How Green Was My Valley (1941)
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The story
Set in the South Wales Valleys during the late Victorian era, the film follows the Morgans, a hard-working mining family. From the perspective of the youngest child, Huw, the story depicts an idyllic childhood in a beautiful village. However, the family's peace is disrupted when the mine owner decreases wages, leading to a strike. Gwilym Morgan, the father, attempts to mediate the dispute, causing a rift between him and his older sons who leave home. As the family navigates the tensions of the labor movement and personal hardships, the narrative chronicles the changing landscape of the coalfields.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The Morgans are a mining family in the South Wales Valleys during the late Victorian era. Huw, the youngest son of Gwilym Morgan, lives an idyllic childhood with his loving parents, sister Angharad, and five brothers. The peace is broken when a wage decrease leads to a miners' strike. Gwilym's refusal to endorse the strike estranges him from his sons. During a snowstorm, Beth and Huw are rescued from a river by strikers, leaving both temporarily paralyzed. Huw eventually recovers with the help of a local preacher, Mr. Gruffydd, who also becomes romantically involved with Angharad. Despite the strike's resolution, many lose jobs. Angharad eventually enters a loveless marriage to the mine owner's son and moves away. Huw, despite receiving a university scholarship, chooses to work in the mines to support his girlfriend Bronwyn, who is pregnant after her fiancé was killed in a mine accident. Years later, after Angharad returns home to face social condemnation, a mine disaster occurs. Mr. Gruffydd leads a rescue team to save Gwilym and his son. Gwilym is briefly reunited with his son before succumbing to his injuries. The film ends with Huw cradling his father's body in the dawn light.
- First release year
- 1941
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; Welsh
- Directors
- John Ford
- Writers
- Philip Dunne · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Walter Pidgeon; Maureen O'Hara; Donald Crisp; Anna Lee; Roddy McDowall
- Genres
- drama; historical
- Themes
- labor movement; father-son relationships; industrialization; family loyalty
- Tone and mood
- sentimental; poetic; nostalgic
- Setting
- South Wales Valleys, late Victorian era
- Premise and plot tags
- historical drama; mining community; labor strike
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1939 novel of the same title by Richard Llewellyn
- Reception
- The film received universal acclaim, being praised for its poetic charm, visual fabrication, and sentimental human drama. It was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. While it won several Academy Awards, it has faced some criticism in the UK for the actors' accents.
- Production trivia
- The fictional village was based on Gilfach Goch.; Fox wanted to shoot in Technicolor in Wales but couldn't due to WWII, so an 80-acre representation was built in California.; The narration was re-dubbed by Irving Pichel to avoid confusion with Rhys Williams' onscreen role.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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