The Valley of Decision

When one thinks of Greer Garson, movies like "Mrs. Miniver" or "Pride and Prejudice" come to mind. And when one thinks of Gregory Peck, movies like "To Kill a Mockingbird" or "Gentleman's Agreement" come to mind. However, both of these terrific actors are fantastic in "The Valley of Decision," which I consider to be one of the forgotten classics of the 1940's. It was deservingly nominated for two Academy Awards, including a Best Actress nomination for Greer Garson. I believe she gives one of her most touching, heartfelt performances as Mary Rafferty. This movie is a must-see for all movie fans. I give it an enthusiastic 10 out of 10!

I viewed this movie and fell in love with the story of a family who owned a Pittsburg Steel Mill. What a great movie where determination and love of the steel mills helped preserve and shape the USA into a world power. The portrayal of steel workers along side the upper class was particularly interesting, because the owners are showed as observers and not really part of the sweat and steel, until Gregory Peck gives an awe inspiring speech about what its like working on the ground floor of a steel mill. I particularly enjoyed Gregory and Greer's on screen relationship and the difficulty of romantic relationships between two different classes. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

In Pittsburgh in 1873, plucky Irish immigrant Greer Garson accepts a position as a servant in the mansion of steel magnate Donald Crisp, though her father was crippled in his mill. Inevitably, Greer and Gregory Peck (as the principled second son of the family) find themselves drawn to each other despite class differences, and surprisingly, his parents spprove. But a series of dramatic events -- a steelworkers' strike, three violent killings, a spite marriage, a natural death and a surprising bequest -- all conspire to keep Greer and Greg apart while the audience is left to wonder when and how they can get together.

In a way we don't care since these mismatched stars have no chemistry together. In only his third screen role, Gregory Peck is always competent and is sometimes better than that, but his cool, placid demeanor works against this tale of romance thwarted for over a decade. For her part, Greer Garson was never one to suggest sexual attraction or romantic passion, and she has the further handicap of looking much older than Peck and seeming too old to play her character in the early parts of the film. But by the end, when her character's age has caught up to her, Garson's usual poise and authority seem just right.

If the lack of fireworks between the stars seems like a drawback, it somehow isn't because the narrative is really about the love affair an unhappy woman has with a warm, charismatic family. And here, the producer and the director Tay Garnett make sure the film is enlivened with a talented and varied supporting cast including Donald Crisp, Gladys Cooper, Lionel Barrymore (a hambone as usual), Dan Duryea, Preston Foster, Reginald Owen, Marshall Thompson and young Dean Stockwell.

Of particular interest are two excellent supporting performances. MGM stalwart Marsha Hunt brings some bite and complexity to the role of Peck's sister, a selfish, superficial woman who is nevertheless decent and loving. And though Jessica Tandy spends most of the film in a thankless role as a brittle society girl hoping to snag Peck, by the end of the film she is allowed to give a vivid performance of bravura shrewishness, the kind of thing Agnes Moorehead usually did so well.

This MGM 1945 drama brought Greer Garson and Gregory Peck together for the first and only time. They make a terrific acting pair, at the peak of their careers, and ignite the screen with passionate intensity. Filmed in black and white it tells the story of the dispute between a steel manufacturer and the men that work in the mill. Miss Garson plays a pretty maid who takes a job in the lavish home of Pittsburgh steel magnate, wonderfully played by veteran actor Donald Crisp. Peck plays one of his sons, devoted to his father's mill who works diligently alongside some of the mill workers, notably Preston Foster, to bring a newer more modern way of producing better steel. Crisp has two other sons; Dan Duryea, a bit more greedy for the money rather than the work and Marshall Thompson as the youngest son, who tends to drink away his carefree lifestyle. There is also a daughter played by the talented Marsha Hunt in one of her best performances and certainly worthy of a supporting Oscar nomination. By the way Greer did get a Best Actress nomination for this.

The distinguished Gladys Cooper plays the matriarch of the family and befriends Greer, leaving her share of the mill. Trouble brews among Greer's family when her father, played by another veteran, Lionel Barrymore, an embittered man having lost the use of his legs in an accident in the mill, stirs up violence that has tragic consequences.

Jessica Tandy also gives a dynamic performance as Peck's wife and look for a very young Dean Stockwell as their son. If you like big stars and excellent featured actors along with a compelling story, this is a film for you. Directed by Tay Garnett.

If you're interested in this movie, and others like it, and if you've gotten so far as to be reading this review, you probably already know the plot, so I don't need to get into all that. No, my purpose here, and in most of my other reviews, is to take a look at other aspects of the movie, such as acting, writing, etc.

So, here goes: "Valley of Decision" is overall a touching, well done movie. One of the best things is certainly the star power contained in the cast. We have the lovely Greer Garson, who really does a nice job in this. Gregory Peck is one of my favorite leading men, and what always impressed me is how quickly he rose to the top in Hollywood. "Valley of Decision" was only his third film, yet at only 29 years old he was already established as a lead. Donald Crisp, who seems to be in almost everything, is a reliable character actor as well. And now let me say a brief word in defense of Lionel Barrymore. I've noticed that a couple other reviews on here are saying that he ruins the film with his "ham overacting". Well, I'm sorry, but Lionel Barrymore was an acting genius, and maybe he was a ham, but in the acting world I think that's more often a good thing than bad. Let's face it: his role in this was not supposed to be subtle, and his character was not supposed to be likeable. Yes, perhaps his other film villains, such as Mr. Potter from "It's a Wonderful Life" were more poised and shrewd, but that was not called for in this. He played an embittered man who held on to a grudge for way too long, and it had terrible consequences. If Lionel Barrymore carried out his role the way he saw fit as the one playing the part, then so be it. Don't slam him for it. He didn't wreck the film, or his own portrayal of the character; he may have chosen to overplay the role, but I think his bitterness ended up being very effective, and his hatred convincingly disturbing.

Now that I'm finished with that, allow me to talk about the movie as a whole. It's very good, and I would definitely recommend it. It's a sweet, old-fashioned, uncomplicated love story, and I wish they still made movies like this today. What a shame that the majority of romances (and most other genres, come to think of it) made in this day and age are full of bad language and sex and/or nudity in every other scene. I have a true fondness and respect for the good old days when movies were movies!