I found this film quite simply too long. Too syrupy, too unsubtle, too American for my taste -- but none of these reactions would have been insuperable if they hadn't been continued at such length. In its quest for a domestic epic, the script basically encompasses far too many strands, each afforded a leisurely treatment more suited to a central plot line; a perfectly adequate movie could have been made out of Jane's story, or Colonel Smollett's story, or Tony's story all on their own. And come to that, a perfectly adequate movie could indeed have been made out of Anne's story as a framing network for all the others -- but it would have had to have been far tauter and more concisely scripted than was the actual result. There's too much talking, too much happening for too little actually conveyed: this is one big-budget production that could profitably take lessons from the tight structure of the 60- and 70-minute B-movies of the period. If it had lost the best part of an hour overall, the pacing of what was left might have held my attention far longer. As it was, I caught myself clock-watching from little more than an hour in.
It is unfair, given the circumstances of its production, to blame "Since You Went Away" for being too American. The amount of tub-thumping on display is nevertheless somewhat alienating for those outside the congratulatory circle; it's not the most uplifting Home Front picture I've seen. To English eyes at least, certain propaganda points might have been more effectively (as well as more concisely) made by implication rather than by driving them home with a sledgehammer...
The same applies to the music. In the past, and especially in the case of silent film accompaniment, I've applauded the use of appropriate themes to underpoint visual references... but here it really struck me as crashingly unsubtle and almost, I'm afraid, amateurish in its unrelenting quotation. Evidently you either love it or you don't: I found the opening montage, so highly praised, particularly irritating.
All this makes it sounds as if I thought this to be a bad film. I don't; it's beautifully photographed, there is some fine acting from a stellar cast, and the basic concept is an intriguing one. (Although I have to say that I saw the final 'twist' coming from about two hours beforehand; and it wasn't half a long wait...) But the movie was never intended for the likes of me, and it makes no bones about it -- I couldn't honestly recommend it to anyone I know. I'd rate it a "6": 'inoffensive film I have no especial desire ever to see again'.
It is unfair, given the circumstances of its production, to blame "Since You Went Away" for being too American. The amount of tub-thumping on display is nevertheless somewhat alienating for those outside the congratulatory circle; it's not the most uplifting Home Front picture I've seen. To English eyes at least, certain propaganda points might have been more effectively (as well as more concisely) made by implication rather than by driving them home with a sledgehammer...
The same applies to the music. In the past, and especially in the case of silent film accompaniment, I've applauded the use of appropriate themes to underpoint visual references... but here it really struck me as crashingly unsubtle and almost, I'm afraid, amateurish in its unrelenting quotation. Evidently you either love it or you don't: I found the opening montage, so highly praised, particularly irritating.
All this makes it sounds as if I thought this to be a bad film. I don't; it's beautifully photographed, there is some fine acting from a stellar cast, and the basic concept is an intriguing one. (Although I have to say that I saw the final 'twist' coming from about two hours beforehand; and it wasn't half a long wait...) But the movie was never intended for the likes of me, and it makes no bones about it -- I couldn't honestly recommend it to anyone I know. I'd rate it a "6": 'inoffensive film I have no especial desire ever to see again'.