How Green Was My Valley (1941) - January 15,2013

[Akijama]

How Green Was My Valley Blu-ray

How Green Was My Valley (1941) is one of John Ford's masterpieces of sentimental human drama. It is the melodramatic and nostalgic story, adapted by screenwriter Philip Dunne from Richard Llewellyn's best-selling novel, of a close-knit, hard-working Welsh coal-mining family (the Morgans) at the turn of the century as a socio-economic way of life passes and the home-family unit disintegrates. Episodic incidents in everyday life convey the changes, trials, setbacks, and joys of the hard-bitten community as it faces growing unemployment, distressing work conditions, unrest, unionization and labor-capital disputes, and personal tragedy. Domestic life, romance, harsh treatment at school, the departure of two Morgan boys to find their fortune in America, unrequited love between the local preacher (Walter Pidgeon) and the only Morgan daughter (beautiful 19 year old Irish actress Maureen O'Hara), and other events are portrayed within the warm, human story.

The film was nominated for a total of ten awards and walked away with five Oscars: Best Picture (Darryl F. Zanuck for 20th Century Fox), Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Donald Crisp), Best Cinematography (Arthur Miller), and Best Art Direction. Its other nominations were for Best Supporting Actress (Sara Allgood), Best Screenplay (Philip Dunne), Best Editing, Best Score and Best Sound. The most controversial aspect of its Best Picture/Director win was that it defeated two of the greatest pictures ever made: Orson Welles' Citizen Kane (1941) and John Huston's The Maltese Falcon (1941).

Trailer

[Akijama]

Cover art

[Duke_45]

wow, and I just watched this film last weekend. What an emotionally draining masterpiece this is. Can't wait to see it in high def. Here's hoping 20th Century Fox does a top notch transfer job.

[NoirFan]

What's with the color(ized) cover?

[TJS_Blu]

Originally Posted by NoirFan

What's with the color(ized) cover?

New series, so no history, but Grapes of Wrath & The Day the Earth Stood Still are both color covers. Could be that Fox has decided that colorized covers are the way to go.

[Deciazulado]

How Green Was My Valley Blu-ray

[Cinemach]

I don't mind the colorized covers, actually I kinda like them. Just keep those damn crayolas from the film itself.

[blurayisnice]

This is one of Clint Eastwood's favorite movies.

This is a beautiful movie! I am not a fan of "classic" movies, but this has to be one of the greatest movies I ever saw, simply because it's a movie that explores whole ranges of emotions, love, anger, forgiveness, dispair, and more without the need for scantily clad woman, or gazillion dollars in special effects.

[Akijama]

Audio specs:

English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English Dolby Digital 1.0
Spanish Dolby Digital 1.0
French DTS 5.1

Extras:

Audio Commentary by Actor Anna Lee Nathan and Film Historian Joseph McBride, Author of Searching for John Ford
Hollywood Backstories: How Green Was My Valley
Original Theatrical Trailer

[TJS_Blu]

^^same extras as the DVD.

[NoirFan]

Originally Posted by TJS_Blu

^^same extras as the DVD.

At least they ported them over.

[rafaelsalguero]

Here the backcover:

[RBBrittain]

Originally Posted by rafaelsalguero

Here the backcover:

[Show spoiler]

What, they couldn't use "See the film that beat 'Citizen Kane' for Best Picture"???

[bluknight1]

Originally Posted by Akijama

Audio specs:

English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English Dolby Digital 1.0
Spanish Dolby Digital 1.0
French DTS 5.1

Extras:

Audio Commentary by Actor Anna Lee Nathan and Film Historian Joseph McBride, Author of Searching for John Ford
Hollywood Backstories: How Green Was My Valley
Original Theatrical Trailer

*Sigh*
Once again, the original mono track is only in lossy DD 1.0. EVEN when there is PLENTY of space for a lossless track. It's probably just a direct port from the DVD. The surround mix will be excellent for the score. However, on the DVD the dialogue in the remix suffered from crackles and sibillance that did not appear in the mono mix. This is a disappointment for me, but I will still buy. Hopefully today's restoration equipment will have attenuated the problems in both mixes.

[rafaelsalguero]

Amazing Review !!! 5 stars to Video Transfer

[Philly Q]

Undoubtedly a good film, but I have to say it's very hard to suspend disbelief if you are actually from South Wales....

[Duke_45]

I prefer this film over Citizen Kane, so I think the academy voters got it right...

[Nakatomi McCallister]

Originally Posted by Philly Q

Undoubtedly a good film, but I have to say it's very hard to suspend disbelief if you are actually from South Wales....

Yea, my hometown just up the road from where this is supposed to be set. The Valleys have changed alot in the last 70 years. 2 Americans I met in uni thought it was like a grassy Detroit inbetween mountains, I guess because we are now post-industrial and have high unemployment.
Ive never watched it all the way though, Ill have to 1 day.

[Arkadin]

Originally Posted by rafaelsalguero

Amazing Review !!! 5 stars to Video Transfer

4 stars for PQ.
still it sounds like Fox did go the extra mile for this title, which I don't think they did for Gentlemen's Agreement or some of the other titles on the two Foxconnect 4 disc volumes.
the clarity of those bds left me thinking they were most likely based on the dvd masters.
very glad they at least put some time and $$ into this classic release.