So Well Remembered

Hectic House in Macclesfield bought an original print of this film and have released it on VHS & DVD- primarily as a historic record of the town in the 1940s. It has been suggested that Macclesfield was chosen as the location for "the Lancashire mill town of Bowdley" in 1946, as the Luftwaffe had paid no visits in the preceding years - and much of the film is set in the 1920's. The quality is not fantastic, and it has a sepia tint which may or may not be original. The film went out of copyright, and was unavailable in the UK for many years. Could the film's disappearance have anything to do with Dmytryk's trouble with HUAC?

A typically well-made British drama (with an Anglo-American cast including John Mills, Martha Scott and Trevor Howard); rarely seen today and deserves a far wider audience. Based on a novel by James Hilton ("Lost Horizon"), who also does the narration, "So Well Remembered" captures perfectly the gloom of a poverty-stricken British village; chronicles the efforts of a newspaper editor (Mills) to fight for better living conditions. Great atmospheric black-and-white photography; good performances by Mills and Martha Scott as his ambitious, class-conscious wife who grows ever resentful of her husband's dedication to his village. A small dramatic gem. (Unfortunately not available on video, but was released on laserdisc as part of the now out-of-print RKO Classic Collection).

First of all let me tell you that the copy I watched on video is produced by Hectic House Records and sold in the town of Macclesfield, England, - the location at which the movie was shot. Bear in mind that this film has recently been re-discovered, owned by a private collector. The production is in Sepia (that sort of brownish/greenish effect that is neither colour or black and white). The quality of sound is absolutely appalling. Even using a high quality video/TV/separate powered speakers a lot of patience and forgiveness is required by the viewer.

Now on to the movie. What can I say? It is an absolute gem. John Mills' portrayal of George Boswell is almost reminiscent of his performance as Willy Mossop in "Hobson's Choice" (although dare I say even better). Trevor Howard once again plays a doctor (recalling "Brief Encounter"), except this time a sullen, often drunken character; but nevertheless a highly moralistic and commendable Dr. Richard Whiteside. Martha Scott's performance as Olivia Channing reminds males of all ages how it is always possible for a weeping, vulnerable pretty young woman can be a devil in disguise! Great performances from the rest of the cast, including a 'natural' performance from Hayley Mills as baby Julie.

Macclesfield as a Town has changed considerably since 1947; in fact it's one of the wealthiest areas of the whole of the UK in 2004. But scenes in "So Well Remembered" do remain recognisable.

This movie deserves a complete make-over as it is so outstandingly good.

The British Rank Organisation came up with a gem of a 1947 film, "So Well Remembered." Interesting to see the usually kind and sympathetic Martha Scott playing a nasty sort of woman here. You wouldn't think that from the beginning of the film when Scott as Olivia seems to be a victim of her father's imprisonment.

Sociologists would enjoy this film tackling the housing situation in Britain circa the post-World War 1 period. The areas shown are slums with diphtheria running rampant.

John Mills is our hero here. He sacrifices a very lucrative career in parliament to devote his energies to improving housing in his area and therefore trying to solve the problem of poverty. He weds Olivia who can't seem to bring their young son to a clinic when the diphtheria epidemic strikes. After the child dies, she leaves her husband, remarries and has a son by that film, played by an adult, Richard Carlson. Carlson is extremely good here,especially in his disfigured scenes when mother Scott becomes totally possessive.

Trevor Howard shines as an alcoholic doctor. The unevenness of the film may be shown from the problems of poverty to the all-possessive Olivia who tries to smother her war-injured son.(Carlson). She is finally rebuked in her effort to do this by Mills, who should have done this years before.

An interesting film, well acted.

I viewed this 1940's movie on TCM last evening and was impressed by the quality of the film-making and the leading character's integrity and social conscience. These qualities led the youthful councillor, played by John Mills, to defend the woman he would fall in love with, Martha Scott, little knowing the consequences he would face in later life.

John Mills always seemed so gifted at portraying classy British gentlemen and this is certainly the case in this role. Martha Scott was less convincing as his wife, whose later character was at odds with her former self. Her son Charles, by a second marriage, was much too old for the part and looked more like a brother than a son.

The movie shows how two people come into conflict over personal values and family crises. The film-making is superb and the opening shots drew me into the story because each was a perfect black/white photograph. The quality of the movie made me think it was re-mastered and did not show the faded, sepia-tone look that some reviews were critical of. The rain was so real it gave me a chill just looking at the screen as the young couple went running through the cobblestone streets and took refuge under a bridge.

Though somewhat flawed, this movie is a worthy addition to the library of British black/white cinema from the mid-20th century. Thank goodness for TCM bringing them back to the screen.