Virginia

I saw this film around the age of 7 (1977), shown on late-night TV (my, those were the days when you could REALLY see the classics! TV is not quite as satisfying today....), and my fuzzy memory tells me that it features a quasi-sappy romance between the two main characters. I loved it at the time, and would very much love to see it again, to see just how good (or rotten) my taste-level was (is).

While "Virginia" was filmed in Technicolor, you'd never believe it if you see the copy floating around on YouTube! It's completely washed out and all the colors look like sepia. I do hope there's a better copy available than this one.

Charlotte Dunterry (Madeliene Carrol) is returning to her ancestral home in Virginia. Why she has a British accent and grew up no where near the South seemed odd. But was even odder was what happened next. When she arrived at the old plantation, she finds that the black people NEVER left the place because they adored their white masters so much. In fact, with no Dunterrys there...they just waited....and waited. Apparently, these folks resented the abolition of slavery...and people watching it today will likely be annoyed or confused by bizarro view of slavery!! Add to that the words used to describe these folks and you have a recipe for a heart attack for the easily offended!

In addition to presenting a ridiculous view of the South, the movie has to do with Charlotte's love life. After all, she has two men who adore her...but since it's a movie, you know something is going to prevent her from getting the right one until the story ends! Will she end up with young Sterling Hayden or Fred MacMurray? This portion of the story is mildly interesting...too bad it's burdened with the crazy pro-slavery theme!

This film not only is a bad history lesson, but it is simply one cliche after another...and quite formulaic. Again and again, I predicted exactly what would happen next because of this. Overall, a poorly written and rather silly picture.

This is a great film - it doesn't matter that the theme somewhat reminds you of another Southern-based film - or that characters are loosely similar to that other film - what matters is that my grandparents were extras in the picture at the very beginning! Grandma & Grandpa Hurt lived in Howardsville, Virginia (and so did my Father's parents, Grandma & Grandpa Peters) and that station was chosen to be the mythical Fairville, Virginia (over another nearby town to that town's chagrin). My Father's grandparents (Peters) are standing behind Fred MacMurray on the station platform as the train arrives in the opening sequence. My grandfather Hurt was off camera behind the same scene! Okay, so my Mother & Father told me this story - over and over again! But because of that story, my interest in film-making was kindled. I've found a copy of the film (on DVD no less!) but I'm still looking for a "clean" copy of the film or a set of 'reels' from a theater. It's a great film for sitting in front of the fireplace with a warm cup of cocoa and watching. (I also have one copy of a photo from my aunt Eleanor that was taken during a break in shooting that has cast and crew in it.)

this is one of very few color pictures made,up to that time,so its interesting if only for that.The cast is great looking,MacMurray and Madeleine Carroll made many movies together,here one also gets a very young Sterling Hayden.This was supposedly shot on location ,which was very uncommon in those days,and it shows in a beautiful horseriding sequence.The story is pure southern flag-waving,the south is represented by the MacMurray character,who is a poor,educated,honest farmer full of ideals about southern tradition.The yankees are a bunch of ignorant,too rich with too much time on their hands folk,who are only interested in a good time.Anyway,if one gets over the flag-waving ,its still a goodlooking picture with some attractive actors.

Whether one likes Virginia or not I think all will agree the film is in bad need of restoration. This was a big budget item for Paramount in 1941 and it marked Sterling Hayden's debut.

At least this corner of the Old Dominion doesn't look like it changed much since the Civil War. Madeleine Carroll is the heir to a large estate down there and she's come down from New York to sell the old plantation.

Selling the old place would offend local sensibilities and be contrary to the way of life or so Madeleine is informed by Fred MacMurray who has the place next door. But a transplanted northerner played vby Sterling Hayden next foor on the other side wants to buy the old plantation.

So Carroll is caught both romantically and business wise between MacMrray and Hayden. Guess who she chooses.

In real life she chose Sterling Hayden and one must read an account of how he arrived at Paramount with no theatrical background and got this second lead in a bid budget picture. It's all in his memoir The Wanderer.

The reason this film just ain't seen too often is the unbelievable portrayal of the black people who act like slavery never was abolished. Louise Beaver and Leigh Whipper and the rest made me wince and can you imagine what a black person might feel watching Virginia.

This will never make a top five for either of the three leads.