Those were the words the great Bosley Crowther used to describe the film and he has never been more accurate. Filmed from a script by Mr. David O. Selznick himself it cannot hold a candle to either Mrs. Miniver or The Best Years of Our Lives. Since Selznick was the producer as well it must have been a little difficult to edit out some of the parts that are totally superfluous. Also, several of the parts were horribly miscast. What worked for Shirley Temple when she was 5 are no longer quite so cute at 15 or so. Robert Walker was as handsome as ever but there is no way in the world that he would have caught the eye of Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten was more than pitiable. OTOH, Claudette Colbert was magnificent and Monte Wooley was Monty Wooley. This film could have been so much better if Selznick had hired a screenwriter and maybe a director who could stand up to him. Well worth seeing just for the WWII ambience and Ms. Colbert's performance.
Review of Since You Went Away
