non-musical version of "The King and I".
My Darling Clementine (1946), John Ford, who actually knew Wyatt Earp, directs Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp.
The Razor's Edge (1946), nominated for Best Picture.
Gentleman's Agreement (1947), - Won best picture, direction, supporting actress (Celeste Holm).
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), Gene Tierney as a widow plus Rex Harrison as the ghost she falls in love with.
The Snake Pit (1948), Nominated for best picture, stars Olivia DeHaviland as a mental patient.
A Letter to Three Wives (1949), nominated for Best Picture. 1 of 3 husbands has left his wife - but which one?

All About Eve (1950), Won Best Picture, helped revive Bette Davis' career
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), A terrific early sci-fi film
Titanic (1953), stars Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck as a feuding couple aboard the doomed ship.
Three Coins in the Fountain (1954), Nominated best picture
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955), Nominated best picture
Anastasia (1956), Ingrid Bergman won Best Actress as the amnesiac heiress to the Russian throne.
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956), Gregory Peck as a businessman trying to balance his career and home life.
An Affair to Remember (1957), Cary Grant & Deborah Kerr in a great romance
Desk Set (1957), One of Tracy & Hepburn's better films.
The Three Faces of Eve (1957), Best Actress award for Joanne Woodward as a woman with three personalities.
Peyton Place (1957),classic melodrama and Nominated Best Picture
The River's Edge (1957, An OK Western/film noir combo.
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958),stars Ingrid Bergman as a missionary in China.
The Best of Everything (1959), 1950's view of the world of secretaries. Joan Crawford as an evil boss.
The Diary of Anne Frank (1959), Nominated Best Picture, won 3 others.

Return to Peyton Place (1961), a mediocre sequel to the original.
Zorba the Greek (1964), Nominated Best Picture, stars Anthony Quinn.
Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), Bette Davis in a great bizarre tale.
How to Steal a Million (1966), classic 60's comedy with Peter O'Toole & Audrey Hepburn.
Two for the Road (1967), Nominated for best screenplay, great love story told in flashbacks.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), Best Actress for Maggie Smith as a schoolteacher with unconventional ideas.

All in all, this is a good collection of 40 critically acclaimed and award-winning films from the years 1937-1969 that continue to be popular. They encompass all genres, and I count only two real clunkers among them - "Return to Peyton Place" and "The Rains Came". There are a lot of Academy Award winners among them - and I'm not talking just Best Song or Best Cinematography either. I counted 15 nominations for best picture, and a few actually won the top award. With the price heavily discounted as it is, it works out to six dollars per classic movie, which is a pretty good deal.

My impression is that this is just a DVD bundle, not a collector's edition of any kind. Thus I would not anticipate any extras other than those that are already on the included individual DVD's containing the movies themselves.

5 out of 5 stars What is this?.......2007-01-20

You would think for five hundred and fifty five dollars there would at least be a list of the movies included!!
Academy Awards Best Picture Collection, Vol. 1
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Academy Awards Best Picture Collection, Vol. 1

    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

    GenresGenres | DVD | Video | Action & Adventure | African American Cinema | Animation | Anime & Manga | Art House & International | Classics | Comedy | Cult Movies | Documentary | Drama | Educational | Fitness & Yoga | Gay & Lesbian | Horror | Kids & Family | Military & War | Music Video & Concerts | Musicals & Performing Arts | Mystery & Suspense | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Special Interests | Sports | Television | Westerns
    ASIN: B000RGU5SE
    Release Date: 2007-07-03

    Amazon.com

    This DVD collection contains six Academy Award-winners for Best Picture, including: Patton, The French Connection, All About Eve, How Green Was My Valley, The Sound of Music, and Gentleman's Agreement.
    How Green Was My Valley [Region 2]
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • A Wonderful Collaboration
    • Which valley was this?
    • One of the Great Films of the 40's
    • Movie DVD
    • How Green Was My Valley
    How Green Was My Valley [Region 2]
    Starring: Walter Pidgeon , Maureen O'Hara , Anna Lee , Donald Crisp , and Roddy McDowall
    Director: John Ford
    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

    GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
    Allgood, SaraAllgood, Sara | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Crisp, DonaldCrisp, Donald | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Fitzgerald, BarryFitzgerald, Barry | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Fraser, RichardFraser, Richard | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Griffies, EthelGriffies, Ethel | ( G ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Knowles, PatricKnowles, Patric | ( K ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Lee, AnnaLee, Anna | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Loder, JohnLoder, John | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Lowry, MortonLowry, Morton | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    McDowall, RoddyMcDowall, Roddy | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    O'Hara, MaureenO'Hara, Maureen | ( O ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Pidgeon, WalterPidgeon, Walter | ( P ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Shields, ArthurShields, Arthur | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Williams, RhysWilliams, Rhys | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Ford, JohnFord, John | ( F ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
    ( H )( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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    ASIN: B00005UWMQ

    Amazon.com essential video

    John Ford's beautiful, heartfelt drama about a close-knit family of Welsh coal miners is one of the greatest films of Hollywood's golden age--a gentle masterpiece that beat Citizen Kane in the Best Picture race for the 1941 Academy Awards. The picture also won Oscars for Best Director (Ford), Best Supporting Actor (Donald Crisp), Best Art Direction, and Best Cinematography; all of those awards were richly deserved, even if they came at the expense of Kane and Orson Welles. Based on the novel by Richard Llewellyn, the film focuses its eventful story on 10-year-old Huw (Roddy McDowall), youngest of seven children to Mr. and Mrs. Morgan (Donald Crisp, Sarah Allgood), a hardy couple who've seen the best and worst of times in their South Wales mining town. They're facing one of the worst times as Mr. Morgan refuses to join a miners union whose members have begun a long-term strike. Family tensions grow and Huw must learn many of life's harsher lessons under the tutelage of the local preacher (Walter Pidgeon), who has fallen in love with Huw's sister (Maureen O'Hara). As various crises are confronted and devastating losses endured, How Green Was My Valley unfolds as a rich, moving portrait of family strength and integrity. It's also a nod to a simpler, more innocent time--and to the preciousness of memory and the inevitable passage from youth to adulthood. An all-time classic, not to be missed. --Jeff Shannon

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Collaboration.......2007-08-12

    John Ford was the greatest born and raised American director. HGWMV is just one of several masterpieces he helmed in 60 years of directing. Working with a beautiful script by Philip Dunne, Ford crafts a slow careful character driven evocation of a time gone by. Donald Crisp, Walter Pidgeon and Maureen O'Hara give pitch perfect performances.

    Watching HGWMV does take a little suspension of disbelief. Little Huw looks exactly the same age over several years. Purhaps in a more extravagent enterprise, Huw would have been played by different actors at different ages but this is a two hour black and white movie. An epic full color filmed in Wales Gone With the Windesque extravaganza was planned but the Nazis decided to interfere. The filming was moved to Southern California and black and white filming was used as an attempt to make up the difference between the lush green Welsh countryside and the dry brown California hills. Also, all the principle actors are English, Irish, Canadien and American. Pretty much every accent but Welsh. At least they got the singing right.

    Still, it is a wonderful movie. The characters and pacing make the film. This is a family film. Through all of their differences, the Morgans persevere. The sons break with their father over unionizing & finally move away to get work but they are not forgotten or rejected. Huw grows up poor but loved and guided. As he recovers from a terrible illness, goes to school, and joins his father in the mine, he is unfailingly supported & loved by family and neighbors.

    This was Ford's last fictional film until 1945. During the war, he made several documentaries for the war effort. He was even wounded during the Midway battle. Made as Britain was being pounded by the Germans and the Americans were gearing up to enter the war, HGWWMV was a heartfelt shot in the arm and can easily be seen as a celebration of the British way of life and freedom in dark times.

    2 out of 5 stars Which valley was this?.......2007-08-01

    How Green Was My Valley has rightly become a modern classic, much too good for merely studying at school. So it was with some considerable anticipation that I sat down to enjoy this DVD. Yet I had to wonder which valley they are talking about. Having some familiarity with the South Wales coalpits area, I could not believe how unlike Wales the setting is. Just shoving a feeble impression of a coal mine on a hill gives no indications of what Wales is like. Nor does a group of guys bursting into song every five minutes.

