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OK, Joan Fontaine is no Bronx housewife. But this movie about the post-war travails of a New York City couple is genuinely moving. Mark Stevens comes across well in the lead, and Harry Morgan does nicely in a small role. True, these are probably the only non-ethnic people in the Highbridge section of the Bronx, but that's how it was in those days.

"fRom this day forward " looks like Wyler's 'best years of our lives " released the same year,a "best years" in miniature .

The main difference is that Wyler's work took place after the war whereas Berry's movie is part past (the year before the war) and part present (Mark Stevens'coming home) It also deals with the difficulties the soldiers come across with when they return to a country that has sometimes forgotten them.

The best scene,however, is to to be found on draft morning:the couple had put the alarm clock forward and forgotten it;the G.I. did not even have a breakfast (the cupboard is bare anyway);through the window ,Fontaine tries to make her husband come back:there's something of Frank Borzage in this sequence ("seventh heaven" "street angel".)

Although Stevens' presence on the screen is at least as long as that of Fontaine's ,he is granted a "and introducing...." -it was his debut- and Joan Fontaine is the only name before the title of the movie.

Some kind of "the best years of my life" in miniature , "from this day forward" is mainly "backwards" for it essentially consists of flashbacks ; back from war,the hero has now to fight against a Civil Service , with a staff who is often inconsiderate to men who risked their life for their homeland.

As Mark Stevens makes his way through those forms to fill in ,he remembers the past , his wife (Fontaine) ,her family , his difficulty to find a job, his failed attempt at an illustrator career ,his brother-in-law's idle life ,and ,last but not least,the draft morning ...

The secondary characters are not developed enough ,notably the tight-fisted wealthy mom ,but both principals are endearing;Stevens would play opposite Joan Fontaine's sister ,Olivia De Havilland, in "the snake pit "(1948) but this time was overshadowed by his partner.

Fontaine and Stevens dance on the title song.

Good example of studio films from the forties. A love story,but also a history lesson on the labor unions trials and problems of getting a foothold in industry.True to the novel, Mark Stevens and Joan Fontaine are perfectly cast.

Joan Fontaine and Mark Stevens make a wonderful newly-wed couple struggling with the daily ups and downs of life in pre-WWII and at the start of US involvement. Joan Fontaine makes a totally believable young wife who deals with unemployment, poverty, and the struggle to survive in the Bronx. Miss Fontaine, in a break from her shy wife roles, completely captivates the mood of the story and shows her versatility as an actress. She is wonderful in her role. Mark Stevens is wonderful,too,as her husband whose doubts about supporting his wife and his struggle to gain employment are sincerely portrayed. The film is based on a novel "All Brides are Beautiful". This film could have easily become a real "downer" but instead it inspires hope and faith in the human spirit. I highly recommend this film.