Random Harvest

1942

Drama / Romance

Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 82% · 11 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 89% · 2.5K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.9/10 10 9198 9.2K

amnesia based on novel or book world war i musical romance 1940s

Director

Mervyn LeRoy Photo
Mervyn LeRoy

Top cast

Sidney D'Albrook Photo
Sidney D'Albrook as Workman
Bramwell Fletcher Photo
Bramwell Fletcher as Harrison
Keith Hitchcock Photo
Keith Hitchcock as Commissionaire
Forrester Harvey Photo
Forrester Harvey as Cabby

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by jotix100 8 / 10

Losing one's mind

Reviewed by tjonasgreen 8 / 10

One Of The Three Most Emotionally Satisfying Movies Ever Made.

Along with NOW, VOYAGER and CASABLANCA, RANDOM HARVEST is one of the three most emotionally satisfying movies to ever come out of Hollywood's classic period, and a great example of the best that MGM had to offer in the '40s. Beautifully accomplished in every department from writing to art direction to cinematography to scoring, you have only to watch the first scene (so like REBECCA's) to be drawn in by it and then consistently surprised and entertained. And reading the 28 other comments here, I am struck by the unanimity of opinion -- because what makes the contrived plot believable scene by scene, and what causes the picture as a whole to live so warmly in the memory, is the unbeatable work from Ronald Colman and Greer Garson. More than MRS. MINIVER, this is the archetypal Garson performance: her tact, gentle humor and intelligent restraint are in perfect service to her character and the story. If she seems too starry and aristocratic to be a lowly music hall performer, she is right in every other respect, particularly as an efficient secretary, society hostess and perfect helpmate. And this is Ronald Colman's best work ever. He should have won his Oscar for this lovely, subtle performance rather than for the strained work he did in A DOUBLE LIFE. Full of wistfulness as the amnesiac early in the film, there is real heartbreak in the way he says the line "I would have liked to have belonged to them" about the couple he hopes will turn out to be his parents. But he is just as convincing later as the confident, energetic 'Industrial Prince of England.' Colman and Garson are the perfect grownup romantic couple: they make intelligence and maturity seem impossibly glamorous, and they embody the idea that friendship, loyalty and mutual respect must be at the center of every enduring love.
Reviewed by ecjones1951 9 / 10

The only "amnesia" movie that really works.

Thank heaven Sydney Pollack did not have amnesia when choosing this year's Essentials for TCM. I had long heard of "Random Harvest," primarily from relatives who saw it on first release, but never had the chance to see it for myself until this year.What a wonderful movie. It's never overly sentimental, it's wistful and suspenseful at times, and buoyed by supreme performances from Ronald Colman and Greer Garson.And who knew Greer could sing and dance like Marlene Dietrich! Colman was so versatile; one of the few actors who was just as successful in talkies as he had been in silents. He was by turns dashing, heroic, dignified, playful and romantic. Here he gets to be all of them. And Greer is his equal. This movie (and "Valley of Decision") made me a fan of hers, plus we have the same birthday.Sydney Pollack was right in abandoning his long-held plans to remake "Random Harvest." It simply couldn't be done again. Mervyn LeRoy, the James Hilton story and that wonderful company of actors can't be bested.
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