How Green Was My Valley (1941)

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Philip Dunne (screenplay)
Richard Llewellyn (novel)

Release Date:

9 April 1942 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Family

Tagline:

Rich is their humor! Deep are their passions! Reckless are their lives! Mighty is their story!

Plot:

At the turn of the century in a Welsh mining village, the Morgans (he stern, she gentle) raise coal-mining...

Plot Keywords:

Village | Miner | Wales | Brother Brother Relationship | Marriage

Awards:

Won 5 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Walter Pidgeon	...	Mr. Gruffydd
Maureen O'Hara	...	Angharad
Anna Lee	...	Bronwyn
Donald Crisp	...	Mr. Morgan
Roddy McDowall	...	Huw (as Master Roddy McDowall)
John Loder	...	Ianto
Sara Allgood	...	Mrs. Morgan
Barry Fitzgerald	...	Cyfartha
Patric Knowles	...	Ivor
Welsh Singers	...	Themselves
Morton Lowry	...	Mr. Jonas
Arthur Shields	...	Mr. Parry
Ann E. Todd	...	Ceinwen (as Ann Todd)
Frederick Worlock	...	Dr. Richards
Richard Fraser	...	Davy

Also Known As:

Richard Llewellyn's How Green Was My Valley (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Welsh

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:U | West Germany:12 (f) | USA:Approved (certificate #7480) | Canada:G (video rating) | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Two major factors entered into the decision to shoot the film in Southern California: (1) the continuous bombing of Britain by the Nazis; (2) the nervousness of Fox executives about the film's pro-union storyline. These factors, and William Wyler's reputation for perfectionism, swayed Fox to keep the filming done in the U.S.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Roddy McDowall's character comes home after being beaten by his teacher, there is no blood or marks on his back.

Quotes:

Huw Morgan: [narrating] Men like my father cannot die. They are with me still, real in memory as they were in flesh, loving and beloved forever. How green was my valley then.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Laserblast (#8.6)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Arglwydd, Arwain Trwy'r Anialwch

How Green was my Valley was the greatest film of all time.

Greatest movie of all time. I saw this first during World War II, and it made such an impression upon me that I had to go back time after time. Now 60 years later it lingers in my memory over any other movie I have ever seen. No movie before or since has left such a lasting impression upon me.

It could easily be brought back to the modern screen as a classic film that will never die. I wish I could own it on DVD, but I have no idea where I can obtain it. It would be at the top of classic films of all time as an asset in my library. It appeared at a time in our history when the world was being torn asunder and we did not know what tomorrow would bring. It was so uplifting at a time when we needed that uplift.