Tuchergson Truly the worst movie I've ever seen in a theater

XoWizIama Excellent adaptation.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Robert J. Maxwell During the war, there were a multitude of combat pictures. This one is about the good folk back home. They also serve, even if they're just standing and waiting.Joseph Cotton is a disturbed army sergeant on leave after suffering an episode of what was then called combat fatigue, following his being bayoneted in the Pacific. Ginger Rogers is also troubled. The prison has released her for eight days for good behavior because it's Christmas and because she's shown good behavior. The two meet on the train and the reticent, depressed Cotton finds himself drawn to Rogers. When she tells him she's getting off to visit her aunt at Pine Valley or Arcadia or Smallville or The Land of Cockaigne or whatever it is, he lies and says he's visiting relatives there. Actually, having no relatives, he holes up in a cheap hotel.She invites him over for dinner and you should see Rogers' family. Tom Tully, the paterfamilias, returns home from work, all smiles and benignity. His chattering young daughter, Shirly Temple, kisses him, helps him off with his overcoat and hangs it up. Tully straightens his tie before dinner because everyone dresses properly. He says a solemn grace. The ritual combines fleshly pleasure with spirituality. He doesn't drink although he reminisces about a bottle of cognac ("coney-ack") and chuckles over the night Ma "got going" on a glass of sherry. Nobody drinks.Mom, Spring Byington, is equally cheerful and compassionate. She's always baking cakes and setting out plates. She proudly presents a flaming plum pudding at dinner, after which Tully leads the diners in a Christmas carol, waving the fork. Shirley Temple is often apologizing for gawking at the ribbons on Cotton's uniform and asking personal questions. They live in an elm-shaded, two-story house on Serenity Drive. You have never SEEN such disgusting normality.It takes almost half the running time before Rogers fills in her back story during a meaningful conversation with the naive Temple. Rogers parents had both died and she was alone, working as a secretary. One day her boss invited her to a party at his apartment. ("He was single, and bosses DO marry their secretaries.") Unfortunately, this guy was a real cad. There were no other guests and the boss was drunk. She fought off his assaults and he accidentally fell out of a window on the fourteenth floor. Temple weeps and throws herself into Rogers' arms.Ten minutes later, Cotton, tells Rogers why HE has been acting, well, erratically. He was raised in an orphanage to start with. "it wasn't like being in prison or anything," he says, and she winces, because she hasn't filled him in yet. Cotton learns the truth accidentally from the garrulous Temple, and there is one more speed bump for the romance to get over before Cotton draws Rogers into his arms and smothers her with hot kisses and promises of paradise.I've kind of made fun of the movie because it's so cornball and, honestly, the story of the disturbed veteran's return home was done to perfection two years later in "The Best Years of Our Lives." It has its virtues. There is an effective scene of Cotton having an anxiety attack in his room, and I know all too well what they're about. And PTSD was to wreck Audie Murphy's life. It's impossible to underestimate the impact of movies like this on the war-time audience. It promotes the fantasy that once the war is finished, everything will be just as normal as Rogers' family.The sentimental theme song, "I'll Be Seeing You", which may owe something to Mahler, was written in 1933 and, being so apt for the period of war when so many men, American and British, were away and their lives were in jeopardy, became a big hit. Bing Crosby, among innumerable others, recorded it but probably the most popular was Vera Lynn's version. Of course it's all a dream but where would humankind be without its myths? They provide us with sustenance during trials.

wes-connors On a train filled with holiday travelers, beautiful Ginger Rogers (as Mary Marshall) reads "Chic" magazine as soldiers fill the empty seats beside her. Quiet, seemingly preoccupied Joseph Cotten (as Zachary Morgan) strikes up a conversation with Ms. Rogers, who assumes Mr. Cotten is on furlough. Rogers explains she's a "traveling saleslady" on Christmas vacation. She is on her way to "Pine Hill" where her aunt Spring Byington (as Sarah) and uncle Tom Tully (as Herbert) await. Cotten claims he's visiting his sister in the same town. Both Rogers and Cotten are covering secrets with lies...Cotton checks into the local Y.M.C.A. while Rogers rooms with typical seventeen-year old Shirley Temple (as Barbara)...It's repeatedly reported Ms. Temple had trouble with a pivotal scene near the end, when she tells Rogers a revelation was blurted out accidentally; credit director George Cukor for stepping in to re-shoot, and Temple for making it more believable. This is a top-quality production by Dore Schary for David O. Selznick. Writer/adapter Marion Parsonnet and co-star Cotten were never favorites with "Oscar" or other award-giving organizations, or they might have been nominated for "Screenplay" and "Best Actor" awards; both jump the gun with an uncommon look at war wounds, before the contemporary war (WW II) was over.******** I'll Be Seeing You (12/44) William Dieterle ~ Ginger Rogers, Joseph Cotten, Shirley Temple, Spring Byington

