Enchanted Cottage - Dorothy McGuire

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Directed by John Cromwell
USA 1945

After a crash disfigures his face and maims his body, pilot Oliver Bradford (Robert Young) hides from family and friends in a seaside cottage. There he befriends homely, gentle Laura Pennington (Dorothy McGuire). The two marry for companionship – until some rare magic within the cottage transforms them into ardent and beautiful lovers. Director John Cromwell’s delicate, achingly romantic film is based on Sir Arthur Wing Pinero’s play, written in a post-World War I era of broken men returning to families who could not recognize them. When history sadly repeated itself, World War II film audiences likewise embraced a story of the transcendent power of love. The film so moved Young that he named his own California home The Enchanted Cottage.

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Theatrical Release: February 15th, 1945

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DVD Review: Warner Home Video (Warner Archive Collection) - Region 0 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Warner Home Video Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:32:12
Video	1.33:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.82 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles	None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Warner Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Archive Advert (:59) DVD Release Date: March 9th, 2010 Keep Case Chapters: 10

Comments:

Great post-war, heart-wrenching, RKO romance with the magnetism of girl-next-door Dorothy McGuire. Leonard Maltin interviewed Robert Young in 1986 and the actor thought that The Enchanted Cottage was "the best love story ever written". He'll have an army of fans in agreement.

Supposedly undeserved of a standard release - the film has, at least, made it to the Warner DVD-R Archive. It is single-layered, progressive treatment with some speckles and light marks. It's fairly soft and the elements look to be in need of a restoration. Overall though it is, indeed, watchable and the film's inner beauty shines through (how could it not?).

No subtitles - and an unremarkable 2.0 channel audio that is on the quiet side. This area also sounds in need of a restoration spit polish to help it along. Extras consist of only the Archive advert - no trailer.

You'd have to be pretty jaded not to feel your heart strings, at least, 'tickled', if not fully tugged, by this wonderful love-fantasy. It borders on masterpiece with some great camerawork and solid Hebert Marshall as the blind sage. McGuire consistently wins me over - this is a keeper and deserves a whole lot better - but as the only game in town we must positively recommend!