That Forsyte Woman
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List Price: $19.98
Features
• Color
• NTSC
In Theaters : 03 November, 1949
Video Release : 07 December, 1994 |
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That Forsyte Woman Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥ |
What were they thinking???!!??
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I like Flynn, Garson, and even Galsworthy as much as anyone, but what were they thinking when they cast and wrote this movie? First of all we are to believe that Greer Garson is going to leave Errol Flynn for Robert Young? Who would prefer Marcus Welby to Captain Blood? Of course, we all know she is going to end up with Walter Pidgeon, anyway, but what woman in her right mind would choose Robert Young over Errol Flynn?
I suppose that Robert Young might have the edge because Flynn, transplanted from his native soil of Warner Borthers to MGM, seems to think that acting constipated constitutes great acting. Flynn tries to pretend to be as materialistic as Soames, but you know in his heart of hearts he is longing to chase starlets at the Brown Derby or Maid Marian in Sherwood Forest
Of course Greer Garson might be wondering what her motivation was in the first place. She is her usual pleasant self and it is difficult for her to come to grips with the character's ambiguities. In the book Irene marries Soames because her choices are limited and Soames loses her because he is unable to express his love for her. In this version Soames cannot act because he is miscast and Irene is too caught up with maintaining a characterisitic upbeat atmosphere to notice. Let's just say that Basil Rathbone (Soames), Lana Turner (Irene), and Errol Flynn (as Bosinney) would have made much more sense. Walter Pidgeon is perfectly cast as the decent Jolyon.
Along with the casting mistakes poor judgement is shown in the script. The movie omits the rape sequence, although the characters behave like it happened just the same. Irene is suddenly and inexelicably wandering through the fog, apparently seeking to throw herself under a carriage for some strange reason. What has happened here? She has merely had a fight that scarcely rises to the emotional tempo of a wet tea bag and yet here is Mrs. Miniver bereft of all interest in life. One knows exactly what has happened if one has read the book, but the script writer appears to have lead a sheltered life. Why Irene should long to be violently trampled to death can only be ascribed to the fact that she sympathizes with her husband's digestive difficulties and decides to end it all in an effort to appease these angry gods. The only motivation she has is that she and Soames had a sharp discussion which is hardly serious enough to long for the feel of horses hoofs on oneself. In the Forsyte Saga TV series Fleur and Michael had quarrels like this usually every episode and no one started eyeing carriages in this peculiar way.
Just as Irene wants to find that carriage with her name on it Bosinney decides to horse whip Soames (and being hit by the very hansom cab that Greer Garson had been previously intent on finding - a satisfying moment since he no longer is around to entice Greer/Irene!)
In a twinkling of an eye Greer Garson runs off with Walter Pidgeon who she should have married in the first place. It would have been more gratifying to watch these two stand up to Hitler or discover radium or something equally noble than to see them bracketed by the miscast Flynn and Young. As it is they are able to put these two actors behind them and live together through at least two or three potential sequels. Yes, this is the sort of movie they should not make anymore and thank God for that!
About the only thing that can said for this production is that it avoids some of the excesses of the recent Masterpiece Theatre TV series which made the Forsytes richer and more ostentatious than royalty. One can thank one's lucky stars that one misses the sight of Flynn purchasing Impressionist paintings vice the Old Masters that Galsworthy and Eric Porter's Soames prefers. Although this probably would have been the one true and authentic gesture in this film. |
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