How Green Was My Valley (1941)

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Philip Dunne (screen play)
Richard Llewellyn (based on the novel by)

Release Date:

9 April 1942 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Family

Tagline:

Rich is their humor! Deep are their passions! Reckless are their lives! Mighty is their story!

Plot:

Life is hard in a Welsh mining town and no less so for the Morgan family. Seen through the eyes of the family's youngest...

Plot Keywords:

Village | Girl | Miner | Wales | Boy

Awards:

Won 5 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Walter Pidgeon	...	Mr. Gruffydd
Maureen O'Hara	...	Angharad
Anna Lee	...	Bronwyn
Donald Crisp	...	Mr. Morgan
Roddy McDowall	...	Huw
John Loder	...	Ianto
Sara Allgood	...	Mrs. Morgan
Barry Fitzgerald	...	Cyfartha
Patric Knowles	...	Ivor
Welsh Singers	...	Themselves
Morton Lowry	...	Mr. Jonas
Arthur Shields	...	Mr. Parry
Ann E. Todd	...	Ceinwen (as Ann Todd)
Frederick Worlock	...	Dr. Richards
Richard Fraser	...	Davy
Evan S. Evans	...	Gwilym
James Monks	...	Owen
Rhys Williams	...	Dai Bando
Lionel Pape	...	Evans
Ethel Griffies	...	Mrs. Nicholas
Marten Lamont	...	Iestyn Evans
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gertrude Astor	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Frank Baker	...	(uncredited)
Robert Bradford	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Ruth Clifford	...	Village Woman (uncredited)
Phillip Dare	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Edward Davies	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Minta Durfee	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Herbert Evans	...	Postman (uncredited)
Mary Field	...	Eve (uncredited)
Pauline Garon	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Mary Gordon	...	Gossiper (uncredited)
Gibson Gowland	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Ben Hall	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Louis Jean Heydt	...	Miner (uncredited)
Tiny Jones	...	Mrs. Tossel (uncredited)
Eve March	...	Meillyn Lewis (uncredited)
Mae Marsh	...	Miner's Wife (uncredited)
Harry McKim	...	Child (uncredited)
Lydia McKim	...	Child (uncredited)
Peggy McKim	...	Child (uncredited)
Jack Pennick	...	Mine Superintendent (uncredited)
Irving Pichel	...	Huw Morgan as an Adult (voice) (uncredited)
Arthur Pritchard	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Clifford Severn	...	Mervyn (uncredited)
Allan Watson	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Jan Williams	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Tudor Williams	...	Singer (uncredited)

Directed by
John Ford

Writing credits
Philip Dunne		(screen play)
Richard Llewellyn		(based on the novel by)

Produced by
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	producer

Original Music by
Alfred Newman		(music)

Cinematography by
Arthur C. Miller		(director of photography) (as Arthur Miller)

Film Editing by
James B. Clark		(film editor)

Art Direction by
Richard Day		(art direction)
Nathan Juran		(art direction)

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little

Costume Design by
Gwen Wakeling		(costumes)

Makeup Department
Guy Pearce	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Gene Bryant	....	unit production manager (uncredited)
William Koenig	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gene Bryant	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Edward O'Fearna	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Wingate Smith	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Walter Cooper	....	stand-by painter (uncredited)
Ben Wurtzel	....	head of construction (uncredited)

Sound Department
Eugene Grossman	....	sound
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)

Special Effects by
Fred Sersen	....	special photographic effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Chesley Bonestell	....	matte artist (uncredited)
W. Percy Day	....	matte painter (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Joseph LaShelle	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Paul Lockwood	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department
Owain Alaw	....	composer: "I Saw a Tiny Streamlet"
G.H. Arfon	....	composer: "Llef"
Mynyddag	....	lyricist: "Myfanwy-Arabella"
William Owen	....	composer: "Bryn Calfaria"
Joseph Parry	....	composer: "Myfanwy-Arabella"
J.T. Rees	....	composer: "Penpark"
Hugo Friedhofer	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Gomer Jones	....	music researcher (uncredited)
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Tudor Williams	....	musical arrangements (uncredited)

Other crew
C.C. Hardy	....	stand-in: Donald Crisp (uncredited)
Idwal Jones	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Ray C. Moore	....	location manager (uncredited)
Jack Pennick	....	assistant: John Ford (uncredited)
Rhys Williams	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (presents) (as Twentieth Century-Fox)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1941) (USA) (theatrical) (released through) (as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1947) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Centfox (1950) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Fox Films (1943) (Finland) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2001) (Brazil) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• FS Film Oy (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Finnkino (1996) (Finland) (VHS)
• TV3 (1990) (Finland) (TV)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1963) (1972) (1997) (Finland) (TV)

Also Known As:

"Richard Llewellyn's How Green Was My Valley" - USA (complete title)
"¡Qué verde era mi valle!" - Argentina, Spain
"Jag minns min gröna dal" - Finland (Swedish title) (imdb display title), Sweden
"So grün war mein Tal" - Germany, West Germany (new title)
"Com'era verde la mia valle" - Italy
"Como Era Verde Meu Vale" - Brazil
"Grøn var min barndoms dal" - Denmark
"Grønn var min barndoms dal" - Norway (imdb display title)
"Hová lettél, drága völgyünk?" - Hungary (imdb display title)
"I koilada tis kataras" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)
"I prasini koilada mou" - Greece (DVD title)
"Kako je bila zelena moja dolina" - Yugoslavia (Serbian title) (literal title)
"O Vale Era Verde" - Portugal
"Qu'elle était verte ma vallée" - France
"Qué verde era mi valle" - Mexico (imdb display title)
"Schlagende Wetter" - West Germany
"Schwarze Diamanten" - West Germany
"Vadim o kadar yesildi ki" - Turkey (Turkish title)
"Vihreä oli laaksoni" - Finland
"Zielona dolina" - Poland

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Welsh

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:U | West Germany:12 (f) | USA:Approved (certificate #7480) | Canada:G (video rating) | Brazil:Livre | USA:Not Rated | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Darryl F. Zanuck paid $300,000 for the rights to the novel.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Although a good effort is putting into making the locations look Welsh, the mountains sometimes seen in the background are too high for South Wales.

Quotes:

Beth Morgan:I have come up here to tell you what I think of you all, because you are talking against my husband. You are a lot of cowards to go against him. He has done nothing against you and he never has and you know it well. How some of you, you smug-faced hypocrites...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Penpark

Unforgettable Film

This moving film has become part of the all-time American classics, and rightly so. It is a beautifully conceived and executed adaptation of a beloved novel.

One of John Ford's finest hours, it is magnificently staged and shot, with a lovely score (by Alfred Newman) and rich performances, headed by Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O'Hara and Roddy McDowall.

That it was made on a fairly limited budget and filmed entirely on the 20th Century back lot is little short of amazing. Its truly great, sprawling set seems to be the real thing: a actual coal mining town.

Ford's attention to careful group blocking and staging of tableau adds to the artistry of the work. Its political subtext corresponds with America's stance regarding European policy at the time. Other issues such as women's rights and religious bigotry help to likewise bolster the tale.

I agree that "How Green Was My Valley" is a fine achievement, now gloriously restored to dvd for many future viewers to enjoy.