directed by John Ford

USA 1941

The opening scenes tell you what you're going to feel: the old days and ways, the wide-open beauty of rural Wales, circa 1875, with its cobblestones and donkey-drawn carts, the bare-bones chapel, the courage of miners—and of their women, who too often lost their men deep under the earth. An old woman's face says it all; she's worked hard, lived well, loved and lost. There's the magic of her hills in her face.

(I have a serious complaint here and throughout the film: Moving though it is, I have to wonder why a major motion picture in 1941 chose to film in B&W. For goodness sakes, the film is called How Green Was My Valley! This would all have been unbearably exquisite if I had been able to see the green. As it is, my imagination is good enough, but I shouldn't have had to do without color in the first place.)

All the scenery and sets are exceptional. Someone spent many pounds on sets big enough to cope with wide-angle shots, and much of this is shot on location in Wales, in some enchanted corner where the twentieth century hadn't intruded. It's the heart of Britain in 1870, all thatched roofs and stone walls, all gorgeous. The Morgan family home is cheerful and airy, the house of a family who've worked hard and loyally for the mining company for a long time and have been paid well for their work.
Inside the mines is exactly as it should be. It's black, dreary, rusty...scary shots, shots that let us know the drudgery these men deal with daily. Some of the scenes are so sweaty and awful, you can feel the black-lung disease creeping up your throat.

Excerpt from Laurie Edwards review on CultureDose.net

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Theatrical Release: October 28th, 1941

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DVD Comparison:

20th Century Fox US Region 1- NTSC vs. 20th Century Fox Studio Classics US Region 1- NTSC