For starters, 'Since You Went Away' (SYWA) went on too long. The editing job left a lot to be desired. With nearly three hours long, including a brief intermission, SYWA had many slow moments which is typical of films that are too lengthy. Jennifer Jones was completely miscast, just coming off her Oscar win the year before for 'The Song of Bernadette'. Jones was simply too old for the role she played. Her chemistry with Claudette Colbert who played the role of her mother was weak. Her husband, David O. Selznick, was responsible for her being cast, a bad choice on his part. It was obvious that these two stars were trying to outdo each other, though ultimately, it was Colbert's film. Shirley Temple, Monty Wooley, Joseph Cotton, Robert Walker and the wonderful Hattie McDaniel round out the supporting players, who, as a group, were better than the two leads.
SYWA was well intentioned. It dealt with the ups and downs of an American family whose patriarch was serving in the military during WWII. It mirrored the plight of many such families in 1944, when the picture was made. The writing was mediocre, the acting passable, but overall, SYWA should have been shorter and should have given a stronger account of a family facing this dilemma. It tugs at the heart strings for sure, but that's not enough to make this movie what could've and should've been an outstanding one.
SYWA was well intentioned. It dealt with the ups and downs of an American family whose patriarch was serving in the military during WWII. It mirrored the plight of many such families in 1944, when the picture was made. The writing was mediocre, the acting passable, but overall, SYWA should have been shorter and should have given a stronger account of a family facing this dilemma. It tugs at the heart strings for sure, but that's not enough to make this movie what could've and should've been an outstanding one.