65 reviews
Sales Rank: 1052

Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 118
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6

MPN: D2006073D
UPC: 024543060734
EAN: 0024543060734
ASIN: B00006RCO3

Theatrical Release Date: 1941
Release Date: January 14, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: DVD is New, however the Factory Seal has been removed. This is an unwatched Region 1 US DVD.

Similar Items:

•	Mrs. Miniver
•	The Best Years of Our Lives
•	The Grapes of Wrath
•	Gentleman's Agreement
•	All About Eve (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com essential video
John Ford's beautiful, heartfelt drama about a close-knit family of Welsh coal miners is one of the greatest films of Hollywood's golden age--a gentle masterpiece that beat Citizen Kane in the Best Picture race for the 1941 Academy Awards. The picture also won Oscars for Best Director (Ford), Best Supporting Actor (Donald Crisp), Best Art Direction, and Best Cinematography; all of those awards were richly deserved, even if they came at the expense of Kane and Orson Welles. Based on the novel by Richard Llewellyn, the film focuses its eventful story on 10-year-old Huw (Roddy McDowall), youngest of seven children to Mr. and Mrs. Morgan (Donald Crisp, Sarah Allgood), a hardy couple who've seen the best and worst of times in their South Wales mining town. They're facing one of the worst times as Mr. Morgan refuses to join a miners union whose members have begun a long-term strike. Family tensions grow and Huw must learn many of life's harsher lessons under the tutelage of the local preacher (Walter Pidgeon), who has fallen in love with Huw's sister (Maureen O'Hara). As various crises are confronted and devastating losses endured, How Green Was My Valley unfolds as a rich, moving portrait of family strength and integrity. It's also a nod to a simpler, more innocent time--and to the preciousness of memory and the inevitable passage from youth to adulthood. An all-time classic, not to be missed. --Jeff Shannon

Description
Sixty year-old Huw Morgan looks back on his life as a boy (Roddy McDowall) in a small Welsh mining town. His reminiscences reveal the disintegration of the closely knit Morgans, and his devoted parents (Donald Crisp, Sara Allgood), while capturing the sentiments and issues of their time. Maureen O'Hara and Walter Pidgeon co-star in this acclaimed screen classic, the story of one family's dreams, struggles and triumphs.

Customer Reviews: Read 60 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

How Green Was My Valley July 4, 2008
You need a rainy day a warm fire and this movie to have a perfectly wonderful trip back in time. The actors and the mining towns put you right inside of the homes and you feel like one of the family the way this story is told. I am sure you will enjoy this one, It's worth a couple hours of your time.

5 out of 5 stars

What Makes a Classic Classic June 18, 2008
The starkness of the black and white film photography adds to the mood and captures the essence of life in the mining towns of Wales and the social conditions that continue to impact the lives of countless of millions on our planet even today. The strength and integrity of the characters add a realism we no longer find in contemporary film with all of its superficialities which unfortunately reflect much of what passes for relationships in the current milieu. The character actors take over this film because it is a film and not just a "movie". The moral tone and message is not overbearing and the deeply spiritual character of the Welsh people is exempliefied in their "chapel" and their local choir which was the contribution Methodism made to the life of the people of Wales.

3 out of 5 stars

A good film about Welsh culture. May 6, 2008
This movie has worth in that it provides insight into the traditional Welsh culture. It shows many of the difficulties of life working in the mines. Which is really and truly a prime example of the fall-out from the Industrial Revolution. It is very popular in Celtic circles for the fact that it features some of the traditional Male Voice Singers, a Welsh tradition. As far as the plot is concerned, I didn't really find the love story all that compelling. Maureen O'Hara does well in this movie, but the movie itself just isn't the most inspiring the way it is written. It has more promise than it fulfills in the end.

4 out of 5 stars

Maureen O'Hara was even beautiful at 19 April 5, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Many of the John Ford Team is in this one -- Maureen O'Hara (my all time favorite female actress) is fun to watch as are the many John Ford characters. Wonderful special features about the making of the movie and how difficult it was getting the project going. If you like John Ford movies you will like this....To Maureen -- you are such a beautiful and classy woman and have remained so your entire life - thanks!

5 out of 5 stars

A great, timeless classic March 23, 2008
The Amazon review is wonderful and I don't have anything to add; just to nod in agreement that this is a film not to be missed! The story is lovely, deeply sentimental. One wonders if the idyllic village life was truly that beautiful or if that was the way the author wanted to remember it. Anyway, realistic or not, it is refreshing to see a tight knit community, in this day of alienation. I found the singing of the coal miners as they marched to work to be very touching. Can you imagine marching to work with your friends, singing, in three part harmony?!

Of course bad things happened to mar the happiness and that is part of the human experience. The story doesn't gloss over the hardships but they are all met with such heroism that one is heartened to see them. Truly these folks were not trivialized by watching too much Seinfeld.

The cast is perfect. I had never seen Roddy McDowell as a child and was amazed at his flawless performance. Obviously John Ford had a way with actors. He loved them, (the Special Features says) and it shows. There is a natural innocence to all of them. Maureen O'Hara was fresh over from Ireland and in full beauty. Walter Pidgeon is the embodiment of strength, charm and integrity as the parson. (No wonder the O'Hara character fell for him!) Donald Crisp certainly deserved the Oscar he won for his performance as the father! Anna Lee as the big bosomed mother who has her own strength and humor is impressive, too. She makes
you realize what it is to be a mother--to bring babies into the world, only to lose them.

There is a political theme, of the exploitation of the workers by the mine owners and the necessity for the formation of unions. But the human drama is the main focus of the film and one isn't oppressed by dreary polemics. There is a bit of preaching by the preacher when an unwed mother is castigated by the church folks, but it is certainly deserved and, again, it isn't too much.

The film was made at the time when America was about to enter WWII and the audience was ready for such a hearty and comforting tale about human strength in the face of adversity. But it is, like all fine works of art, a film that has something for all of us at any time. Basic human values and virtues never go out of style.