
Life is hard in a Welsh mining town and no less so for the Morgan family. Seen through the eyes of the family's youngest, Huw, we learn of the family's trials and tribulations. Family patriarch Gwilym and his older sons work in the mines, dangerous and unhealthy as it is. Gwilym has greater hopes for his youngest son, but Huw has his own ideas on how to honor his father. Daughter Angharad is the most beautiful girl in the valley and is very much in love with Mr. Gruffydd, who... (Full plot summary below)
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Life is hard in a Welsh mining town and no less so for the Morgan family. Seen through the eyes of the family's youngest, Huw, we learn of the family's trials and tribulations. Family patriarch Gwilym and his older sons work in the mines, dangerous and unhealthy as it is. Gwilym has greater hopes for his youngest son, but Huw has his own ideas on how to honor his father. Daughter Angharad is the most beautiful girl in the valley and is very much in love with Mr. Gruffydd, who isn't sure he can provide her the life she deserves. Times are hard and good men find themselves out of work and exploited by unseen mine owners.
Leave your thoughts about How Green Was My Valley.
| Time OutTom MilneAn elegant and eloquent film, nevertheless, even if the characteristically laconic Fordian poetry seems more contrived here. |
| LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenHow Green Was My Valley thrums with an indomitable confidence in a better day, one that’s rooted in the memory that life in this valley – before the mine hollowed things out – was once very good. |
| The New York TimesBosley CrowtherDarryl Zanuck, John Ford and their associates at Twentieth Century-Fox have fashioned a motion picture of great poetic charm and dignity, a picture rich in visual fabrication and in the vigor of its imagery, and one which may truly be regarded as an outstanding film of the year. |
| Chicago ReaderDon DrukerAs in all the best Fordian cinema, though everything changes and most things die or disappear, what remains in memory and in spirit triumphs—and what on the surface is a tender and sad film becomes instead joyous and robust. |
| USA TodayMike ClarkThe dialogue follows the quaint Welsh dialect of the book and the picture is as faithful a transcription of novel to screen as it is possible for a scenarist and director to achieve. The screen play, by Philip Dunne, retains all the honest vigor and tender charm of the book. |
| New York Daily NewsKate CameronOne of the outstanding film productions of the year. |
| NerdistWitney SeiboldThere are a lot of rich characters and good instances of moral outrage. It may not be better than Citizen Kane, but it's still a pretty damn good movie. |
| Common Sense MediaAndrea BeachSentimental classic still tugs at the heartstrings. |
| Orlando SentinelCrosby DayWinning Best Film at that year's Oscars, this John Huston film typically epic with a faithful screenplay to Richard Llewellyn's famous novel. Strong performances from Crisp and O'Hara although McDowall as the young lead, gives a particularly memorable performance while the setting shows Wales at its most beautiful. |
| Cinema SightWesley LovellLife in the working class generally determines where your life will lead. A young boy with the chance to break out realizes where his future is supposed to be. |