Plantiana Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Robert J. Maxwell During the war, there were a multitude of combat pictures. This one is about the good folk back home. They also serve, even if they're just standing and waiting.Joseph Cotton is a disturbed army sergeant on leave after suffering an episode of what was then called combat fatigue, following his being bayoneted in the Pacific. Ginger Rogers is also troubled. The prison has released her for eight days for good behavior because it's Christmas and because she's shown good behavior. The two meet on the train and the reticent, depressed Cotton finds himself drawn to Rogers. When she tells him she's getting off to visit her aunt at Pine Valley or Arcadia or Smallville or The Land of Cockaigne or whatever it is, he lies and says he's visiting relatives there. Actually, having no relatives, he holes up in a cheap hotel.She invites him over for dinner and you should see Rogers' family. Tom Tully, the paterfamilias, returns home from work, all smiles and benignity. His chattering young daughter, Shirly Temple, kisses him, helps him off with his overcoat and hangs it up. Tully straightens his tie before dinner because everyone dresses properly. He says a solemn grace. The ritual combines fleshly pleasure with spirituality. He doesn't drink although he reminisces about a bottle of cognac ("coney-ack") and chuckles over the night Ma "got going" on a glass of sherry. Nobody drinks.Mom, Spring Byington, is equally cheerful and compassionate. She's always baking cakes and setting out plates. She proudly presents a flaming plum pudding at dinner, after which Tully leads the diners in a Christmas carol, waving the fork. Shirley Temple is often apologizing for gawking at the ribbons on Cotton's uniform and asking personal questions. They live in an elm-shaded, two-story house on Serenity Drive. You have never SEEN such disgusting normality.It takes almost half the running time before Rogers fills in her back story during a meaningful conversation with the naive Temple. Rogers parents had both died and she was alone, working as a secretary. One day her boss invited her to a party at his apartment. ("He was single, and bosses DO marry their secretaries.") Unfortunately, this guy was a real cad. There were no other guests and the boss was drunk. She fought off his assaults and he accidentally fell out of a window on the fourteenth floor. Temple weeps and throws herself into Rogers' arms.Ten minutes later, Cotton, tells Rogers why HE has been acting, well, erratically. He was raised in an orphanage to start with. "it wasn't like being in prison or anything," he says, and she winces, because she hasn't filled him in yet. Cotton learns the truth accidentally from the garrulous Temple, and there is one more speed bump for the romance to get over before Cotton draws Rogers into his arms and smothers her with hot kisses and promises of paradise.I've kind of made fun of the movie because it's so cornball and, honestly, the story of the disturbed veteran's return home was done to perfection two years later in "The Best Years of Our Lives." It has its virtues. There is an effective scene of Cotton having an anxiety attack in his room, and I know all too well what they're about. And PTSD was to wreck Audie Murphy's life. It's impossible to underestimate the impact of movies like this on the war-time audience. It promotes the fantasy that once the war is finished, everything will be just as normal as Rogers' family.The sentimental theme song, "I'll Be Seeing You", which may owe something to Mahler, was written in 1933 and, being so apt for the period of war when so many men, American and British, were away and their lives were in jeopardy, became a big hit. Bing Crosby, among innumerable others, recorded it but probably the most popular was Vera Lynn's version. Of course it's all a dream but where would humankind be without its myths? They provide us with sustenance during trials.

vincentlynch-moonoi It isn't often that I give an "8", but this film has several attributes that make it worthy.First, most films are pretty run of the mill...which doesn't mean they are bad...in fact, can be quite good. But, occasionally a film comes along that is somewhat unique. This is one. A WWII soldier suffering from mild shell shock is on a furlough from the military hospital to relax in "real life". He meets a woman on the train who happens to be on furlough from a 6 year prison stint as a result of being convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Of course, neither is aware of the other's status. Let's see. How many times has this old plot been recycled? Well, never that I can recall.Second, an outstanding cast. For years I dismissed films with Ginger Rogers because I associated her only with a dancing partner with Fred Astaire. But more recently I have seen a number of her dramatic/romantic films, and she is consistently very good...and here she is great! Time has not been kind to Joseph Cotten's reputation as an actor. But every once in a while I am reminded of just how wonderful he was -- check out his filmography, and you'll recall many a substantive role. He's wonderful here, particularly a brief scene where he is overwhelmed with an attack from being shell shocked.The supporting cast is strong, as well. Shirley Temple does nicely as she is about to move into adulthood. Spring Byington is delightful, as she almost always was, though here her role is more serious than we sometimes find her. Tom Tully as the uncle...interesting to read up on him and how his patriotism led to a sad later life after some wonderful roles on-screen.I'm trying to think of some real criticism here...and it's difficult. Something about the scene with the dog struck me as not quite right, but it made a point. The ending is rather stark...but returning to prison would be a rather stark occurrence, wouldn't it? Yet, we do have a happy ending...of sorts.I hated seeing this film end. A sequel would have been nice...the further adventures of two people who are struggling to find happiness after their lives were turned upside down.Highly recommended. I'm going online now to see if it's on DVD.

