How Green Was My Valley (1941)

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Philip Dunne (screen play)
Richard Llewellyn (based on the novel by)

Release Date:

9 April 1942 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Family

Tagline:

Rich is their humor! Deep are their passions! Reckless are their lives! Mighty is their story!

Plot:

At the turn of the century in a Welsh mining village, the Morgans (he stern, she gentle) raise coal-mining sons and hope their youngest will find a better life.

Plot Keywords:

Miner | Village | Girl | Wales | Boxing

Awards:

Won 5 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Walter Pidgeon	...	Mr. Gruffydd
Maureen O'Hara	...	Angharad
Anna Lee	...	Bronwyn
Donald Crisp	...	Mr. Morgan
Roddy McDowall	...	Huw
John Loder	...	Ianto
Sara Allgood	...	Mrs. Morgan
Barry Fitzgerald	...	Cyfartha
Patric Knowles	...	Ivor
Welsh Singers	...	Themselves
Morton Lowry	...	Mr. Jonas
Arthur Shields	...	Mr. Parry
Ann E. Todd	...	Ceinwen (as Ann Todd)
Frederick Worlock	...	Dr. Richards
Richard Fraser	...	Davy
Evan S. Evans	...	Gwilym
James Monks	...	Owen
Rhys Williams	...	Dai Bando
Lionel Pape	...	Evans
Ethel Griffies	...	Mrs. Nicholas
Marten Lamont	...	Iestyn Evans
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gertrude Astor	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Stewart Bair	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Frank Baker	...	(uncredited)
Robert Bradford	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Cyril Clare	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Leonard Clare	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Ruth Clifford	...	Village Woman (uncredited)
Phillip Dare	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Edward Davies	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Helen Davies	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Minta Durfee	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Herbert Evans	...	Postman (uncredited)
Mary Field	...	Eve (uncredited)
Pauline Garon	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Mary Gordon	...	Gossiper (uncredited)
Gibson Gowland	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Jack Griffiths	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Ben Hall	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Louis Jean Heydt	...	Miner (uncredited)
Gwilym Isaac	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Ellis James	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Alice A. Jones	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Arvonia Jones	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
David Jones	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Emlyn Jones	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Howell A. Jones	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Joseph T. Jones	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Tiny Jones	...	Mrs. Tossel (uncredited)
Will Lewis	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Eve March	...	Meillyn Lewis (uncredited)
Mae Marsh	...	Miner's Wife (uncredited)
Anne McCullough	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Harry McKim	...	Child (uncredited)
Lydia McKim	...	Child (uncredited)
Peggy McKim	...	Child (uncredited)
Gomer Morgan	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Jack Owen	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Jack Pennick	...	Mine Superintendent (uncredited)
Irving Pichel	...	Huw Morgan as an Adult (voice) (uncredited)
Arthur Pritchard	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
David J. Reed	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Caradac Rees	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Lewis Rees	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Clifford Severn	...	Mervyn (uncredited)
Hugh Thomas	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
John C. Thomas	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Owen Thomas	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Allan Watson	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Jan Williams	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Reese Williams	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Robert Williams	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Tudor Williams	...	Singer (uncredited)

Directed by
John Ford

Writing credits
Philip Dunne		(screen play)
Richard Llewellyn		(based on the novel by)

Produced by
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	producer

Original Music by
Alfred Newman

Cinematography by
Arthur C. Miller		(director of photography) (as Arthur Miller)

Film Editing by
James B. Clark		(film editor)

Art Direction by
Richard Day
Nathan Juran

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little

Costume Design by
Gwen Wakeling		(costumes)

Makeup Department
Guy Pearce	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Gene Bryant	....	unit production manager (uncredited)
William Koenig	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gene Bryant	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Edward O'Fearna	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Wingate Smith	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Walter Cooper	....	stand-by painter (uncredited)
Ben Wurtzel	....	head of construction (uncredited)

Sound Department
Eugene Grossman	....	sound
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)

Special Effects by
Fred Sersen	....	special photographic effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Chesley Bonestell	....	matte artist (uncredited)
W. Percy Day	....	matte painter (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Joseph LaShelle	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Paul Lockwood	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department
Hugo Friedhofer	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Gomer Jones	....	music researcher (uncredited)
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Tudor Williams	....	musical arranger (uncredited)

