Roland Dane finally retires to the house he was brought up in. Lost in thoughts of his lost love Lark, he does not want to be disturbed in his last days. However, the appearance of his niece and her subsequent romance with Lark's nephew causes him to reevaluate his life and offer some advice so the young couple doesn't make the same mistake he did, all those years ago.
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One of my all time favorites.
Excellent, Without a doubt!!
The acting in this movie is really good.
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
David Niven, aged up with white hair and wrinkles, returns to his childhood home. He's alone and has clearly lived a life of sadness and regret. While wallowing in his memories, he learns of a blooming romance between his niece, Evelyn Keyes, and his former love's nephew, Farley Granger. As the young lovers face their obstacles, Niven recounts his love affair with Teresa Wright.This is an incredibly beautiful film, with a love story that should be remembered and ranked up with the greatest classics, like Gone with the Wind and Casablanca. Unfortunately, this film has mostly gone unremembered through the years, and I can't understand why. With Hugo Friedhofer's beautiful score, a sensitive screenplay adaptation by John Patrick-writer of The Hasty Heart, Some Came Running, and Love is a Many-Splendored Thing-and fantastic performances by Niven and Wright, this should be a go-to classic on anyone's list. After a role like this, it's a wonder David Niven didn't play continuous romantic leads the remainder of his career. He and Teresa have a wonderful chemistry together, and with the infinite sadness in his eyes, it's a wonder I didn't bawl my way through the entire movie.The preview is a great representation without giving anything away, a rare treat in old movie previews. If it tugs at your heart, rent the movie. You might bump it to the top of your list of cinematic romances. Bring your Kleenexes, though. Enchantment is a tearjerker.
I have mixed feelings about this film.There are some aspects of the film I really like. For example, the acting is quite solid. Teresa Wright was a fine actress, and my favorite film of hers for me is "Shadow Of A Doubt" by Hitchcock. She doesn't disappoint here, either. I'm generally rather neutral on David Niven, but I thought he did very well here, particularly in heavy makeup as the old Rolo. Evelyn Keys, of "GWTW" fame, always did rather nicely, although I always think of her being in "The Jolson Story". Farley Granger does well as the young love interest. A surprisingly strong performance is turned in by Jane Meadows, although you're unlikely to like her role. Phillip Friend was quite good; I would have liked his role as Niven's brother to be a little more extensive. Leo G. Carroll is a welcome addition to any film. Beyond the acting, the production values here are quite strong.On the other hand, the ending is disappointing and seems to come out of nowhere. Did they simply run out of time or money? A happy ending wasn't in the cards, but a more fulfilling ending could have been developed.A very interesting scene, right near the end of the pic, is the bombing raid over London. It's well done and, I thought, showed the fear that must have been ever-present in those situations.I'll give this film a strong "7", but with the hype TCM was giving it, I was expecting an "8".
A melancholy love story that is a work of art. Flashbacks are often misused in movies but they are subtle and flow easily in "Enchantment", intertwining two stories. This tear-jerker flows from beginning to end - a masterpiece in every way. David Niven shows his acting skills both as a dashing young officer and as the retired general (makeup is FANTASTIC!!) still carrying a torch. His facial expressions tell his portion of the story even better than the well-written lines given to his character. Jayne Meadows is the older sister you'll love to hate. Teresa Wright is a sweet unintentional heart-breaker with a voice to match. As wonderful as the acting is, the photography and lighting make this movie as magical as it is "Enchanting".
First a house talks to us. Then we meet an elderly man. A young woman comes to the house, which is, or was, his. (The exact tense of this is never clear.) He tells her a little about his childhood. Back to her. He and the others are no longer children. She is now falling in love with Farley Granger (in an unbecoming mustache.) Back and forth it goes, with short scenes, like theatrical blackouts. And never do we get to care about the people.It is one stereotype after another. Someone comes into a room, for example. A woman is holding a handkerchief to her eyes. "You've been crying, my dear, " he observes.The only character of interest is the evil Selina, played by Jayne Meadows. Even she, though, is two-dimensional. She is Alexis Carrington in period dress.And speaking of dress, somehow this movie makes the lovely Theresa Wright look homely. I wanted to like her character, named Lark. But I didn't believe her.This comes across as an idea that started to go badly and got more and more out of hand. Then, (it seems, though of course this didn't happen) someone dropped the film and it was hastily reassembled into a vaguely coherent whole.Very few A-pictures of its period are such miserable failures as this movie is. And I have no grudge against it. I'd never heard of it till today. There must be a reason that, despite its starry cast and its beautiful cinematography by Gregg Toland, it is relatively little known. I posit that the reason is it's trite and not even believable.I love fugues. But this is about as far from Bach as ever anything could be.