It tells the story of the Morgans, a hard-working Welsh mining family, from the point of view of the youngest child Huw, who lives with his affectionate and kind parents as well as his sister and five brothers, in the South Wales Valleys during the late Victorian era. The story chronicles life in the South Wales coalfields, the loss of that way of life and its effects on the family.
The fictional village in the film is based on Gilfach Goch,[3] where Llewellyn spent many summers visiting his grandfather, and it served as the inspiration for the novel.[3] The author had claimed that he based the book on his own personal experiences but this was found to be untrue after his death; Llewellyn was English-born and spent little time in Wales, though he was of Welsh descent.[4] Llewellyn gathered material for the novel from conversations with local mining families in Gilfach Goch.[4]
The Welsh mining village of How Green Was My Valley
The Morgans are a mining family in the South Wales Valleys during the late Victorian era. Huw, the youngest son of Gwilym Morgan, walks home with his father to meet his mother, Beth. His older brothers, Ianto, Ivor, Davy, Gwilym Jr., and Owen all work in the coal mines with their father, while sister Angharad keeps house with their mother. Huw's childhood is idyllic; the town, not yet overrun with mining spoil, is beautiful, the household is warm and loving, and the miners sing as they walk home (in this case "Cwm Rhondda"). Huw is smitten with Bronwyn, a girl engaged to be married to his eldest brother, Ivor. At the boisterous wedding party Angharad meets the new preacher, Mr. Gruffydd, and there is an obvious mutual attraction.
Trouble begins when the mine owner decreases wages, and the miners strike in protest. Gwilym's attempt to mediate by not endorsing a strike estranges him from the other miners as well as his older sons, who leave home. Beth interrupts a late night meeting of the strikers, threatening to kill anyone who harms her husband. She and Huw head across the fields in a snowstorm in the dark to return home. On their way home the strikers hear Huw calling for help. They rescue Beth and Huw from the river. Beth has temporarily lost the use of her legs and the doctor fears that Huw, who has also lost the use of his legs, will never walk again. He eventually recovers with the help of Mr. Gruffydd, which further endears the latter to Angharad.
The strike is eventually settled, and Gwilym and his sons reconcile, yet many miners have lost their jobs. The exceptionally beautiful Angharad is courted by the mine owner's son, Iestyn Evans (Marten Lamont), though she loves Mr. Gruffydd. Mr. Gruffydd loves her too, to the malicious delight of the gossipy townswomen, but cannot bear to subject her to the hard, spartan life of an impoverished minister of religion. Angharad submits to a loveless marriage to Evans, and they relocate out of the country.
Huw begins school at a nearby village. Abused by other boys, he is taught to fight by boxer Dai Bando and his crony, Cyfartha. After a beating by the cruel teacher Mr. Jonas, Dai Bando avenges Huw with an impromptu boxing display on Mr. Jonas to the delight of his pupils.
Bronwyn learns Ivor has been killed in a mine accident. The shock causes her to go into labor and she gives birth to a son. Later, two of Morgan's sons are dismissed in favor of less experienced, cheaper laborers. With no job prospects, they leave to seek their fortunes abroad. Huw is awarded a scholarship to university, but to his father's dismay he refuses it to work in the mines. He relocates with Bronwyn, to help provide for her and her child.
When Angharad returns without her husband, vicious gossip of an impending divorce spreads through the town. It is eventually announced there will be a meeting of the Deacons - the governing council of the local Calvinistic Methodist chapel - to discuss, denounce and excommunicate Angharad. This prospect enrages Mr. Gruffydd, for he knows she has done nothing other than return home from Cape Town without her husband. After condemning the Deacon's small-mindedness, he storms out before the meeting intent on leaving the town.
That evening, the alarm whistle sounds, signaling another mine disaster. Several men are injured, and Gwilym and others are trapped in a cave-in. Mr Gruffydd catches sight of Angharad, who has rushed to the mine for word of her father. As she looks pleadingly at him, he calls, "Who is for Gwilym Morgan and the others?" Young Huw, Mr. Gruffydd, and Dai Bando descend with other volunteers to rescue the remaining miners. Gwilym and his son are briefly re-united before he succumbs to his injuries.