Other crew
C.C. Hardy	....	stand-in: Donald Crisp (uncredited)
Idwal Jones	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Ray C. Moore	....	location manager (uncredited)
Jack Pennick	....	assistant: John Ford (uncredited)
Rhys Williams	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (presents) (as Twentieth Century-Fox)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1941) (USA) (theatrical) (released through) (as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1947) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Centfox (1950) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Fox Films (1942) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Fox Films (1943) (Finland) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2001) (Brazil) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Epoca (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• FS Film Oy (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Finnkino (1996) (Finland) (VHS)
• TV3 (1990) (Finland) (TV)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1963) (1972) (1997) (Finland) (TV)

Also Known As:

"Richard Llewellyn's How Green Was My Valley" - USA (complete title)

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Welsh

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Sweden:15 | Australia:PG | UK:U | West Germany:12 (f) | USA:Approved (certificate #7480) | Canada:G (video rating) | Brazil:Livre | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The film was shot in black and white because the color of flowers in Southern California did not match those found in Wales.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Roddy McDowall's character comes home after being beaten by his teacher, there is no blood or marks on his back.

Quotes:

Mr. Gruffydd:But remember, with strength goes responsibility - to others and to yourselves. For you cannot conquer injustice with more injustice - only with justice and the help of God.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Radar Secret Service (#6.20)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

Llef

A Family Film In Every Sense Of The Word.

There has been a tendency to downgrade How Green Was My Valley recently because it beat out Citizen Kane for Best Picture of 1941. It turned out to be John Ford's only win in that department. Because Citizen Kane now is lauded as the best film EVER, How Green Was My Valley lost a bit of luster. Yet on its own merits it's a fine film and can be seen again and again without any boredom.

It's like Ford's Liberty Valance in that it shows the progress that the world's first industrial society, 19th century Great Britain as reflected in that Welsh valley, just like the settling of the American West in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. It's the reverse here, the valley is a place people leave, or at least a lot of the good ones. Nearly all the Morgan children and Walter Pidgeon who plays the minister.

1941 and 1942 marked the high point in the career of Walter Pidgeon. He never quite made the top rung of actors at his home studio of MGM. Yet in those two years he happened to star in both the films the Academy designated as Best Picture, this one and Mrs. Miniver in 1942. He's an outsider, arriving full of ideals and then forced to leave to stop gossip about him and Maureen O'Hara.

Maureen O'Hara made her John Ford debut in How Green Was My valley as the lovely and fetching Angharad. She and Pidgeon are in love, but Pidgeon does not want to inflict is life of denial on her. They give each other up and later their relationship is the cause of gossip.

Arthur Shields the lesser known brother of Barry Fitzgerald is the head of the deacons at Pidgeon's church. A narrow, bitter man he's one of a string of religious hypocrite characters that Ford has in his films. Offhand I can think of Willis Bouchey in The Last Hurrah and Grant Withers in Fort Apache. Barry's in this too, playing the comical Cynfartha.

The center of the film is the Morgan family headed by Donald Crisp and Sara Allgood. Playing Morgan patriarch Gwyllym Morgan, Crisp gets the Best Supporting Actor for this wonderful portrayal of strength and dignity. Sara Allgood matches him every step of the way.

Besides Pidgeon and O'Hara, the rest of the film revolves around the generational conflicts between the conservative father and his more broadminded sons who want to get a union started. In 1941 America that was a timely theme as our American Labor movement got its first backing from a friendly government in the New Deal. The labor troubles that the Morgans and the other Welsh coalminers in the valley deal with was a very relevant.

One of the great things about this is that Ford never takes sides here. Donald Crisp is never shown as a reactionary fool for his opposition to unionization. Indeed Ford puts him on a pedestal for sticking to his beliefs.

All this is seen through the eyes of young Hugh Morgan, played by Roddy McDowall in his first major part as a juvenile and narrated in flashback by British actor Irving Pichel as the adult Hugh. McDowell has his own troubles here, he and Sara Allgood fall in a freezing river and both have health problems afterward. McDowell is the first of the Morgans to go to school and he's bullied by both pupils and a snobbish teacher. Young McDowell is taught to box by Rhys Williams to take care of the kids and later Rhys Williams as Dai Bando, an ex-pugilist takes matters in his own hands with the teacher in the films most hilarious scene.

As we move into the post industrial age, the labor themes of How Green Was My Valley seem quaint. But the family travails, and heartaches, and triumphs with that 19th Century Welsh Coalmining family are timeless. This is the real genius of John Ford.