Themes: Women During Wartime, Life on the Homefront, Mothers and Daughters
Main Cast: Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Shirley Temple, Agnes Moorehead, Monty Woolley
Release Year: 1944
Country: US
Run Time: 172 minutes
Plot
David O. Selznick's first production since 1940's Rebecca, Since You Went Away, based on Margaret Buell Wilder's bestselling novel, is a long but rewarding paean to the World War 2 "home front". Claudette Colbert plays the wife of a businessman who, though well past draft age, volunteered to serve his country as an officer (though the husband is never seen, he is "played"-via a photograph-by Neil Hamilton). Fighting back her own fears and anxieties, Colbert does her best to maintain a normal, stable household for the sake of her growing daughters Jennifer Jones and Shirley Temple. She is offered moral support by cynical-but-kindly boarder Monty Woolley, by maid Hattie McDaniel (who willing foregoes her salary "for the duration") and by Navy man and friend-of-the-family Joseph Cotten, whose relationship with Claudette remains staunchly platonic. The harsh realities of war hit home several times throughout the film, first when it seems as though Colbert's husband is missing in action, and later when Jennifer's young boyfriend, GI Robert Walker, is killed in combat. From the vantage point of the 1990s, it is easy to see why Since You Went Away scored with its wartime audiences. Though the leading characters are slightly more financially secure than most of the moviegoers of 1944, the various vignettes presented throughout-complaints about rationing and priorities, shoulder-to-shoulder sacrifices, the weekly escape to the local movie house, tender partings, joyous reunions, the returning wounded, the dreaded wire from the war department-all had the ring of truth and topicality. Even today, the film's emotional highlights, particularly the much-imitated farewell scene at the railroad station, are sufficient to bring tears to the eyes of the most jaded viewer. Enhancing the film's heartstring tugging tenfold is Max Steiner's Oscar-winning musical score. If you can remain objective while watching Since You Went Away (it isn't easy), see if you can spot Ruth Roman, Guy Madison and John Derek, making their screen debuts in microscopic roles ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Although much of Since You Went Away could be considered soap opera, with moments definitely designed to manipulatively tug at the heartstrings, it's such an engrossing and affecting film that most viewers will forgive it for being calculating. What's surprising is how much power the film still packs, even its most famous (and much parodied) scene in which Jennifer Jones runs after the train carrying her boyfriend away, repeating "I love you, darling" over and over until the train is out of sight. Perhaps because the wartime message hit home with those involved, director John Cromwell and the cast really seem to believe in every moment of the script, even when the dialogue or situation seem somewhat clichéd. Cromwell has done an excellent job of capturing the flavor of the period (not always easy to do when the period a director is trying to capture is the same one in which he is living), as well as making the project seem warm and comforting, even at its most dramatic. He is blessed with a solid cast, especially leading lady Claudette Colbert, who anchors the film with her assured performance. Monty Woolley, Agnes Moorehead, Joseph Cotton and Hattie McDaniel turn in the expected good performances, and Jennifer Jones is surprisingly good, not only in her several "big" scenes but in her quieter moments as well. While it's overlong and suffers a bit from its propagandistic purposes, Since You Went Away still offers a great many rewards. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Charles Walters - Choreography, Elmer Ellsworth - Costume Designer, Lowell J. Farrell - First Assistant Director, John Cromwell - Director, James Newcom - Editor, Hal Kern - Editor, Don de Faure - Editor, Arthur Fellows - Editor, Wayland M. Hendrys - Editor, Louis Forbes - Composer (Music Score), Max Steiner - Composer (Music Score), Robert Stephanoff - Makeup, Mark-Lee Kirk - Production Designer, William L. Pereira - Production Designer, Stanley Cortez - Cinematographer, Jack Cosgrove - Cinematographer, Lee Garmes - Cinematographer, Clarence Silver - Cinematographer, David O. Selznick - Producer, Mark-Lee Kirk - Set Designer, Victor A. Gangelin - Set Designer, Jack Cosgrove - Special Effects, Clarence Slifer - Special Effects, Navy Capt. Charles L. Freeman - Sound/Sound Designer, David O. Selznick - Screenwriter, Margaret Buell Wilder - Book Author
The film tells the story of how a woman copes at home while her husband has gone off to fight in World War II.
The farewell scene between Jones and Walker at the railway station is often cited as a fine example of a Hollywood tearjerker scene. Jones and Walker play young lovers. In real life, they were at the end of a failed marriage and divorced shortly after.
