The Enchanted Cottage

1945 "The whole town WHISPERED about these two!"
7.5| 1h31m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 28 April 1945 Released
Producted By: RKO Radio Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

A homely maid and a scarred ex-GI meet at the cottage where she works and where he was to spend his honeymoon prior to his accident. The two develop a bond and agree to marry, more out of loneliness than love. The romantic spirit of the cottage, however, overtakes them. They soon begin to look beautiful to each other, but no one else.

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Director

John Cromwell

Production Companies

RKO Radio Pictures

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The Enchanted Cottage Audience Reviews

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film
Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews
Spoonatects Am i the only one who thinks........Average?
Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;
thejcowboy22 What is love between two people? Where does the attraction come from? That feeling of caring for another and realizing at that moment you can't live without that significant other by your side. Meeting someone unnoticeable and after time the layers of the indiscreet become strikingly alluring. I've personally had that experience with a girl who sat in front of me in seventh grade science class. We would talk and gradually play dots on scrap paper which led to tickle games. Yet I never looked at her as being attractive. One day she smiled at me for saying something profound. A glow came over her and I was smitten with her loveliness. I was suddenly attracted to her. I was infatuated with her. To this day many decades later I often wondered why she was my first love and how this phenomenon occurred. How spending time with someone develops into true love and desire. The movie The Enchanted Cottage is about a developed relationship between a homely maid and a disfigured Air force pilot. Our story begins with a meeting between the owner of this cottage Mrs Minnett (Mildred Natwick) and a lonely homely woman looking for work as a housekeeper Laura Pennington (Dorothy McGuire). Mrs Minnett explains the history of the cottage to Laura and the couples or honeymooners who spent their years there. Mrs Minnett does need a housekeeper as prospected renters are coming in the way of an engaged couple. A handsome couple played by Hillary Brooke as Beatrice and her dashing air force pilot Oliver Bradford portrayed by Robert Young. Oliver emphasizes that they will marry in a few weeks and use the cottage for their honeymoon. Oliver is confident that he will not be deployed into service for a while but unfortunately the Japanese sudden attack on Pearl Harbor thrusts the United Stares into World War II. Oliver puts his marriage plans on hold till the war ends. Oliver ends up severely injured losing the use of his hand and half his face is disfigured. Oliver some how goes back to the cottage discreetly with face covered and goes into seclusion. Meanwhile our story focuses on Laura and the rejections by men because of her homeliness at a local canteen function. The two lost souls find each other. At first pity becomes friendship which blossoms into love for each other. It's impossible to spoil this movie because everyone who views this romance is moved emotionally in different ways. Duly noted performances in this picture. The baritone articulate voice of reason Herbert Marshall. Marshall plays a blind pianist who points out to Oliver that his own misfortune opened his real eyes to the world through other senses. Marshall drains the self pity out of Oliver in a methodical relaxed way. Marshall seems to be the foundation throughout the movie as go between Oliver and his stuffy Parents. Speaking of stuffy vain parents great performance by Oliver's Mother played by Spring Byington. The Screenplay is well written as Young and McGuire have an ice breaking conversation about the comforts of having a hobby. Young tells McGuire metaphorically about a friend of his that spends his days making miniature ships in glass bottles. " If you look at it largely all of us one way or other are full master schooners or brigantines, whaling ships or even canoes. Ready to sail into life. Only there we were locked up in glass bottles." A wonderful film to watch about life's hardships and how to deal with them. It's not the Cottage or an elixir. It's the power of time and communication between two people that develops the "MAGIC" relationship regardless of flaws in a human beings makeup. This movie affirms my marriage to my wife. Beauty truly comes from within.FYI... Initially I was confused because I perceived the Laura actress Dorothy McGuire as an attractive woman regardless. Try to decipher how the Laura character is different to the eye between her beauty and ugliness. Dorothy McGuire refused to use facial makeup but instead used loosely fitted clothes when ugly and tapered well fitted attire for the beauty scenes. The Enchanted Cottage brings up these questions about love relations and the
GeoPierpont I liked this movie a bunch. Not sure why this is supposed to be such a rare occurrence that when people fall in love their entire aura, persona, appearance completely changes in an instant. And this is not just for lovers, it also happens with close friends, professional and even casual acquaintances. Apologies folks but seeing beauty as a result of uplifting fine inner qualities is not a new concept or one to be forgiven.Enchantment is a veritable experience and most are very grateful to feel the warm envelopment of these most elevated moments. For most of us they are transient, the lucky few, a lifetime. I have never lost hope of this message because it has occurred to me many many times. It is one of the reasons I live for. I have only seen one other film that addresses this concept, "Winter's Tale" with Colin Farrel. Also, an enjoyable fantasy love theme.High recommend for hopeful romantics and those who see beyond their eyes.
tankexmortis So this is a movie about a woman so hideous that she's ostracized and shunned, and a man so disabled that his family plans to hire a live-in nurse and force him to live at home. Only instead of being ugly, the woman doesn't wear makeup, and instead of being crippled, the man has some kind of vague paralysis in one arm and a scar.There's this amazing scene where the guy's saying how this woman can't possibly understand what it's like to be so disfigured, but before he can finish he just looks at her shuts up, because of course she knows what it's like to be disabled! I mean, she's not wearing lipstick!This movie tries so hard to hammer in the idea that ugly (or disabled) people can only love other ugly (or disabled) people, and that attractive people will flee in terror from mild scars or uncombed hair. The movie teaches us that it's okay to love someone even if their hair isn't fashionable, but don't worry because the power of love will transform them into a supermodel (or in the case of this movie, someone who looks exactly the same but with thinner eyebrows). And if you have the misfortune to fall in love with someone who isn't 100% able-bodied, good news! Your imagination will magically heal their disability, allowing them to talk to others without shame! There's also a guy whose blindness has made him a saint, because if you're disabled you're only allowed to be bitter or a source of inspiration for the able-bodied.The direction and cinematography are both outstanding, I liked the score, the acting wasn't bad. But I can't remember the last time I watched something so totally disgusting, and I watch Troma movies.
madfliesler My husband & I watched this with great expectations but were disappointed. We felt the acting was poor and the dialog strained. The idea was interesting, however, but it was just a bit too sappy.The beginning was good with the parents & fiancé - the set up of the cottage and all but the movie tried to tell the story of too many characters, failing to develop any of them properly.Too many feelings were running amok! The idea that on their wedding night, Laura plays a ditty on the piano, a new feeling comes over the enchanted cottage, she knows her marriage is a sham, and on and on and on. Whoa! Develop one thought! And, if they said "enchanted" one more time...!