Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

evanston_dad I had much the same reaction to "Since You Went Away" that I had to "Mrs. Miniver" when I finally saw it. I had preconceived notions that both were going to be schmaltzy, maudlin melodramas capitalizing on World War II audiences' emotions for maximum sentimentality. Instead, I was impressed by how thoughtful both were, and found myself quite moved by them even all these years later."Since You Went Away" doesn't carry quite the same punch, because it's not about people literally surviving warfare on their homeland. But it's still a fascinating account of what it was like for the women who were left behind when their husbands, sons, and brothers went off to war. In other war movies, women aren't given much to do but sit and pine away, clutching the occasional letter to their heaving breasts. But in this one, we see that life went on for the women one way or another. They had to put food on the table, run errands, get things done. And a certain kind of woman, played in a lovely performance by Claudette Colbert in this one, didn't know how to do any of those things because they never had to. War time, and the financial straits that came with it, meant they had to do without their maids and cooks and nannies and start doing things for themselves, planting the seeds that would eventually lead to the modern feminist movement.I could have done with less of Jennifer Jones, who plays Colbert's eldest daughter and gets a story line about doomed love with a young soldier (Robert Walker). Jones isn't much of an actress, and while the rest of the film has a practical, roll-your-sleeves-up quality, this plot strand, while I'm sure it resonated with audiences at the time, tips the film into melodrama too frequently and makes it very long. I much more enjoyed the scenes with Monty Woolley as an irascible boarder, and especially those with Agnes Moorehead, who could have been cast in every movie ever made with no arguments from me. She plays a friend of Colbert's who has the luxury of being callously blithe about everything to do with the war since she doesn't have any personal stake in it. This was something I hadn't ever really thought about with WWII, and found parallels with things going on in our country right now, like for instance the Black Lives Matter movement, an issue that lots of people care strongly about and other people have the luxury of not caring about because it doesn't affect them. It just goes to show how wrong people are when they assume old movies have nothing to say to modern audiences."Since You Went Away" was one of the big competitors at the 1944 Oscars, but it walked away with only one actual award, for Max Steiner's score. It was nominated in eight other categories, including Best Motion Picture, Best Actress (Colbert), Best Supporting Actor (Woolley), Best Supporting Actress (Jones), Best Art Direction (B&W), Best Cinematography (B&W), Best Film Editing, and Best Special Effects, a bit of a head scratcher. Many of the folks nominated for the technical awards were nominated several years earlier in the same categories for "Gone with the Wind," no big surprise as this film was one of David Selznick's attempts to recapture the grandeur and success of that earlier picture.Grade: A

weezeralfalfa In my title, I mention the Hilton hotel because Hilton is the name of the family we follow on the domestic front during WW II, and there were quite a few comings and goings of active and retired military personnel involving this family, which consisted of a middle-aged mother(played by Claudette Colbert) and her 2 teen daughters, one(played by Jennifer Jones) near graduation from high school, and the other(played by Shirley Temple) not far behind. Historically, quite a few late teens didn't bother to wait for graduation, preferring to take one of the many job openings available or to enlist. And many of those who did graduate put off going to college at least until the war was over, as exemplified by Jennifer.In part, this is a story of one of many romances that was broken up by dislocation or the death of one of the participants. Robert Walker and Jennifer are the young couple featured herein, Walker being a young corporal who flunked out of West Point, to his grandfather's disappointment(The grandfather is played by Monty Woolley, who has rented a room in the Hilton home). Actually, Jennifer is initially attracted to a navy Lieutenant played by Joseph Cotton, who is probably around 15 years her senior. But Cotton is more interested in gabbing with mother Claudette, whom he has long been attracted to. Hence, Jennifer eventually warms up to Walker, who manages to arrange various dates with her, as detailed. Unfortunately, he is killed in action soon after arriving on a front. I'm sure there were thousands more cases something like this.It's mentioned that a neighbor young man was killed in the nearby crash of a military plane. In fact, 47,000 US military planes were damaged or totaled in domestic mishaps, killing more than 14,000 personnel in the years 1941-45, and who knows how many injured. Shirley Temple's character complains that she doesn't know what she can do toward the war effort. But, she is shown tending a "victory" garden on their property. Governments at various levels encouraged such gardens, and it's estimated that around 20,000,000 such gardens were begun during these years. In aggregate, they were estimated to produce about the same tonnage of vegetables as commercial growers, thus saving much materials used in producing and transporting commercial produce.A major theme of the film is the need to tighten belts during the war, with many breadwinners in the military. Whether having family members in the military harmed or helped with finances depended on the particulars of the family. In the case of the Hiltons, it apparently harmed, thus forcing them to rent out bedrooms and double up in sleeping arrangements, to reduce their maid service, and sell their car(apparently, no one was willing to learn to drive after the father was transferred overseas). A major failing of the assumed purpose of this film is the lack of examples of the many restrictions on consumer spending. For example, gasoline for private use was severely rationed. There was a ban on manufacturing automobiles, building new housing, and selling kitchen appliances, etc.. Also, many people not in the depression money economy filled the jobs in the private sector vacated by inductees and needed to produce war materials. This is exemplified in the film by Claudette learning welding and Jennifer volunteering as a nurse assistant at the local military hospital. The need for temporary housing, especially for military personnel and industrial workers, was often met by taking in roomers and sharing bedrooms, as illustrated in this film.In a film of this length, the screenwriters should have been able to include the important problem of rationing and lack of new replacements which the people involving in taking this film were currently experiencing....The inclusion of wooly Monty Woolley as a room renter in the Hilton household is a significant asset to this film. His unique personality and sense of humor brightened up many a scene. Because of her awkward age, Shirley Temple doesn't have a lot to do, except occasionally cry over bad news from the front, and exhibit some of the teenage activities of the time. Claudette, as always, does her role wonderfully. Ditto for the other principal players. The main problem is that it often drags. It was too long.