calvinnme I'll Be Seeing You captures the loneliness of two people who - besides their own serious problems - just don't fit into the bustling wartime image we often see of America in film during that time.The opening scene is in a busy train station. We quickly focus in on two travelers. She (Ginger Rogers as Mary Marshall) is uncomfortable when she tries first to buy a stick of gum and then a chocolate bar and is rebuffed by the sales clerk as though she had been asking to buy gold bullion at a five and dime. He (Joseph Cotten as Zachary Morgan) is uncomfortable because he wants to buy reading material and all that is available is full of news about the war and images that you can tell make him squeamish.Zach is suffering from what would be called PTSD today due to battle fatigue, and he's ashamed of that fact, afraid of winding up like the shell-shocked WWI soldier he knew as a boy.Mary is a convict out on Christmas furlough, although what she is serving time for will probably be a shock to modern sensibilities - I know it was for me. She is also ashamed - understandably perhaps for being a convict, not so understandably for what she did to become one. I'll let you watch the movie and see what I'm talking about here. Against this backdrop of people who feel badly for the positions they are in due to social mores of the 1940's - soldiers are always brave and good girls never get themselves into the position Mary got herself into, these two lonely people find each other and connect. At first Zach lies to Mary about his situation, but then tells her the truth. Mary chooses to keep the truth from Zach, partly because she loves him and doesn't want to lose him, but mainly because her company is making him well - he says her self-confidence is giving him confidence - and she doesn't want to set back his recovery.Mary is staying with her aunt, uncle, and cousin during the holidays, and this warm family setting has both of them healing just a bit. Shirley Temple plays the cousin that is too young to know why Mary is in prison or wear lipstick according to her parents, but is apparently old enough to go out unchaperoned with a Lieutenant on leave who is probably five years older than she! Spring Byington plays the aunt who is supportive overall but still drops phrases from time to time that leave you wondering about the overall wisdom of her advise. For example, she keeps telling Mary to settle for second best and pretend it's first best - that's what she did!. Rather wacky advice by today's standards, but maybe mainstream feelings for people who married during the roaring twenties, and then raised a family during the depression and world war. I highly recommend this sentimental favorite of mine. I'm rather surprised it hasn't become more of a Christmas standard, because even though in many ways it is a unique snapshot in time, the story of two lonely people finding each other in a world that would probably judge them severely if they were open about their problems is universal.

MartinHafer It's funny, but despite having seen and reviewed a bazillion different movies, I'd never heard of this film until I saw it on Netflix recently. Since I really liked Joseph Cotten (a highly underrated actor, if you ask me), I thought I'd give it a try--and I am glad I did, as it's a dandy old film--full of sentiment and romance.The film begins with Cotten meeting Ginger Rogers on a train. She is going to visit her Aunt and Uncle for the Christmas holiday, though he does not know that she's on furlough from prison. He is also on leave--from a military psychiatric hospital where he's recuperating from a serious injury as well as post-traumatic stress disorder. Considering he served on Guadalcanal (one of the longest and most horrible battles of the war), it's perfectly understandable that he is a bit of a mess. What is surprising, though, is that the movie even addresses this. Very, very few films made during or even soon after the war talked about the psychological effects of war. This one dared to talk about the psychiatric cases resulting from such horrors.Partly because she is ashamed and partly because she doesn't want Cotten to be further burdened after she learns of his struggle, Rogers keeps her incarceration a secret to him. It's funny, because when you learn about why she was jailed, it seems that nowadays she'd never have served a day in prison as she accidentally killed a man who was trying to rape her!! I think the problem was that she couldn't prove it and juries were less likely to believe that rapes occurred back then. Regardless, she says nothing and they spend many lovely moments together during both their vacations. He, in particular, likes being able to hang out with her family, as he has none of his own.There's much more to the film than this, but it gets very high marks not only for its willingness to talk about combat fatigue but because it is highly romantic and sweet. It's a great sentimental film that doesn't manage to get gooey or sickly sweet--just nice and a decent film for the holidays. Watch this hidden little gem.