GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

JelenaG890 Some films hold up very well, even with time. Examples are Citizen Kane, All about Eve, The Maltese Falcon, Metropolis, Sunset Boulevard, It happened one night, among others. Others, while well-regarded during their release, just don't. "Since You Went Away" is one film that has not aged well at all.For one thing, the doomed "teenage" lovers are way too old for their roles- they were 25 and 31 and both kind of look it. I might be biased, since I have never thought very much of Jennifer Jones as an actress to start with, but I cannot believe she was nominated for this film. During the entire film, all she did was laugh girlishly and bat her eyes- first at Joseph Cotten, and then at Robert Walker, ironically her estranged husband at that time. Jones was decent in "Song of Bernadette" and making this film right after was a huge step backwards for her in my opinion.Robert Walker is a better actor, in my opinion, than Jones, but this role is pretty much thankless and does not showcase any of his talents. In fact, he pretty much looks miserable throughout this film, but I can't say I blame him. If I had to do a movie and kiss my ex-husband, I'd be miserable too.I'm not exactly sure what the point of Joseph Cotten's character was. He just creepily hangs out at their house, clearly lusting after his best friend's wife, while also well-aware of the older daughter's crush on him. I wish they had just left him out of this film- he really added nothing to the story and just came off as a giant leech.Shirley Temple, all grown up here, also does not add much in her role. She also still has the same, whiny baby voice she did at the age of 6. What worked for her as a child definitely did not work for her as she got older.Colbert is kind of the same as she was in any role- dignified, and elegant. But the role of mother does not seem to be one that really suited her.Some of the other performances hold up better. Woolley fares probably the best, and Agnes Moorehead is also great in her supporting role. Unfortunately, Alla Nazimova, one of the greatest silent film actresses and accomplished stage actress, is wasted in a nothing role where she delivers a "rah-rah, yay for the red, white, and blue!" speech.David Selznick certainly knew how to cater to an audience, judging by the massive success that this film was at the time of its release. However, it is just not a film that has held up with time. Instead of feeling patriotic or uplifted when I saw this film, I felt like I had to visit a dentist because of all this film's saccharine message. It is also far too long, but it fits with the "epic" nature of many Selznick films.

weezeralfalfa In my title, I mention the Hilton hotel because Hilton is the name of the family we follow on the domestic front during WW II, and there were quite a few comings and goings of active and retired military personnel involving this family, which consisted of a middle-aged mother(played by Claudette Colbert) and her 2 teen daughters, one(played by Jennifer Jones) near graduation from high school, and the other(played by Shirley Temple) not far behind. Historically, quite a few late teens didn't bother to wait for graduation, preferring to take one of the many job openings available or to enlist. And many of those who did graduate put off going to college at least until the war was over, as exemplified by Jennifer.In part, this is a story of one of many romances that was broken up by dislocation or the death of one of the participants. Robert Walker and Jennifer are the young couple featured herein, Walker being a young corporal who flunked out of West Point, to his grandfather's disappointment(The grandfather is played by Monty Woolley, who has rented a room in the Hilton home). Actually, Jennifer is initially attracted to a navy Lieutenant played by Joseph Cotton, who is probably around 15 years her senior. But Cotton is more interested in gabbing with mother Claudette, whom he has long been attracted to. Hence, Jennifer eventually warms up to Walker, who manages to arrange various dates with her, as detailed. Unfortunately, he is killed in action soon after arriving on a front. I'm sure there were thousands more cases something like this.It's mentioned that a neighbor young man was killed in the nearby crash of a military plane. In fact, 47,000 US military planes were damaged or totaled in domestic mishaps, killing more than 14,000 personnel in the years 1941-45, and who knows how many injured. Shirley Temple's character complains that she doesn't know what she can do toward the war effort. But, she is shown tending a "victory" garden on their property. Governments at various levels encouraged such gardens, and it's estimated that around 20,000,000 such gardens were begun during these years. In aggregate, they were estimated to produce about the same tonnage of vegetables as commercial growers, thus saving much materials used in producing and transporting commercial produce.A major theme of the film is the need to tighten belts during the war, with many breadwinners in the military. Whether having family members in the military harmed or helped with finances depended on the particulars of the family. In the case of the Hiltons, it apparently harmed, thus forcing them to rent out bedrooms and double up in sleeping arrangements, to reduce their maid service, and sell their car(apparently, no one was willing to learn to drive after the father was transferred overseas). A major failing of the assumed purpose of this film is the lack of examples of the many restrictions on consumer spending. For example, gasoline for private use was severely rationed. There was a ban on manufacturing automobiles, building new housing, and selling kitchen appliances, etc.. Also, many people not in the depression money economy filled the jobs in the private sector vacated by inductees and needed to produce war materials. This is exemplified in the film by Claudette learning welding and Jennifer volunteering as a nurse assistant at the local military hospital. The need for temporary housing, especially for military personnel and industrial workers, was often met by taking in roomers and sharing bedrooms, as illustrated in this film.In a film of this length, the screenwriters should have been able to include the important problem of rationing and lack of new replacements which the people involving in taking this film were currently experiencing....The inclusion of wooly Monty Woolley as a room renter in the Hilton household is a significant asset to this film. His unique personality and sense of humor brightened up many a scene. Because of her awkward age, Shirley Temple doesn't have a lot to do, except occasionally cry over bad news from the front, and exhibit some of the teenage activities of the time. Claudette, as always, does her role wonderfully. Ditto for the other principal players. The main problem is that it often drags. It was too long.

