![]() On Armistice Day in 1918 Rainer walks out of the hospital and takes up with another drifting soul, an entertainer named Paula. Random Harvest concerns Charles Rainer who sustained a head injury during World War I and woke up in a hospital in his native country with no memory of who he is. Chips and Random Harvest by my mother to read and the stories fascinated me. I do remember as a lad being given a book with Lost Horrizon, Goodbye Mr. Hilton created British heroes that resonated with the American public and cerebral actors like Robert Donat and Ronald Colman seem born to play. The novels of James Hilton were very popular in America as well as in the United Kingdom. All in all, beautiful and outstanding film, cinematic romance at its finest. ![]() Their chemistry together is just pure magic. Greer Garson is just radiant and is wonderfully sincere in her role. Ronald Colman was a revelation, wistful and dignified but it is also very difficult to not tear up at Colman's body language when his memory starts returning, a very telling piece of acting. But the two leads dominate and are a huge part of the reason why Random Harvest works so well. The supporting cast all give solid performances, Susan Peters is utterly convincing in her feistiness and confidence and Reginald Owen, Henry Travers and Edmund Gwenn are always watchable. ![]() Mervyn Leroy's direction is masterly and the characters are sweet and very human, complete with one of the most realistic and heart-breaking portrayals of shell-shock on film. I was so engrossed by the characters and so touched by the story that any improbabilities were easily forgiven. As has the story, which is romantic to the hilt, heart-warming and incredibly touching, you're guaranteed to need tissues when Charles doesn't return to Paula after going to Liverpool and when his memory starts to come back. The script has the right dose of warmth and pathos with nothing being corny or overly-sentimental this is a script with heart. The music has that lush romantic feeling without being too syrupy, the use of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake was apt and will be a delight for classical music enthusiasts(count me as one). The period detail is rendered handsomely as well, not accurate perhaps but with the quality of how the film looks that doesn't really matter all that much. Random Harvest is a splendidly made film, both sumptuous and Expressionist and still looking as fresh now as it did then. It is such a beautiful film in so many ways and one of the most moving films I've seen. ![]() Random Harvest is very fondly remembered and loved by many and for good reason. This is a film to be cherished by lovers of old American films. Susan Peters had a small part playing Kitty, who falls in love with Charles, even though she knows it's an impossible undertaking. He made these two men credible as he transformed himself from one to the other with an ease that was uncanny. Colman makes us believe he is Smithy, the amnesiac soldier, as well as the business magnate that he was prior to losing his mind in the war. Ronald Colman on the other hand, plays his dual characters with a panache and conviction that only actors of that period had. ![]() Ms Garson was one of the most accomplished actress of the time. If that object of love was Ronald Colman, one of the most talented leading men of the era, it was well worth the price of admission. This actress, with her unusual beauty, made us believe she is that woman whose love for her man is everything. To have Greer Garson play the role of Paula/Margaret, was a stroke of genius. But that's the magic of the film, we put up with every twist and turn because we figure these two will find one another in the end. The biggest challenge to logic is the reemergence of Paula as Ms Hansen, Charles Rainier's secretary. There are things in the film that wouldn't make any sense in our high tech world, but the charm of the many twists and turns make for a charming voyage, as we get lost into this tale of love given so honestly by Paula to the amnesiac Smithy. Nothing like this film will be done in the near future because of today's tastes dictates the big, if mindless, spectacles full of special effects, favored by today's movie makers. The film is a tribute to a form of entertainment that alas, has just but disappeared from the present Hollywood. Mervyn LeRoy must be given credit for bringing it to the screen in a movie that has all the ingredients to keep the viewer glued to his seat. His novels have ended up as films that made great impact, as is the case with this film. James Hilton's contribution to the movies was enormous. ![]()
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