The Corn Is Green

My god, this is sentimental. Pauline Kael: "Bette Davis was only 36 when she played Miss Moffat, the aging spinster schoolteacher of Emlyn Williams' play. Lacking the moral authority of age and the solidity, Davis substituted an air of pedantic refinement that is too thin-spirited for the material. The film lingers in the memory anyway. [...] It's a shame that [John Dall] is importuned to become the savior of his country; it's also very apparent that Hollywood isn't Wales."

I usually love Bette Davis movies, but not The Corn Is Green (1945) so much. The characters came across to forced, and that includes Bette herself. Not that she was bad or anything like that. Just didn't feel she fit the part. But most of all I was disappointed with John Dall's grand entry into movies. Something about it was off for my tastes. The energy, the torment, the attitude was there, but I didn't find his persona genuine. The story is good one, and production, naturally.

Members of the opposite sex should appreciate this more than mine, but it's not bad. Could use an intermission though. Ultimately, an inspiring story, and the ending is classic.