Since You Went Away is David O. Selznick's fine tribute to the folks of the home front during World War II. Like his father-in-law Louis B. Mayer's film Mrs. Miniver, the action is seen through the experiences of the Hilton family, the typical American family, just as the Minivers were Hollywood's idea of the typical British family.
Though she didn't get the big prize like Greer Garson did for Mrs. Miniver, Claudette Colbert was nominated for Best Actress. The previous year's Oscar winner in that category, Jennifer Jones, was nominated in the Supporting Actress category as was Monty Woolley for Best Supporting Actor in his role as the cantankerous boarder Colonel Smollett. Since You Went Away got a whole flock of nominations in 1944, but only came up with best musical scoring as a win. The film had the misfortune to be up in the year of Going My Way. America certainly like its films sentimental that year.
Claudette Colbert is typical American mother as the film opens up whose husband enlisted right after Pearl Harbor. She's got two daughters in school, Jennifer Jones and Shirley Temple. Since You Went Away follows their experiences over the next few years.
I can tell you they were pretty typical. My mother herself graduated Benjamin Franklin High School in Rochester, New York and while there and afterwards worked at a lot of the things you see the Hilton family doing. Her brother, my uncle, was in Europe and would later see action at the Bulge. She did the scrap metal drive like Shirley Temple does here and she also worked at Bausch&Lomb Optical factory like Claudette Colbert later does. She helped make gas masks which while poison gas was not used in World War II, people had memories of it from the previous World War. She had a mission, she worked as though that gas mask would be used by her brother and might save his life in a gas attack.
Everyone back in the day had a mission, it seemed like the whole population was engaged. I'm sure there were a few like gossipy neighbor Agnes Moorehead who complained and moaned about the inconveniences like rationing, it was pretty rare and socially discouraged. Of course after the war, there was a nationwide revolt against such rationing.
This film changed the lives of several of it's principals, David O. Selznick flipped completely over Jennifer Jones. I can certainly see why, she was beautiful back in the day. He broke up the marriage between Jones and Robert Walker who was her husband and also in the cast playing the young soldier Jones falls for. After Since You Went Away, Selznick divorced his wife Irene Mayer and married Jones. He spent the rest of his life as husband and career Svengali to his new wife.
Joseph Cotten was also in the cast as a best friend of Colbert's husband and this was the first of several films he did with Jennifer Jones. He was one class act as a performer, never shown to better advantage than here, not even in Citizen Kane.
David O. Selznick spent the rest of his life trying to top Gone With the Wind. Of course he never did, but in its own way, Since You Went Away is as much an epic as Gone With the Wind. After all, you can't do much better than a supporting cast that was no less than the whole civilian population of the USA.
Though she didn't get the big prize like Greer Garson did for Mrs. Miniver, Claudette Colbert was nominated for Best Actress. The previous year's Oscar winner in that category, Jennifer Jones, was nominated in the Supporting Actress category as was Monty Woolley for Best Supporting Actor in his role as the cantankerous boarder Colonel Smollett. Since You Went Away got a whole flock of nominations in 1944, but only came up with best musical scoring as a win. The film had the misfortune to be up in the year of Going My Way. America certainly like its films sentimental that year.
Claudette Colbert is typical American mother as the film opens up whose husband enlisted right after Pearl Harbor. She's got two daughters in school, Jennifer Jones and Shirley Temple. Since You Went Away follows their experiences over the next few years.
I can tell you they were pretty typical. My mother herself graduated Benjamin Franklin High School in Rochester, New York and while there and afterwards worked at a lot of the things you see the Hilton family doing. Her brother, my uncle, was in Europe and would later see action at the Bulge. She did the scrap metal drive like Shirley Temple does here and she also worked at Bausch&Lomb Optical factory like Claudette Colbert later does. She helped make gas masks which while poison gas was not used in World War II, people had memories of it from the previous World War. She had a mission, she worked as though that gas mask would be used by her brother and might save his life in a gas attack.
Everyone back in the day had a mission, it seemed like the whole population was engaged. I'm sure there were a few like gossipy neighbor Agnes Moorehead who complained and moaned about the inconveniences like rationing, it was pretty rare and socially discouraged. Of course after the war, there was a nationwide revolt against such rationing.
This film changed the lives of several of it's principals, David O. Selznick flipped completely over Jennifer Jones. I can certainly see why, she was beautiful back in the day. He broke up the marriage between Jones and Robert Walker who was her husband and also in the cast playing the young soldier Jones falls for. After Since You Went Away, Selznick divorced his wife Irene Mayer and married Jones. He spent the rest of his life as husband and career Svengali to his new wife.
Joseph Cotten was also in the cast as a best friend of Colbert's husband and this was the first of several films he did with Jennifer Jones. He was one class act as a performer, never shown to better advantage than here, not even in Citizen Kane.
David O. Selznick spent the rest of his life trying to top Gone With the Wind. Of course he never did, but in its own way, Since You Went Away is as much an epic as Gone With the Wind. After all, you can't do much better than a supporting cast that was no less than the whole civilian population of the USA.