The Enchanted Cottage

This was a nice, short fairy tale-type romance with truly nice people in the leads: Robert Young and Dorothy McGuire. One of the best features of this film, to me, was listening to McGuire's soft, sweet feminine voice. It certainly went with the nice, compassionate character she played in this movie ("Laura Pennington").

Robert Young, as "Oliver Bradford," also is very good in here and Herbert Marshall is outstanding as the blind neighbor, "Major John Hillgrove." The annoying character was played by Spring Byington but her "Violet Price" role was small.

This is the story of a plain woman and a battle-scarred World War II pilot who meet at this cottage, fall in love, see each other as beautiful thinking that some mystical power at the cottage and transformed their faces, but in the end find out they haven't changed at all. They find out that love changed they way they looked at each other. Sounds corny, but a lot of profound truth to it.

I read one famous critic write that this film could have been better. Well, I don't doubt it, but you could say that about most movies. I have no complaints with it. I do have a question: it's listed at 91 minutes but my tape only plays for 79. Did I have 12 minutes cut out of the story on my VHS?

This movie moved me the first time I saw it, I was 7 years old. I didn't really understand the plot, but I knew it made me feel so happy inside. Now that 30 have passed, I can see the beauty in this story of love and enchantment. It brings hope to anyone that feels they will never find that special someone. For those of us that have found that special someone, then when you watch this movie, you can be reminded that though there are trying times in every relationship, you can always find that one thing that made you fall in love to begin with.

The Enchanted Cottage is about two emotionally wounded people who find themselves and find love in the cottage where the man was supposed to honeymoon with his intended bride and the woman worked as a maid to the lady who owned the place.

Robert Young who is a Boston Brahmin has plans to marry the beautiful Hillary Brooke and they've got a beautiful seaside cottage owned by Mildred Natwick in which to honeymoon. They're about to close the deal when it's announced that Pearl Harbor has been attacked. Like so many others the war puts a hold on personal plans and Young goes off to enlist.

But Young comes back from the war facially disfigured, no longer the charming and self assured to the manor born type he was before. He takes the cottage not for a honeymoon, but for solitude as he wants to shut the world out.

Dorothy McGuire plays the rather plain Jane maid who Natwick employs and who crushes out big time on Young at first sight. He doesn't notice her back then, but he notices her now and the two when they start to open up and communicate discover love. Is it them or is it the cottage they're in who some say does cast an enchantment over folks.

The Enchanted Cottage is a Madame X style weepy woman's picture made enjoyable by the sincere performances of its stars. McGuire is truly touching why she did not get an Oscar nomination is really ridiculous. The film did get one nomination for Best Musical Scoring.

On hand also is Herbert Marshall as a blind veteran from the first World War who is a pianist. Marshall was in fact a wounded veteran, he lost a leg in combat there and understood his character very well. He guides the younger generation to some self realization. Spring Byington plays Young's mother and her usual flighty character takes on a bit of an edge to it as she can't see what kind of angst Young is going through.

The Enchanted Cottage holds up very well for today's audiences, it could probably be remade with very few changes made and then only to place and time because the message about love is timeless.

"The Enchanted Cottage" appeared during a decade marked by World War II, the advent of the rough reality of film noir, the increased use of Technicolor to enhance box office appeal and the decline of the film studios accompanied by the rise of television. In this period of great change appeared some of the most endearing black and white romantic fantasies ever produced by Hollywood. Why? Perhaps these films were meant to take us back to a better place, where decency, honor, love and sincerity influenced our behavior much more profoundly than they do today.

During the 1940s, we were enthralled by the beauty of such classic romantic fantasies as "Random Harvest", "Ghost and Mrs. Muir," "Tomorrow is Forever," "Here Comes Mr. Jordan," "Sentimental Journey," and "The Enchanted Cottage." Was it coincidence that during a time of such instability and stress, many of us sought out the almost magical effect of these stories of hope and redemption? Occasionally a small later film-----like "Marty"-----would explore themes somewhat similar to those posed in "The Enchanted Cottage" about how beauty is in the eye of the beholder-----and that possessing a good character and a sensitive soul were much more valuable than the attractive looks that often produce superficial and transitory relationships between people.

"The Enchanted Cottage" seems to cast a spell upon its viewers-----as many of these postings reveal. Apparently its story of the purity of true love is timeless.

And to the poster who ventured the opinion that "The Enchanted Cottage" surpassed "Random Harvest" as a romantic fantasy, let me venture a gentle disagreement. In any event, seek out all of these great films of the 1940s and be transported to a time when being sentimental was not a sin and believing in the power of romance was not an embarrassment.

My wife and I had seen this wonderful,hopeful romantic film, long ago.When we retired to the Ocean Shore, we built our dream cottage. All who visit have remarked on the feeling they get when they enter our home. We christened it The Enchanted Cottage and had that name carved across our mantle.We love to tell the story behind the name and even have a copy of the Movie to share with others as the video is no longer available.Our friends are charmed by the premise, and share our feeling about this absolute gem of a movie.