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Post by *~Mrs. Cooper ~* on Oct 2, 2007 19:11:48 GMT -5
As the First World War ends a soldier wanders out of a Midlands asylum. Smithy was found in the trenches having lost his memory and all contact with the past. Amidst the noise of the armistice celebrations he meets a music hall actress. They fall in love, marry, move to a country cottage, and have a son. On a trip alone to Liverpool Smithy is involved in an accident. His original memory returns, but he now remembers nothing at all about his new life.
Ronald Colman... Charles Rainier Greer Garson... Paula Ridgeway Philip Dorn... Dr. Jonathan Benet Susan Peters... Kitty Chilcet Henry Travers... Dr. Sims
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Post by *~Mrs. Cooper ~* on Oct 2, 2007 19:12:05 GMT -5
I adored this movie -- and so did my family. It was so emotional at times; I cried right along with her during every low point in the film. She, as always, was magnificently beautiful, graceful and sophisticated -- I'm always amazed and in awe whenever I see her films. The way she carries herself, how she speaks and the way she hides her inmost deepest emotions under her strong, courageous exterior -- not letting anyone see how pained and vulnerable she really is on the inside. The way she stands strong is incredible.
I think Ronald Coleman was fantastic as well; his relapse of memory was powerful. I love the little facial expressions they gave to one another. And as I've told Theresa, I love the way Greer raises her brow and sorta purses her lips. She's both mysteriously suave yet perfectly sophisticated, charming and kind with a pinch of girl-next-door attitude that just makes you want to be her best friend.
*Sigh* I must watch this again -- and soon! I just adore 'Smithy'...
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Post by CoopFanDan on Oct 3, 2007 2:55:33 GMT -5
I'm glad you and your family finally got a chance to watch what has become one of my all time favorite movies. It has turned me into a Ronald Colman and Greer Garson fan instantly. It is too bad that most of Ronald's and Greer's movies are not shown on tv and are not out on dvd. I have everything I could get from both of them but that still isn't a whole lot compared to my Bette Davis, Cary Grant and Gary Cooper collections.
As I have told Theresa and she also knows the film gets more powerful and emotional with repeated viewings. It is so powerful at this point to me that I have a lot of trouble even getting through the early on scenes.
Most of the time when I watch movies, I always think to myself on how much better it would have been with Gary Cooper in the lead part, but this is one of the exceptions to that as I don't think anyone could have played the part better than Ronald Colman and no one else could have played Greer's part either. It is a perfect movie, perfect chemestry, perfect in every regard that can be mentioned and absolutely flawless in much the same way that I think of many of Gary Cooper's best movies.
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Post by Miss Retro on Oct 19, 2007 16:56:17 GMT -5
Full Synopsis: At the close of World War I, shell-shocked amnesia victim Ronald Colman is sequestered in a London sanitarium; with no identity and no next of kin, he has nowhere else to go. Unable to stand the loneliness, Colman wanders into the streets, then stumbles into a music hall, where he is befriended by good-natured entertainer Greer Garson. That Colman and Garson fall in love and marry should surprise no one; what is surprising, at least to Colman, is that he discovers that he has a talent for writing. Three years pass: while in Liverpool to sell one of his stories, Colman is struck down by a speeding car. When he comes to, he has gained full memory of his true identity; alas, he has completely forgotten both Garson and their child. Returning to his well-to-do relatives, Colman takes over the family business. Having lost her child, the distraught Garson seeks out the missing Colman. Psychiatrist Philip Dorn helps Garson, advising her that to reveal her identity may prove a fatal shock for her husband. To stay near him all the same, Garson takes a job as Colman's secretary. "Strangely" attracted to Garson, Colman falls in love with her all over again. Will there be yet another memory lapse? Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't believe a minute of Random Harvest, but the magic spell woven by the stars and by author James Hilton (Lost Horizon, Goodbye Mr. Chips etc.) transforms the wildly incredible into the wholly credible (just one quibble: isn't Colman a bit long in tooth as a "young" World War I veteran?) The film was one of MGM's biggest hits in 1942--indeed, one of the biggest in the studio's history. [/center]
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