mark.waltz Two years before Fredric March came home to his wife and children in "The Best Years of Our Lives", there was "Since You Went Away", the salute to the lonely wives waiting for their man to return. Of course, not every wife waiting for the spouse looked like Claudette Colbert, so it is no wonder that Claudette, thanks to painter Joseph Cotten, gets her own pin-up to remind the boys of what they were fighting for. Unlike other pin-up girls of the 1940's, Claudette had been around for a long time making movies, but she still looked gorgeous and could still pack in audiences during this time of her career.Usually cast in romantic comedies, Colbert rarely had a chance to show off her dramatic talents, although films such as "Drums Along the Mohawk", "Arise My Love" and "Boom Town" prove differently amongst her usual screwball antics. She's dealing with the typical crisis of wives during the war-not enough money coming in, bill collectors calling and problems with the children. In this case, its her two daughters, the beautiful Jennifer Jones and the precocious Shirley Temple. Forced to let her wonderful cook (Hattie McDaniel) go, Colbert turns to her social engagements for solace, and this includes luncheons with the snooty Agnes Moorehead who seems to be more interested in her own publicity than the one going on with the boys overseas. When Colbert rents a room to the elderly Monty Woolley, a crotchety old man who doesn't at all hit it off with either Temple or the family bulldog, Moorehead is aghast. Then, Jennifer Jones meets Woolley's handsome grandson (Robert Walker), and romance slowly blooms. One episode has Jones and Walker being hassled by a sailor (the very handsome Guy Madison) then bringing them along on their date, simply because they know he's lonely.As for Colbert's friendship with painter Cotten, its enough to get Moorehead suspicious again, but Colbert is totally loyal to her husband. Of course, the predictable telegram arrives, telling of her husband's absence, but in wartime, sometimes husbands do return, especially in Hollywood movies where for the most part, a happy ending was much needed. Among the major players, Temple is the weak spot, but her role really is limited, so that softens the blow of her sulking and pouty impish performance.This is the American homefront at its most clean-cut. Of course, not everybody lived the way Colbert and her family did, and even got free cooking to boot as at another point, the feisty McDaniel returns, "I needs my solitude and privitation", she claims, keeping the other position as a day job but needing a place to get away from the family she hasn't quite hit it off with as much as Colbert's. This is quite ironic considering Colbert's friendship with another movie maid, the magnificently sweet Louise Beavers just a decade before in the original "Imitation of Life". McDaniels is a lot more cynical yet equally as lovable as Beavers, so it is easy to see why certain film books sometimes confuse the two heavyset but wonderful black character actors.There's room for plenty of tears here as lovers are torn apart (the famous scene between Jones and Walker saying goodbye at the train depot) or Colbert dealing with a sudden telegram. Everything here is touching, and even if made in the typical Hollywood fashion, producer David O. Selznick and director John Cromwell get everything just right. Throw in a last minute war speech by the preacher (Lionel Barrymore) and you've got the feel-good war drama that provided hope for audiences around the country and even the world.

jjnxn-1 Selznick's tribute to the women on the home front during WWII is a fine piece of entertainment with a flock of excellent performances. Claudette Colbert gives the film a solid center as the sheltered, disconnected wife who slowly becomes aware of the importance of her involvement in the war effort. Shirley Temple is pert as the chipper younger daughter, however Jennifer Jones is really terrible in her early scenes, she's too old to be believable as a teen and by trying to compensate for that with preciousness she is extremely irritating. She's much better in the second part of the film when her character matures. Her scenes with Robert Walker are lovely, odd since they were married in real life and breaking up during the making of the film which he took very badly. The picture itself is quite long but once you get use to its rhythm it flows right along with some powerful scenes and beautiful imagery.