How Green Was My Valley

Overview

Spanning 50 years, director John Ford's How Green Was My Valley revolves around the life of the Morgans, a Welsh mining family, as told through the eyes of its youngest child Huw (Roddy McDowall). Over the years, the family struggles to survive through unionization, strikes, and child abuse. As they do so, their hometown and its culture begins to slowly decline. Donald Crisp portrays Gwilym, the patriarch of the Morgan household, who dreams of a better life for young Huw. Based on the novel of the same name by Richard Llewellyn, How Green Was My Valley won five Academy Awards in 1941, including Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Crisp), Best Art Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Picture (beating Citizen Kane). The book was later adapted into a 1975 BBC miniseries.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/14/2003
UPC:	0024543060734
Original Release:	1941
Rating:	NR
Source:	BUENA VISTA HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[monaural, stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:58:00
Sales rank:	17,629

Special Features

Closed Caption; Audio commentary by Anna Lee Nathan and film historian Joseph McBride; AMC Backstory episode: "How Green Was My Valley"; Still gallery; Theatrical trailer; Full frame format (aspect ratio 1.33:1); Audio: English Stereo, English Mono, French Mono, Spanish Mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Walter Pidgeon	Mr. Gruffydd
Maureen O'Hara	Angharad
Donald Crisp	Mr. Morgan
Roddy McDowall	Huw Morgan
Anna Lee	Bronwen
Sara Allgood	Mrs. Morgan
Barry Fitzgerald	Cyfartha
John Loder	Ianto
Patric Knowles	Ivor Morgan
Morton Lowry	Mr. Jonas
Arthur Shields	Parry
Ann Todd	Cienwen,Ceinwen
Frederic Worlock	Dr. Richards
Richard Fraser	Davy Morgan
Rhys Williams	Dai Bando,Singer
Clifford Severn	Mervyn
Lionel Pape	Mr. Evans
Ethel Griffies	Mrs. Nicholas
Eve March	Meillyn Lewis
Marten Lamont	Lestyn Evans
Mary Field	Eve
Evan S. Evans	Gwinlyn Morgan,Postman
James Monks	Owen Morgan
Mary Gordon	Gossiper
Irving Pichel	Adult Huw Morgan,Narrator
Gertrude Astor	Bit Part
Frank Baker	Actor
Robert Bradford	Bit Part
Welsh Singers	Singers
Victor Adamson	Villager
Dennis Hoey	Motschell
Ruth Clifford	Actor
Pauline Garon	Actor
Gibson Gowland	Actor
Ben Hall	Actor
Louis Heydt	Miner
Mae Marsh	Miners' Wife
Una O'Connor	Actor
Tiny Jones	Shopkeeper
J.M. Kerrigan	Tailor
Alfred Newman	Composer

Technical Credits

Philip Dunne

Richard Llewellyn

John Ford	Director
Philip Dunne	Screenwriter
Darryl F. Zanuck	Producer
Chesley Bonestell	Special Effects
Eugene Grossman	Sound/Sound Designer
Roger Heman	Sound/Sound Designer
Richard Llewellyn	Screenwriter

Scene Index

Side #1 --
1. Main Titles [1:03]
2. The Valley in Happy Times [6:41]
3. The Village Gets a New Preacher [4:03]
4. Hard Times and a Strike [3:21]
5. Joy Returns to the Morgan Home [1:41]
6. Life in the Valley Begins to Change [5:27]
7. Angharad Gets Married [6:54]
8. Huw Goes to School [3:24]
9. Huw Becomes a Miner [3:48]
10. Scandal and Tragedy Strike the Valley [5:55]

Menu

Side #1 --
   Play
   Language Selection
      Languages: English Stereo
      Languages: English Mono
      Languages: French Mono
      Languages: Spanish Mono
      Languages: Commentary by Anna Lee Nathan and Joseph McBride
      Subtitles: English
      Subtitles: Spanish
      Subtitles: None
   Scene Selection
   Special Features
      Backstory: "How Green Was My Valley"
      Still Gallery
      Theatrical Trailer
      Studio Classics
         All About Eve
         Gentleman's Agreement

Editorial Reviews

How Green Was My Valley is fondly remembered by fans of director John Ford for its loving recreation of a Welsh coal mining village. Spanning some fifty years in the life of its protagonist, the film presents an often poignant portrait of the good and bad of small town life. At the center of the story is the dehumanization brought by increasing technology; the scenes in which more efficient machinery makes some of the mines' best workers unneeded and unemployed remain relevant to today's audiences and our environment of shifting corporations and uncertain security. Ford scholars differ on where to rank How Green Was My Valley -- indeed there is no clear consensus on what film critics and historians consider to be Ford's greatest -- but it was a popular choice as the best film of 1941, winning five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.

All Movie Guide - Richard Gilliam