Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Top Billed Actors: Ronald Colman, Greer Garson, Philip Dorn
Won 0 Oscars
Nominated for 7 more:
Outstanding Motion Picture - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Best Director - Mervyn LeRoy
Best Actor - Ronald Colman
Best Supporting Actress - Susan Peters
Best Screenplay - George Froeschel, Claudine West, and Arthur Wimperis
Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture - Herbert Stothart
Best Art Direction - Interior Decoration, Black-and-White - Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Randall Duell; Interior Decoration: Edwin B. Willis and Jack D. Moore
Plot: A shell-shocked and amnesiac WWI officer wanders into a beautiful woman's arms only to be jarred back into his old life with only a key to remember his lost years.
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Top Billed Actors: Ronald Colman, Greer Garson, Philip Dorn
Won 0 Oscars
Nominated for 7 more:
Outstanding Motion Picture - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Best Director - Mervyn LeRoy
Best Actor - Ronald Colman
Best Supporting Actress - Susan Peters
Best Screenplay - George Froeschel, Claudine West, and Arthur Wimperis
Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture - Herbert Stothart
Best Art Direction - Interior Decoration, Black-and-White - Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Randall Duell; Interior Decoration: Edwin B. Willis and Jack D. Moore
Plot: A shell-shocked and amnesiac WWI officer wanders into a beautiful woman's arms only to be jarred back into his old life with only a key to remember his lost years.
We close out the 15th Award nominees with yet another M-G-M film starring Greer Garson, Random Harvest (1942). The leading lady is not where the similarities with the Best Picture winning film, Mrs. Miniver (1942), cease. The same team of screenwriters adapted another contemporary novel. In fact, both screenplays were nominated in the Best Screenplay category but Miniver took the Oscar. Miniver ended up beating Random Harvest in four of the seven categories that Harvest was nominated for. But Harvest was the film that broke record for consecutive weeks played at Radio City Music Hall, which surpassed the run made by Miniver. It's impossible to neglect comparing these two films but this was Garson's favorite film; she ended up winning her only Oscar for her role in Miniver rather than this movie.
If there was one Academy Award I would put this film over the incredible Mrs. Miniver, it would be the screenplay. Yes, it's the same people who wrote both scripts but I am amazed at how this novel was adapted. In the novel, it is not readily apparent that Paula/Margaret is the same woman. The novel is also nonlinear as Smithy's/Charles' memory fades in and out. Here, the mystery at who Charles' receptionist is is kept at a minimum but the revelation is no less impactful. I was in tears the minute Garson entered the office. I also appreciated the fact that a "shell-shocked" protagonist was featured so prominently from a World War I story released during World War II. I understand that there was a stigma against soldiers returning home with mental issues and this had to be a timely film to remind people that war changes a man, no matter who "manly" or "strong" someone is. With all this said, the credibility of this farfetched story begins and ends with the two wonderful performances by Garson and Ronald Colman. Colman may have been a bit too old for the part, especially when he is romantically involved with a woman three decades his junior, but he plays essentially two characters and is charming as both. Garson shows us why she was the hottest actor in Hollywood during this time as she nails every emotional beat while also singing and dancing in a fun musical number. I'm not sure whether I like her more in this than Mrs. Miniver but she is a treasure through and through.
One of the only complaints I have, and it may not even be legitimate, is that the art direction didn't transport me to the time period, that being 1918-1930s. Aside from a really old-fashioned telephone, I couldn't quite place the time period this was set in if all the World War I events weren't happening. I chalk it up to having to build these towns on sets, but I also wish the costumes were more of that time as well. I also took issue with the reverse grooming. Having a fifteen-year-old step-niece marking her step-uncle for marriage just made me feel uncomfortable and made me view Colman's character differently; aside from his going along with this romantic proposal, Smithy/Charles is simply a peach and I loved seeing the arc of his memory.
Overall, an intriguing adaptation that sets this apart from the source novel is marvelously supported by two lead performances by Greer Garson and Ronald Colman. This is a romantic epic that will tug at your heartstrings throughout.
My Score: 8/10
If there was one Academy Award I would put this film over the incredible Mrs. Miniver, it would be the screenplay. Yes, it's the same people who wrote both scripts but I am amazed at how this novel was adapted. In the novel, it is not readily apparent that Paula/Margaret is the same woman. The novel is also nonlinear as Smithy's/Charles' memory fades in and out. Here, the mystery at who Charles' receptionist is is kept at a minimum but the revelation is no less impactful. I was in tears the minute Garson entered the office. I also appreciated the fact that a "shell-shocked" protagonist was featured so prominently from a World War I story released during World War II. I understand that there was a stigma against soldiers returning home with mental issues and this had to be a timely film to remind people that war changes a man, no matter who "manly" or "strong" someone is. With all this said, the credibility of this farfetched story begins and ends with the two wonderful performances by Garson and Ronald Colman. Colman may have been a bit too old for the part, especially when he is romantically involved with a woman three decades his junior, but he plays essentially two characters and is charming as both. Garson shows us why she was the hottest actor in Hollywood during this time as she nails every emotional beat while also singing and dancing in a fun musical number. I'm not sure whether I like her more in this than Mrs. Miniver but she is a treasure through and through.
One of the only complaints I have, and it may not even be legitimate, is that the art direction didn't transport me to the time period, that being 1918-1930s. Aside from a really old-fashioned telephone, I couldn't quite place the time period this was set in if all the World War I events weren't happening. I chalk it up to having to build these towns on sets, but I also wish the costumes were more of that time as well. I also took issue with the reverse grooming. Having a fifteen-year-old step-niece marking her step-uncle for marriage just made me feel uncomfortable and made me view Colman's character differently; aside from his going along with this romantic proposal, Smithy/Charles is simply a peach and I loved seeing the arc of his memory.
Overall, an intriguing adaptation that sets this apart from the source novel is marvelously supported by two lead performances by Greer Garson and Ronald Colman. This is a romantic epic that will tug at your heartstrings throughout.
My Score: 8/10