Above, in the cold of light dawn, the women of the family - Angharad, Bronwyn and Beth Morgan - have stood vigil all night; the sound of the pulley announces the lift is returning from the depths of the mine. Huw is cradling his father's body, his coal-blackened face devoid of youthful innocence.
The script was written by Philip Dunne. He later recalled reading the original novel "in horror, turgid stuff, long speeches about Welsh coal miners on strike."[9]
William Wyler, the original director, saw the screen test of McDowall and chose him for the part. Wyler was replaced by John Ford. Fox wanted to shoot the movie in Wales in Technicolor, but it was impossible to do so during World War II. Instead, Ford had the studio build an 80-acre authentic replica of a Welsh mining town at Brent's Crags[10] (subsequently Crags Country Club) in the Santa Monica Mountains near Malibu, California.[11]
John Ford originally hired Rhys Williams, the film's Welsh dialect coach, to record the film’s narration as Older Huw. Shortly before release, he had the narration re-dubbed by Irving Pichel, afraid that audiences might recognize Williams’ voice from his onscreen role as Dai Bando and be confused.[12] Williams’ narration was still used in some prints of the film, including the original British release, and he’s credited as such on some secondary sources.[10]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, How Green Was My Valley held, as of August2023[update], an approval rating of 93% based on 87 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Nostalgic without becoming maudlin, this working-class drama is enlivened by a terrific cast and John Ford's ineffable directorial eye."[13] On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[14] Tim Dirks of Filmsite lauded the film as "one of John Ford's masterpieces of sentimental human drama."[15]
While the opinion among the Academy Awards committee that it was 1941's Best Picture has been disputed by some later critics,[16][17]How Green Was My Valley continues to be well received in its own right and, in 1990, was added to the American National Film Registry. Academy Award-winning actor and director Clint Eastwood named it as one of his favorite movies.[18] The film has been criticized in the UK for the actors' poor accents.[19][20][21][22]
"Men like my father cannot die. They are with me still -- real in memory as they were in flesh, loving and beloved forever. How green was my valley then." - Nominated[26]
It was also adapted for three one-hour broadcasts of the Lux Radio Theatre: on September 21, 1942, with Allgood, Crisp, O'Hara, McDowall and Pidgeon;[31] on March 31, 1947, with Crisp and David Niven;[32] and on September 28, 1954, with Crisp and Donna Reed.[33]
How Green Was My Valley is a 1939 novel by Richard Llewellyn, narrated by Huw Morgan, the main character, about his Welsh family and the mining community in which they live. The author had claimed that he based the book on his own experiences, but this was found after his death to be untrue; Llewellyn was English-born and spent little time in Wales, though he was of Welsh descent. Llewellyn gathered material for the novel from conversations with local mining families in the village of Gilfach Goch, in southeast Wales.
Donald William Crisp was an English film actor as well as an early producer, director and screenwriter. His career lasted from the early silent film era into the 1960s. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1942 for his performance in How Green Was My Valley.
Robert Geraint Gruffydd FLSW FBA was a scholar of Welsh language and literature. From 1970 to 1979, he was Professor of Welsh Language and Literature at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and was made Emeritus Professor in 1993.
Ivor Lewis Emmanuel was a Welsh musical theatre and television singer and actor. He is probably best remembered, however, for his appearance as "Private Owen" in the 1964 film Zulu, in which his character rallies outnumbered British soldiers by leading them in the stirring Welsh battle hymn "Men of Harlech" to counter the Zulu war chants.
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1997 to Wales and its people.
Rhys Williams was a Welsh character actor. He appeared in 78 films over a span of 30 years and later appeared on several American television series.
Angharad is a feminine given name in the Welsh language, having a long association with Welsh royalty, history and myth. It translates into English as much loved one. In Welsh mythology, Angharad Golden-Hand is the lover of Peredur in the myth cycle The Mabinogion.
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1975 to Wales and its people.