dougdoepke A 3-hour movie, even with a lot of action, is a tough go for any production company. There's no action here. But producer Selznick was shrewd enough to cast his epic with a bunch of charming actors. Sure, the storyline gets sticky at times. After all this is the American Home during wartime. Nonetheless, at its best, the cast generates a genuine feeling of family warmth, thanks mainly to Colbert, Jones, and Temple. Jones especially creates a lively and poignant young woman (Jane), who could stand in for the best of that challenged generation.The storyline is about what you'd expect for a Hollywood home front trying to cope with wars far away. There're the tentative romances among the young, the lonely wives waiting anxiously, the rationing and generally crowded conditions. Note though how easily strangers appear to mix under abnormal conditions. There is a sense of coming together because of the common sacrifice. Note too that the movie's one sour case comes from a woman, Emily (Moorehead), who won't give up her social pretensions. In short, she won't lower herself to join the bigger American family. Of course, there's the curmudgeonly colonel (Wooley), who starts off very aloof but gradually comes around. At the same time, some of his softening scenes are among the movie's best. Note too, how the African-American maid Fidelia (Mc Daniel) is included in the Hilton family even though she no longer works as their maid. The overall message here is a strong one, reflecting in idealized fashion the temper of the stressed-out time.I guess my main reservation is with Joe Cotten's role (Tony). He seems to exist only to provide a romantic complication for Anne (Colbert), while her husband is missing overseas. Then again, maybe Tony's meant to illustrate the temptations that exist when loved ones are parted, a common concern of the day. I guess I would have preferred an ending not quite so pat. But that would have brought down the spirit of wartime audiences already worried enough. Anyway, Selznick has managed to handle a tricky subject with just enough taste and charm to make the 3-hours a pleasant, if highly idealized, experience.

kenjha This ambitious drama looks at life on the home front during WWII. Selznick was fond of lavish productions and he spares no expenses here, assembling a huge cast and making a three-hour film with an overture, an intermission, and the whole works. He even wrote the screenplay. The solid cast is headed by Colbert as a woman who's husband has gone off to fight the war, Jones and Temple as her daughters, Walker as a soldier, Woolley as a lodger, and Cotten as a family friend. The supporting cast includes many familiar faces. The cinematography is crisp, the score is lavish, and the direction is competent. It is overlong, but manages to keep from dragging for the most part.