Enchantment

The 1940s seemed to be the decade of the romantic "women's films" featuring stars like Bette Davis, Merle Oberon, Olivia de Havilland and others. And Samuel Goldwyn had the good taste to hire the best script writers, the best cinematographers, the best musicians, and the best available actors to play in all of his films.

None was more romantic than ENCHANTMENT and it has a warm glow about it, despite being a tale of unrequited love whereby an elderly man (DAVID NIVEN in convincing age make-up) recalls his younger days and his sweetheart (TERESA WRIGHT) who leaves him because of a misunderstanding caused by his neurotic sister (JAYNE MEADOWS).

When a young woman ambulance driver (EVELYN KEYES), who happens to be his niece, comes to stay in the grand old house during the London blitz of World War II, he advises her not to make the same mistake he did in following his true love. Result: a happy ending for Keyes and her pilot lover FARLEY GRANGER when she goes rushing after him during an air raid.

The tale is told in a clever use of flashbacks from one generation to the other, and all of it is photographed in crisp B&W splendor by Gregg Toland with a quietly effective musical score by Hugo Friedhofer. It's a handsomely mounted production, tastefully done without overdoing the sentimentality of the tale. LEO G. CARROLL is excellent as Niven's servant, realistically aged for the part of the tale that takes place in the present.

Highly recommended as a quality picture of its kind.

It's also a sad reminder of the fact that after leaving Samuel Goldwyn under the contract system, TERESA WRIGHT's screen career floundered and she soon found that she had to work for lesser salaries in films not worthy of her presence. She became a free agent but admitted that it turned out to be a huge mistake.

What a wonderful movie! I had never heard of it and had no idea what it was. It's a lost treasure, it seems.

"Enchantment" is the story of two generations, and a very special love. The narrator is the house they lived in at various times.

When the movie begins, David Niven is an old man, Rollo, during World War II, and he is living alone in the house with the man-servant with whom he grew up, Leo G. Carroll. His niece, in the service, comes to stay with him and soon meets a wounded soldier (Farley Granger) who has a connection to the house.

Rollo's story, and the story of his sister, brother, and the little girl that came to live with them, Lark, is told in flashbacks throughout the film as they grow up and Rollo and Lark fall in love.

After a flashback, the camera focuses on the fireplace, or some other object, and we are brought back into the present, with the fire still burning or the book still in the bookshelf, and we are back with Rollo and his niece in the present day. It is a seamless way to tell the story and very poignant.

David Niven is wonderful as Rollo but the surprise performance for me was by Jayne Meadows as his selfish, sharp-tongued sister Selina, who always resented Lark. She is excellent.

Farley Granger and Evelyn Keyes are the present day young loves, and they give very sweet performances. Gigi Perreau as the small child Lark is heartbreaking.

The ending of the film is very striking. My only criticism would be that it seemed as if the character of Rollo aged 50 years instead of about 30.

Don't miss this marvelous film.

Krdement's user comment I concur with when it made the point about the fatal lack of communication between Lark and Rollo.A girl in love would always listen to her beau face to face, rather than believe the spiteful talk of sister Selena.Why then oh why did not Lark await Rollo's return instead of running away out of the house, while Rollo tried to delay his trip to Afganistan with his regiment; so he and Lark could be married first?This was the basic weakness of the story, otherwise I rated the story excellent.Both my wife and I enjoyed it as 63 and 61 year olds.I always know when she is enjoying a film when she violently tells me to "shush" if I dare to speak and she misses some of the dialogue! It was fascinating following the parallel stories of the different generations in the same rooms over 70 years."A room is never empty".I rated it 7/10.

'Enchantment' is a wonderful-odd-unknown film. Or maybe to me at least it is unknown. I am a fan of Rumer Godden novels.I have seen two other excellent films of them--'The River' and too 'Black Narcissus'. 'Enchantment' is like those also in the fact that it deals with awakenings or things which awaken us. It is about an unrequited love affair OR nearly. The sister and wicked head-of-the-family tries to keep David Niven and his step sister(by circumstance)from being together.Niven plays a soldier on- leave during WW2, most of it is told from his memory. He remembers when he is visited by the daughter of the Girl he could of had as his love--He warns her to not make the same mistake that he did. A great movie about Love!

Bearing no small resemblance to Maytime and Smiling Through without the other worldly visits, Enchantment is a delightful film about two generations of romance in an English family. David Niven as one of three siblings and the family butler Leo G. Carroll both play young and later on are heavily made up for old age which in this film is during World War II.

At that time the only occupants of the old family estate are Niven and Carroll when a niece from America arrives in the person of Evelyn Keyes. She has made a promise to her father who is Philip Friend now deceased to look up her uncle, the last of that generation. A rather crotchety Niven bereft of his usual charm in old age reluctantly takes her in. Soon enough she takes herself a fella in flier Farley Granger who is a nephew of Niven's lost love.

Back to those days before World War I and the children who grow up to be David Niven, Philip Friend, and Jayne Meadows are told that they are taking in an orphan girl who is the daughter of their father's friend who with his wife was recently killed in a train wreck.

The boys are agreeable enough, in fact as adults they're most interested in the girl who grows up to be Teresa Wright. But Cinderella's stepsisters never treated Wright the way Meadows does. She never misses a chance to demean her and when the boys especially Niven show any interest she schemes like mad to keep them apart.

Meadows who as I write this is the last survivor of the adult cast members is one cool, calculating and incredibly evil woman. Sam Goldwyn who produced Enchantment should have pushed for a Best Supporting Oscar for her. This may be her career role.

If you know what happens in Maytime and in Smiling Through you have some idea how all this ends. But don't skip Enchantment and its message of when true love comes along only trust your heart.