{"id":6340,"date":"2014-01-29T06:42:28","date_gmt":"2014-01-29T12:42:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/commotioninthepews.com\/?p=6340"},"modified":"2014-01-29T08:23:21","modified_gmt":"2014-01-29T14:23:21","slug":"how-green-is-your-valley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commotioninthepews.com\/?p=6340","title":{"rendered":"How Green Is Your Valley."},"content":{"rendered":"

Part of my addiction problem is an obsession with old movies. Film Noir will capture me almost every time. If it\u2019s got dames & gumshoes I\u2019m in for the duration. Turner Movie Classics <\/a>is making this an even worse problem: now I\u2019m doing the classics.<\/p>\n

I recently spent 4 hours watching Gone With The Wind<\/a>. Not my cup of tea based on the people who\u2019d told me all about what a wonderful movie I had been missing. Meh. But I was wrong. Really wrong: it rocked.<\/p>\n

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Now that wasn\u2019t bad enough \u2013 it opened my eyes to the fact that I\u2019d been dismissing a lot of movies based on other\u2019s wimpy fondness for them. Call it blinders, stupidity, gall, or just arrogance. Your choice. I admit freely that my viewing was lacking. <\/p>\n

It should come as no surprise then that my DVR captured How Green Was My Valley <\/a>when it aired recently. The plot didn\u2019t sound all that great on first glance but I gave it a shot.<\/p>\n

Wow. I was blown away by the cast for starters. If a great character actor was missing I can\u2019t name them. All of my favorites from an entire generation of actors were in this film. Roddy McDowell<\/a>, Maureen O\u2019Hara<\/a>, Walter Pidgeon<\/a>\u2026 and all those faces you know but can\u2019t name as the rest of the cast.<\/p>\n

If there was a more beautiful woman on earth during her era Maureen O\u2019Hara didn\u2019t know about it: she exudes sexy charm, fresh faced beauty, and a grace that abounds in every scene. The woman could act to boot. I\u2019ve never seen her in anything where I didn\u2019t want to watch for another two hours. If you want to be transfixed by her beauty and skill, watch The Quiet Man<\/a>. Funny, piercing, serious, and sad all in one movie. <\/p>\n

The movie\u2019s plot is simple: the lives of a family of Welsh coal miners at the turn of the century. The trials and challenges were daunting, but their love and loyalty to each other brought them through it all. The simple story and basic decency of humanity were the focus rather than the despair and depravity that were the opposite side of that coin.<\/p>\n

You will find, if you watch the TCM version of the movie, that the story is just a small part of the novel by Richard Llwellyn<\/a>. I\u2019m going to read it when I get some time next year. (Yes, I have to plan my reading that far in advance. Seems that writing takes up some of the time reading used to in my life.)<\/p>\n

I\u2019d give the movie 5 stars out of 5. Well worth a view and not just for Maureen O\u2019Hara. But then again, she is worth it all by herself. Here’s the trailer just for a taste:<\/a> <\/p>\n