That Forsyte Woman (1949)

To me, this movie is perfection.

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Admirable film.

I don't know which film I thought this was when I ordered it, but I was wrong. Nevertheless, I was glad to watch it because I have always liked Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon when they performed together, and I always liked Errol Flynn. This film starts out a bit stuffy, but rapidly improves once you get a ways into it.Before giving details, I should mention that as available, as of this writing, this is one of those DVDs that is DVD-R. Fortunately, the master print is in good condition, and while not as crisp as one might prefer, the color is quite well preserved, so it's enjoyable to watch from a technical perspective.There's an excellent cast involved in this film, and an interesting plot. Errol Flynn is the younger generation of a rich and staid British family; he appears to be a bit of a dandy to the older generation, but in reality, he's as stuffy as they are. He falls in love with a lowly piano teacher (Greer Garson), but is it love or does he simply want to own a wife? Can he hold a marriage together without emotional love? Meanwhile the even younger family member -- Janet Leigh -- is being courted by a poor, young architect (Robert Young). Young falls in love with Greer Garson, and wends his way into her life! And always around the edges is Flynn's brother, the disinherited painter Walter Pidgeon. While it may sound like just another romantic triangle, it is much more involved than that! The casting here is very interesting. Swashbuckler Errol Flynn is playing the incredibly stuffy man of wealth who makes his older stuffy family look downright animated; he is as cold as cold can be. Surprisingly, after disliking him for almost the entire film, toward the end of the movie the sympathy of most viewers will be will him. On the other hand, Walter Pidgeon plays the gentle-hearted artist brother quite well. Of course, Greer Garson is perfect (as she almost always was) as the piano teacher who married into wealth but is now pursued by two other men. I was never particularly impressed with Janet Leigh, although she does her job well here. Wonderful Harry Davenport is along as the family patriarch...and he is as wonderful as ever in what was one of his final three films (he died later in the year this was released).This was clearly a well heeled production. Sets and costumes are first rate. And, while it could stand a digital upgrade, the color has stood up very nicely.A very sold "7", and recommended for its interesting plot, a surprising plot twist, and the development of the characters.

Long before Masterpiece Theatre did two lengthy commendable treatments of John Galsworthy's The Forsyte Saga you have this Classic's Comics version which in many ways remains superior to the epic treatments. Sumptuously set and impeccably lensed by pantheon cinematographer Joseph Ruttenberger it captures period, manners and place richly with out over reaching or belaboring its point by moving back and forth between its four flawed characters advancing the storyline at a healthy pace.Soames Forsyte (Errol Flynn) wants nothing but the best for his money. He knows the price of everything and the value of nothing only the desire to possess. Smitten with the beautiful Vivian, (Greer Garson) an almost destitute piano teacher he pursues her with the same determination he does his business dealings refusing to take no for an answer. Though Vivian does not feel the same way she succumbs to the economic reality she is faced with and marries him with the hope something might grow out of it. It doesn't and she is little more than a trophy wife whose identity is slowly being extinguished not only by Soames but by the stuffy aristocratic family as well. Matters really begin to deteriorate when a young architect (Robert Young) dating her niece falls for her and she reciprocates.As a commentary on the stuffy dying ways of the Victorian era director Compton Bennett does a subtle job of eviscerating the aristocratic Forsytes with a benign touch, landing blows but not with a heavy hand. He is more concerned with his quartet of characters interactions. The venom he does use to mock the upper crust is saved for Soames with Errol Flynn giving a superb against type portrayal of ill humored callousness. It is arguably the finest dramatic role of his career given that in spite of his despicable ways he manages to garner sympathy in moments throughout the film. Robert Young is also very effective as the cocksure free spirited architect as he displays a confident arrogance and conviction in scenes with both Flynn and Garson.With the four lead roles nearly equally weighted Bennett does a commendable job assigning blame not only to all four characters but to a hypocritical society as well bent on keeping up appearances no matter what the cost. By keeping things measured instead of going flamboyant, displaying passion without crescendo The Forsythe Woman is one well packaged piece of storytelling.

Greer Garson in a role tailor made for...Bette Davis. She plays a Victorian era woman who marries into a wealthy family only to find out that her husband is a possessive psychopath. Garson finds solace in young architect Robert Young (not bad, but very much miscast), who happens to be the beloved of her niece (Janet Leigh, even more grotesquely miscast than Young). Topping it all off is Errol Flynn as Garson's crazy husband. Walter Pidgeon is in the mix too. It's all high gloss drama complete with ironic (and completely unrealistic) ending. It's like a Henry James novel if James had zero talent. This was among the last of the grand dame roles for Garson. Oddly, Flynn manages to give a very respectable performance. Directed by Compton Bennett.

Notable is the absence of children. If this were real life, the hot Errol Flynn and the still fecund (albiet long-in-the-tooth) Greer Garson would have generated children. Is Flynn supposed to be gay? Who knows - he does pick out his wife's outfits and directs her attire, so that's pretty flouncy, but he plays the role super straight, so it is all a bit nutty.The movie's a 7 because of the costuming and the sheer lush absurdity of it all. Walter Pidgeon as an English artist? He's got this super-corporate mid-Atlantic American voice going - again, beyond lunacy.And of course, Janet Leigh - that wild, untamed mid-century Californian, as a stuffy late Victorian Brit? This movie doesn't work on so many levels that it becomes an animal house of conflicting cultures, accents (Harry Davenport - the archetypal midwesterner, plays the patriarch), and appearances (Robert Taylor would make a good grinch who stole Christmas), that it remains irresistible.I think every technicolor movie made in the 1940s is worth watching, so I have a natural bias here. Those of you with less liberal allowances may want to take a pass here, unless you have an insatiable appetite for watching Greer Garson (the reigning "Most Glorious Missus" (i.e, MGM)of the eponymous studio during this period) achieve the amazing combination of (1) suffering, while (2) being so above it all, which she again does very well here, and this time in technicolor.And if you buy into the Ivy League world view, you'll like the movie too: creative artists are the higher order, and the mercenary middle class (i.e., those of who don't have tenure and have to hustle for a living) is scum.Finally, don't come here for any insights into the human condition. Everyone is infantile here ~