MartinHafer It's funny, but despite having seen and reviewed a bazillion different movies, I'd never heard of this film until I saw it on Netflix recently. Since I really liked Joseph Cotten (a highly underrated actor, if you ask me), I thought I'd give it a try--and I am glad I did, as it's a dandy old film--full of sentiment and romance.The film begins with Cotten meeting Ginger Rogers on a train. She is going to visit her Aunt and Uncle for the Christmas holiday, though he does not know that she's on furlough from prison. He is also on leave--from a military psychiatric hospital where he's recuperating from a serious injury as well as post-traumatic stress disorder. Considering he served on Guadalcanal (one of the longest and most horrible battles of the war), it's perfectly understandable that he is a bit of a mess. What is surprising, though, is that the movie even addresses this. Very, very few films made during or even soon after the war talked about the psychological effects of war. This one dared to talk about the psychiatric cases resulting from such horrors.Partly because she is ashamed and partly because she doesn't want Cotten to be further burdened after she learns of his struggle, Rogers keeps her incarceration a secret to him. It's funny, because when you learn about why she was jailed, it seems that nowadays she'd never have served a day in prison as she accidentally killed a man who was trying to rape her!! I think the problem was that she couldn't prove it and juries were less likely to believe that rapes occurred back then. Regardless, she says nothing and they spend many lovely moments together during both their vacations. He, in particular, likes being able to hang out with her family, as he has none of his own.There's much more to the film than this, but it gets very high marks not only for its willingness to talk about combat fatigue but because it is highly romantic and sweet. It's a great sentimental film that doesn't manage to get gooey or sickly sweet--just nice and a decent film for the holidays. Watch this hidden little gem.

howardmorley The other users have described the plot so no further comment is necessary therefore I will restrict myself to the acting and character portrayals.This film was produced in the same year that "Since You Went Away" was released by Selznick and contains two actors in that film, Shirley Temple and Joseph Cotton.It certainly did not have the same budget or production values as the aforesaid film, so I could only award it 6/10 as it is a rather straightforward "romcom".Todays liberal 2009 UK/(US?) courts would probably have given Ginger Rogers' character Mary an absolute discharge where she had no previous convictions and where the prosecution and defence teams agree that no useful purpose would be served to society giving the accused defendant a custodial sentence.However in 1944 the justice system was more severe and literal.To show Ginger Rogers could do straight dramatic roles look no further than "Kitty Foyle" (1940) for which she won her best actress "Oscar".Ginger was 33 when she acted this role so was a little mature but William Dieterle gave her soft focus lens close-ups and a youthful dress to take a few years off her age.This was the first time I had seen this film which is surprising as I thought I knew most popular 1940s films, it certainly has not been seen on UK TV network stations to my knowledge.After having seen Hitchcock's acclaimed "Shadow of a Doubt" (1943),I was preparing myself for Joseph Cotton to perform another "Uncle Charlie" role especially as he appeared to have suffered psychiatric medical problems.However this suspicion was allayed early on and "Zach" became more normal as the film progressed.One thing puzzled me. How did Zach know which prison to wait for Mary and when she would be returning there especially as she and her relatives had not given him its address.The ending was rather sappy but presumably done to cheer up war time audiences.Also I do wish directors would insist on actors carrying a full suitcase as an empty one is obvious when someone attempts to pick it up, i.e. Mary's initial arrival at her Aunt & Uncle's house.This fault in leaving home scenes still persists in todays soaps/films, despite cinema verite.