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1973 to Wales and its people.
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1958 to Wales and its people.
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1928 to Wales and its people.
A Time for Singing is a musical with music by John Morris, lyrics by Gerald Freedman and John Morris, and a book by Freedman and Morris. The work was based on Richard Llewellyn's novel of a Welsh mining village, How Green Was My Valley. The show takes place in the memory of Protestant minister David Griffith, recalling conflict within the Morgan family over the possible formation of a miners' union within the village, and the romance between Griffith himself and Angharad of the Morgans, who ultimately marries the mine owner instead. The show starred Ivor Emmanuel, Tessie O'Shea, Shani Wallis and Laurence Naismith.
Welsh-language literature has been produced continuously since the emergence of Welsh from Brythonic as a distinct language in around the 5th century AD. The earliest Welsh literature was poetry, which was extremely intricate in form from its earliest known examples, a tradition sustained today. Poetry was followed by the first British prose literature in the 11th century. Welsh-language literature has repeatedly played a major part in the self-assertion of Wales and its people. It continues to be held in the highest regard, as evidenced by the size and enthusiasm of the audiences attending the annual National Eisteddfod of Wales, probably the largest amateur arts festival in Europe, which crowns the literary prize winners in a dignified ceremony.
Green, Green My Valley Now is a 1975 novel by Richard Llewellyn. It is the final of three sequels to the better known How Green Was My Valley.
How Green Was My Valley is a BBC Television serial based on the novel by Richard Llewellyn, and features one of the last performances by Stanley Baker. It was first shown in the UK from 29 December 1975 in six weekly parts. Producer Martin Lisemore also cast Siân Phillips in his next production, I Claudius (1976). Phillips won a BAFTA award for best actress in 1976 for her portrayal of Beth Morgan. The series was co-produced by 20th Century Fox as they owned the rights to the novel and had produced the 1941 film.
Maureen O'Hara (1920–2015) was an Irish singer and actress from Dublin, who worked primarily in American film and television. She was born into a close-knit and artistically talented family; her mother was a contralto vocalist, and her three sisters and two brothers were budding actors and musical performers. O'Hara received music and dance lessons at the Ena Burke School of Elocution and Drama, becoming a member of the Rathmines Theatre Company when she was 10 years old. While still a teenager, she won several Radio Éireann Players contests to perform with them. She also won the Dublin Feis Award, for her performance as Portia in The Merchant of Venice. O’Hara was a member of the Abbey Theatre School, and a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music.
The Dafydd ap Gwilym Society is the Welsh society at the University of Oxford. It is a Welsh language society, as opposed to a society of Welsh people like its sister-society in Cambridge, the Mabinogi Society.
How Green Was My Valley is a British historical television drama series which originally aired on BBC One in eight parts during 1960. It is an adaptation of the 1939 novel How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn, set in a Welsh coal-mining community.
Up, Into The Singing Mountain is a 1960 novel by Richard Llewellyn, and a sequel to his 1939 novel, How Green Was My Valley.
"The Woodland Mass" or "The Mass of the Grove" is a poem in the form of a cywydd by the 14th-century bard Dafydd ap Gwilym, widely seen as the greatest of the Welsh poets. It is one of his most popular works. Sometimes seen as blasphemous, it presents a woodland scene in which a thrush, sent by the poet's lover, and a nightingale officiate at a Mass celebrating both God and sexual love. "The Woodland Mass" is an example of a common type of medieval Welsh poem in which some bird or beast is used as a llatai or love-messenger, though this poem is unusual in that the message is sent to Dafydd rather than by him.
References
Footnotes
Citations
↑ Solomon, Aubrey (1989). Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, p. 241, ISBN978-0-8108-4244-1.
↑ "All-time Film Rental Champs". Variety. October 15, 1990.
↑ "Radio Day by Day". The Reading Eagle. March 22, 1942. p.18. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
↑ Haendiges, Jerry (February 24, 2021). "Series: "THE SCREEN GUILD THEATER"". (via the website: Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs). Retrieved April 29, 2021.
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