This should have been a really good film, but I found it lacking in several important respects. But let's discuss the good points first. The sets and the Technicolor photography are magnificent, and I like the whole idea of presenting the past NEGATIVELY! The sheer squalor alone is enough to shatter any romantic associations we might have, and when you add brutality, abuse and the negative lot of almost all women, both rich and poor, the negativity adds up to almost complete nausea. This was certainly a ground-breaking idea but it's definitely not one that is going to endear the film to 99% of its intended audience. But I congratulate Fox for making such an expensive movie purely for professional critics like myself who are tired of all the sunny, bright and happy movies made for general consumption. Mind you, I wouldn't like this transformation to become a permanent fixture, but it is nice to see the ugly and horrible side of the past in order to remind us how fortunate we are to be living in the present century. Mind you, I got the impression that Ty Power's reaction was also negative. The best that I can say about his performance is that he says his lines distinctly, even though his heart is obviously not in them. The other players make little impression. Henry Koster's direction, as usual, is at its most persuasive in the background scenes. Elsewhere, it tends to lack backbone.
Review of I'll Never Forget You