    If the setting is hopeless, the attempts at Welsh accents are worse. We have an intriguing mixture of mainly Irish, sometimes American dialects. The adaptation is hopeless; just picking odd scenes from the book with no continuity results in a disjointed and hesitant screenplay with no flow at all. I love old films but this one is as bad as it gets. Did it really beat Citizen Kane to those Oscars? I give it 2 stars to compensate for Roddy McDowall's excellent performance. The rest of the cast, including the very American looking and sounding Miss O'Hara, you could give away with a lucky bag.

    5 out of 5 stars One of the Great Films of the 40's.......2007-07-30

    Released in 1941, based on the popular novel by Richard Llewellyn, the legendary director, John Ford, known more for his innovative Western films, brought a little 19th century Welsh town to life during a time of harsh transition from an idyllic rural setting to the callous reality of the sudden onslaught of the Industrial Revolution. This may be the historic backdrop to this story, but it more concerns the memory of a man sentimentally harking back to his family of hard working coal miners and those basic values of love, family loyalty and the at times cruelty of life in general. The tale is told by the protagonist, Huw Morgan (Roddy McDowall), though is narrated by an adult voice, which unfortunately, the credits of the film have left anonymous. That said, there is something extraordinary about this story and I believe it is the notion of a close-knit family, sticking together, no matter what may be thrown their way.

    Roddy McDowall was an exceptional child actor. The utter sensitivity and innocence in his expressions reveal a boy of truly great talent.

    One of the most memorable scenes is Huw's first day at school. The teacher played with authentic sadism, Mr. Jonas (Morton Lowry) brought back images of my early school days: bully students and bully teachers. Little Huw is humiliated in front of the class because of his lowly status in the community. During recess, the boy's bully him further leading to a fight on the playground. Huw is of course blamed and given a sadistic whipping with a yard stick with relish from Mr. Jonas. The boy staggers home and father and his brother's discover the truth and pay a visit to the school. After this encounter, it is possible that Mr. Jonas will think twice about cruelly hurting a "Morgan" boy or any other child for that matter.

    The dialogue in this 40's film is also superb, for example, Walter Pidgeon as Mr.Gruffydd, when poor Hue is laid up sick:

    "You've been lucky, Huw. Lucky to suffer and lucky to spend these weary months in bed. For so God has given you a chance to make the spirit within yourself. And as your father cleans his lamp to have good light, so keep clean your spirit... By prayer, Huw. And by prayer, I don't mean shouting, mumbling, and wallowing like a hog in religious sentiment. Prayer is only another name for good, clean, direct thinking. When you pray, think. Think well what you're saying. Make your thoughts into things that are solid. In that way, your prayer will have strength, and that strength will become a part of you, body, mind, and spirit."

    One of the most memorable passages of the film.

    How Green Was My Valley gave us a glimpse into this Welsh community and the trials and basic day to day hardships of the period with realism, pathos and a pinch of lament... and that so-called simplicity in our modern era could well be lost.

    This is one of my all time favourite films and a film to be watched when the time feels appropriate to look back to the past and imagine its simplicity; an illusion perhaps, but a grand one at that...










    5 out of 5 stars Movie DVD.......2007-07-21

    Item arrived in excellent condition. I have seen this classic movie many times, but have not taken the time to watch my newly purchased DVD.

    5 out of 5 stars How Green Was My Valley.......2007-06-22

    A touching, tenderly acted family saga based on the novel by Richard Llewellyn, Ford's "Valley" was a sensation in 1941, beating out "Citizen Kane" for the Best Picture Oscar. Championed by producer Darryl F. Zanuck, who worked closely with Ford, and majestically photographed, the film offers a poignant look at the fading of small-town pastoral life as it gives way to the forces of modernization. As the stern, principled patriarch who refuses to join the union, Oscar winner Crisp is solid as granite ore. Walter Pidgeon also stands out playing a minister who takes young Huw under his wing. One of Ford's fondest valentines to family, worker dignity, and the innocence of an earlier era.

    DVD:

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    4. King of New York (Special Edition)
    5. Kiss the Girls
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