This film has become somewhat of an infamous footnote in cinema history, having the distinction of beating out masterpieces CITIZEN KANE and THE MALTESE FALCON for the best picture Oscar. Certainly those films are “better” than this one, but it doesn’t change the dramatic power that this film presents.
It’s melodramatic and nostalgic, but it tells a gritty story of poor miners and the sacrifices they have to make without ever preaching a message. Film master John Ford is too good for that. The story is narrated by a grown Huw Morgan, played as a child by Roddy McDowall (PLANET OF THE APES). We see the story unfold as Huw’s family deals with hardships at the mine and personal turmoil. The disintegration of the Morgan family is mirrored by the disintegration of the town.
Gwilym Morgan (Oscar winner Donald Crisp, NATIONAL VELVET) is the head of the household and as Huw says his mother Beth (Sara Allgood, 1941’s DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE) is the heart. Huw has five older coal miner brothers – Ianto (John Loder, NOW, VOYAGER), Ivor (Patric Knowles, THE WOLF MAN), Davy (Richard Fraser, THE PICTURE OF DORAN GRAY), Owen (James Monks, JOAN OF PARIS) and Gwilym Jr. (Evan S. Evans, HERE’S YOUR HAT) – and a sixteen-year-old sister named Angharad (Maureen O'Hara, THE QUIET MAN). Early on in the film, Ivor marries the beautiful Bronwyn (Anna Lee, THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR), who Huw develops a crush on. Another key character is the young preacher Mr. Gruffydd (Walter Pidgeon, MRS. MINIVER) for whom Angharad develops a crush on.
The conditions at the mine and the owners will play huge tolls on the lives of the Morgans. The film loves its characters and supports them with warts and all. The black and white cinematography fits the mine segments perfectly. The amazing set -- a row of houses leading up a slope with the mine looming over them -- is visually powerful.
Another aspect of Ford’s work that isn’t lost here is his sense of detail. With little dialogue, the film can say a lot about what the characters are thinking and feeling, just by the way the camera is used. The film can be funny and heartbreaking. It is tragic, but very honest. It’s sentimental, but in a reflective way. Orson Welles said he learned how to make films by watching how Ford made films. I’m sure losing to his idol wasn’t all the rough.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
