The Best Film Ever Made?

How Green Was My Valley

This 1941 John Ford movie is not only the best film I've ever seen, but it always reminds me of the life of George MacDonald who along with his family underwent similar trials. The young preacher in this movie, like MacDonald, came up against deacons in the church who wouldn't listen to reason, and eventually forced him to resign. Also, the young woman who wants to marry the preacher is discouraged by her family for doing so because of the meager salary a preacher made in those days, just as Louise MacDonald was discouraged from marrying George by her family for the same reason. Then there's the ferocious beating the schoolmaster gives the boy. One of MacDonald's younger brothers died as a young boy, and many attributed the beatings he got by his schoolmaster as contributing to his poor health and eventual death. I love this movie!

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• How
• Green
• Was
• My
• Valley
• movie
• John
• Ford

[TheHachmom]

This is such a great movie...the critiics have never forgiven it for winning Best film over Citizen Kane and many of them condemn it without having even seen it. But a movie has to be more than brilliant photography it is also about the emotions of the viewer, and this is one of the most cathartic movie ever made... As a child this was the first movie I ever watched that I knew I was watching a great movie, and ma ny repeat viewings since have oonly bolstered my opinion....

[gmdinformation]

@TheHachmom Citizen Kane had great cinematography, but that was about it in my opinion. Like Gone With the Wind, it was highly over-rated.

[tallpaul521]

This great film was my father's favorite ..he died today at 93. I grew up calling him DaDa..as does Roddy in the film. The closing words about the father , Donald Crisp's character, could have been written for my father..."Men like my father cannot die, they are with me still, real in memory as they are in flesh, loving and beloved as ever."

[gmdinformation]

@tallpaul521 I know the feeling. My dad was the greatest guy I ever knew by far. He died in July. I watched this clip a couple of days ago for the first time in a long while and found it difficult to get through the ending, it reminding me so much of dad. I think it reminds a lot of people of their dads. Donald Crisp was such a good actor too.

[tallpaul521]

@gmdinformation Thank you. I won't be able to watch this film again for a great while. My dad was a Veterinarian. One of his favorite catch phrases was, "And a good old man you are". He would say that to his animal patients, after treating them. It was his sweet way of wishing them well.

[gmdinformation]

@tallpaul521 I don't remember what the name of the movie was now, but there was another old one (I think it was an Irish film) about a Lassie type dog that a young boy wanted to train to be a champion sheep herder, and his dad kept trying to discourage him from it because the dog was a "biscuit eater", but the dog surprised everybody by being a biscuit eating champion. I mention it because I seem to remember the boy's dad referring to the dog as a "good old man" too.

[neilbahadur1]

@gmdinformation I think Welles made much better films than Kane (Ambersons, Chimes at Midnight). This on the other hand, is one of Ford's finest.

[LazlosPlane]

If not the greatest, none better. Period.

[lanetemple]

Yes!.....in my humble opinion, John Ford's ..."HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY" is the BEST movie ever made......it is simply BRILLIANT.

[smichelle65]

One of my all-time favorites; beautiful film. And yet, there are still those who believe HGWMV "robbed" Citizen Kane at the Oscars. I love both Citizen Kane and HGWMV, and I, for one, prefer this film. It richly deserved its Best Picture award.

[rossharmonics]

For over fifty years, this has been a movie that touches me like no other. Every time (and this is many times) I see new things. I was so happy to see this posting with others who cherish this very special film the way I do.