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the audience applauded

Overrated and overhyped

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The effervescent Greer Carson continued her Oscar reign with this forgotten epic like spectacle, an example of what happens when the values of one generation struggling to rise do not mean squat to the next generation who take the silver spoon they were fed with for granted. Garson goes from anxious young lady to beloved matriarch, struggling for years to contribute to society with the ambitious Walter Pidgeon, later finding that the ungrateful dynasty they create doesn't share the values she's tried to instill in them. They are neurotic, greedy, entitled, drunkards and even suicidal, and as an aging grandmother, reaches out to the last one she thinks she can influence in creating a life of meaning, not waste. A brilliant all star cast and the MGM gloss helps this become one of the great films of the 1940's and a film I wish in spite of its popularity at the time was more well known.Like the following year's "The Valley of Decision", this is a family soap opera where each scandal and scheme makes you want to know more about each of these characters. Garson is breathtakingly beautiful, aging from late teens to her 80's, another example that behind every strong and ethical little old lady was once a face of such loveliness that wrinkles seem impossible until the ravages of time take over. Pidgeon has minimal screen time, just part of the ensemble supporting Greer, but as their fourth pairing, it is as important as those and he is vital to how the story builds. Underneath the titles, two fascinating supporting players deliver characterizations that are thrilling in every little detail. As Pidgeon s former mistress, Agnes Moorehead delivers her most surprising performance, an aging French beauty who knows what she has become and willingly passes the baton to Garson, training her in the nuances of becoming a great lady. She deservedly received an Oscar nomination for this part, and you will remember her long after this film is over. She would do her final acting work in a very similar part, the elegant Aunt Alicia in the original Broadway production of "Gigi".Then there's Gladys Cooper as Garson's troubled daughter, so filled with self hate and disrespect for the legacy that she needs to be reminded of her parent's struggles so she could be rich and miserable. Married to an amoral count (Edward Arnold), she mocks everybody other than her mother, including herself in her disgust. With her characterization, misery has never come in such a well dressed package. Everybody else contributes little bits of detail here and there, with Cecil Kellaway, Tom Drake and Lee Patrick among the huge cast of fascinating characters. As this is based upon a novel by Louis Bromfield, I'm surprised that nobody has had the thought of remaking it. In today's world of self centered individuals blaming their problems on the elders in their family without trying to fix their problems besides claiming to have some mental disorder, this feels to be very timely as the world escapes from traditional values and simple beauty that comes from nature and God, not man made pleasures that only briefly remove problems.

With her son-in-law about to go to prison for fraud, the wealthy Parkington family faces financial ruin. Made up as an 84 year old woman, Greer Garson thinks back to her life with her husband, Col. Parkington, a wonderful Walter Pidgeon.It goes back to her humble beginnings and her meeting with the colonel.The film proves that money isn't everything as we see the ups and downs of the Parkington marriage, constantly beset by tragedies.Garson was nominated for best actress here and Agnes Moorehead, with a totally French accent, snared a best supporting actress bid as her rival turned friend.Gladys Cooper plays Parkington's daughter, a divorcée with a drinking problem. As is the case with the rest of the brood, she is selfish, self-centered and afraid of poverty. Obviously, the Parkington ways did not descend on children and grandchildren.The picture has an all-star cast. Cecil Kellaway stands out as the Prince of Wales, son of Queen Victoria.Garson shows her mettle here. She is a stalwart in every sense of the word.

Greer Garson and Walter Pigeon were one of the great romantic teams of the 1940s but both were too old (particularly Pigeon) for their roles in this disappointing film version of the popular Louis Bromfield novel. Pigeon is simply miscast; he is too much the gentleman to ever be convincing as the boorish, philandering Major "Gus" Parkington. As his wife, Susie, Garson, wearing a dark wig (and looking rather like Yvonne DeCarlo), ages from a naive young woman to the crusty, 84 year old family matriarch. The characterization is never believable but her scenes as the elderly Mrs. Parkington are especially objectionable (she's too arch). Neither Garson or Pigeon is particularly well-aided by a meandering script that fails to adequately clarify the relationships among the family members or takes the time to develop the various characters. Consequently, one simply doesn't care what happens to the members of the Parkington dynasty. The supporting cast...among them, Edward Arnold, Lee Patrick, Dan Duryea, Cecil Kellaway, Frances Rafferty and Tom Drake...is competent but only Agnes Moorehead, in a rare sympathetic turn as Pigeon's ex-mistress, and Gladys Cooper, as Pigeon and Garson's dypsomaniacal daughter, manage to make a significant impression.

Oh, why couldn't this film have been longer? I was taken in from the very beginning and was fascinated watching the lives of the Parkingtons. Greer Garson was exceptional as we watched her age from a young lady to a family matriarch in her 80's. I must agree that the pairing of she and Walter Pidgeon was superb and Agnes Moorehead's performance was remarkable. Gladys Cooper always stands out in any cast and with costumes of such splendor and the storylines that ranged from tragic to tremendous, there was no way to lose with this movie. Perhaps now, I'll go purchase the novel and see if I can get any more from this tale that didn't make it to the big screen. As they always say, "the book was better than the movie". I intend to try and find out. I can hardly imagine it, but I can only hope to find more and more delight from the adventures of the Parkingtons. This was one of my favorites with the pairing of Garson and Pidgeon. It's a truly entertaining movie and I recommend it highly!