Enchantment

1948 "JUST ABOUT THE MOST WONDERFUL LOVE STORY EVER FILMED!"
7.2| 1h40m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 25 December 1948 Released
Producted By: Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Country:
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Roland Dane finally retires to the house he was brought up in. Lost in thoughts of his lost love Lark, he does not want to be disturbed in his last days. However, the appearance of his niece and her subsequent romance with Lark's nephew causes him to reevaluate his life and offer some advice so the young couple doesn't make the same mistake he did, all those years ago.

Genre

Drama, Romance

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Director

Irving Reis

Production Companies

Samuel Goldwyn Productions

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Enchantment Audience Reviews

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.
ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
Tymon Sutton The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.
Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
HotToastyRag David Niven, aged up with white hair and wrinkles, returns to his childhood home. He's alone and has clearly lived a life of sadness and regret. While wallowing in his memories, he learns of a blooming romance between his niece, Evelyn Keyes, and his former love's nephew, Farley Granger. As the young lovers face their obstacles, Niven recounts his love affair with Teresa Wright.This is an incredibly beautiful film, with a love story that should be remembered and ranked up with the greatest classics, like Gone with the Wind and Casablanca. Unfortunately, this film has mostly gone unremembered through the years, and I can't understand why. With Hugo Friedhofer's beautiful score, a sensitive screenplay adaptation by John Patrick-writer of The Hasty Heart, Some Came Running, and Love is a Many-Splendored Thing-and fantastic performances by Niven and Wright, this should be a go-to classic on anyone's list. After a role like this, it's a wonder David Niven didn't play continuous romantic leads the remainder of his career. He and Teresa have a wonderful chemistry together, and with the infinite sadness in his eyes, it's a wonder I didn't bawl my way through the entire movie.The preview is a great representation without giving anything away, a rare treat in old movie previews. If it tugs at your heart, rent the movie. You might bump it to the top of your list of cinematic romances. Bring your Kleenexes, though. Enchantment is a tearjerker.
trvr_hffmn I just saw this movie this morning at 4 am, and found it like many other oldies to be a goodie. A well told story, with complexity and sentiment woven together like a fine tapestry. Not a particular David Niven fan, but like Cary Grant, he possessed a kind of boyish sincerity and vulnerability that was probably a big part of his appeal.But...if you enjoyed this movie and seek something similar, and especially if you are a Niven fan, then look for "A Matter of Life and Death," AKA "Stairway to Heaven." This film is equal to "Enchantment," and that is a high compliment. Good luck in finding it, and enjoy.
Neil Doyle The 1940s seemed to be the decade of the romantic "women's films" featuring stars like Bette Davis, Merle Oberon, Olivia de Havilland and others. And Samuel Goldwyn had the good taste to hire the best script writers, the best cinematographers, the best musicians, and the best available actors to play in all of his films.None was more romantic than ENCHANTMENT and it has a warm glow about it, despite being a tale of unrequited love whereby an elderly man (DAVID NIVEN in convincing age make-up) recalls his younger days and his sweetheart (TERESA WRIGHT) who leaves him because of a misunderstanding caused by his neurotic sister (JAYNE MEADOWS).When a young woman ambulance driver (EVELYN KEYES), who happens to be his niece, comes to stay in the grand old house during the London blitz of World War II, he advises her not to make the same mistake he did in following his true love. Result: a happy ending for Keyes and her pilot lover FARLEY GRANGER when she goes rushing after him during an air raid.The tale is told in a clever use of flashbacks from one generation to the other, and all of it is photographed in crisp B&W splendor by Gregg Toland with a quietly effective musical score by Hugo Friedhofer. It's a handsomely mounted production, tastefully done without overdoing the sentimentality of the tale. LEO G. CARROLL is excellent as Niven's servant, realistically aged for the part of the tale that takes place in the present.Highly recommended as a quality picture of its kind.It's also a sad reminder of the fact that after leaving Samuel Goldwyn under the contract system, TERESA WRIGHT's screen career floundered and she soon found that she had to work for lesser salaries in films not worthy of her presence. She became a free agent but admitted that it turned out to be a huge mistake.
MartinHafer This is a lovely tale set in England during the blitz. An American servicewoman (Evelyn Keyes) stops by the house of her elderly uncle (David Niven). At first the uncle is pretty grumpy but he relents and lets her stay in his home. A little later, his nephew (Farley Granger) from Canada also stops by and much of the rest of the film is spent going back and forth in flashbacks telling the story of Niven and his step-sister, Lark (Teresa Wright), and their abortive plans to marry. Their plans are marred by the exceptionally nasty older sister of Niven, played with gusto by Jayne Meadows. In the end, the story becomes a wistful tale of what might have been. At the same time, a romance blooms between Granger and Keyes, but Keyes is hesitant. But then Niven intervenes to illustrate how his regrets in love have haunted him and convinces Keyes to literally chase after Granger in the film's emotional conclusion.The film works so well for many reasons. First, the makeup is great--the stars really were aged well and you'd have almost thought that Niven and his butler, Leo G. Carroll were really old men when the movie was made. Second, the acting was terrific--especially the wonderful job done by young Gigi Perreau as Lark as a child. Her expression was amazing and she handled the job well. Third, the music, cinematography and direction were beautifully and lovingly done. A first-class job all the way.