Moviecut—Sentimental Journey

source: Sentimental Journey

"Sentimental Journey" is a 1946 film starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Connie Marshall, Cedric Hardwicke and William Bendix. Set in New York City, it's the story of an actress, Julie Beck (O'Hara) and her director/producer husband Bill Wetherly (Payne). They have an idyllic marriage, but Julie has a precarious heart condition. Realizing she may die and leave her husband alone, she wants to adopt a child. She meets Hitty (Marshall), who was very much like her as a child, filled with fantasies and dreams, and the two hit it off immediately. However, her spoiled and somewhat jealous husband finds he isn't totally happy with the arrangement. "Sentimental Journey" is a slow-moving film with a very attractive cast. It's not for people who, as Margo Channing said, "detest cheap sentiment." Whether you like the movie or not, you'll find yourself drawn into the story, so have a box of tissues nearby. I blubbered like a baby. Maureen O'Hara is stunningly beautiful and gives a very gentle performance as Julie; handsome John Payne is just right as her husband, a man whose world centers around his wife. William Bendix has a film-stealing role and is terrific as Donnelly, an associate of Bill's and friend of the family. His sense of comedy is great. Cedric Hardwicke is too much of a big gun to play a small part like the doctor; he plays it beautifully, but he's wasted. Connie Marshall is Hitty. She's not only adorable, but she has to run a gamut of emotions and pulls it off very well. Nice movie.

Get the bath towels out for Sentimental Journey. This story has been remade twice and the tear factor didn't diminish with any incarnation. This was the second of 4 films that Maureen O'Hara made with John Payne. Payne is a theatrical director and O'Hara his wife who has developed a serious heart condition. They decide to adopt a child Connie Marshall and then O'Hara dies. Her spirit however still makes some appearances for Marshall and soon enough for Payne. Sentimental Journey is kind of a children's version of Maytime or Smilin' Through with the next world reaching out to comfort the survivors in this world. O'Hara is ethereally beautiful in her role. William Bendix has a nice supporting part. It must have cost Darryl Zanuck a big wad of cash to get Bendix over from Paramount. You won't watch this one without shedding a bucket of tears.

Just google synonyms for maudlin and you've got a review of this dreadful film

This is indeed a sadly neglected film and the fact that it has never been made available on either video tape or DVD must remain a matter of deep regret. I must wholeheartedly agree that the performance delivered by child actress Connie Marshall is quite outstanding. Cinematic depictions of the effects of bereavement upon children are of necessity somewhat difficult to portray with any degree of conviction and the pitfall of lapsing into overt sentimentality must be avoided. However, certain films, including this one,I think convey something of a young child's pain and confusion regarding death and its consequences without becoming too morbid or sentimental. The scenes where Hitty is apparently visited by the spirit of her adoptive mother remind me very much of the closing sequences in Jacques Doillon's "Ponette" (1996) Are both of these little girls really experiencing a much longed for reunion, if only transitory, with their beloved mothers or does the whole thing exist solely within the realm of imagination a mere psychological device enabling them to accept and so come to terms with their loss? It is up to each individual viewer to construe such matters for themselves.

Spoiler - Sentimental Journey is a beautiful but ultimately sad story about a married couple who are heavily involved in the theatre. The wife, Julie, cannot have children and suffers from a rare, life-threatening disease. Afraid that she will leave her husband alone, she decides to adopt a little girl. However she soon realises that her immature and possessive husband cannot accept the strange and dreamy child. In the stress of having to choose between the husband and the child, Julie succumbs to her illness and dies. Overcome with grief, her husband withdraws from family and friends. Left alone, the little girl grieves for her adoptive mother and longs for the return of her adoptive father. It is only when the little girl goes missing, in her attempt to find the ghost of Julie, that the husband realises just how much he loves the little girl.

I think that the beautiful comments left here already describe this wonderful movie perfectly, so all there is left to do is to tell you about the last time I watched this movie. It was less then 24 hours ago, and I was reminded of two couples by Julie and Bill. One couple was Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, because Ozzy is the more fragile of the two, and Sharon hopes to have beaten her cancer completely so that she can stick around and take care of him. Another couple was a young couple of college age who were very much in love, but the woman was killed in a tragic automobile accident. Her boyfriend was with her, but he survived. Two decades, give or take, have passed, and he's never found anyone else who can take the place of this special woman, and he has a lot of emotional conflict going on because of this where he doesn't always respond to people who care about him in the best of ways. I even thought that Bill resembled him in physical appearance. Hittie could represent any of us who care about this special guy and want the best for him, because she commits herself to trying to ease Bill's deep-seated pain. Watching the movie this last time got me to thinking about this precious friend, and I ended up writing him an e-mail just to let him know I was thinking of him.

Well written, directed older movie. John Payne (1), Maureen O'Hara, William Bendix, Connie Marshall did a fine performance. Saw this movie when I was a child. Have waited awhile for it to appear on pay TV. Definite tear jerker. Generally a womens movie.

Didn't John Payne and Maureen O'Hara make a cute couple in Miracle on 34th Street? If you thought so, you'll be happy to hear they made three other movies together! In Sentimental Journey, they play a devoted married couple. Maureen wants a child, but John sweetly asks, "What's the matter, Mom? Have I gotten too big?" Mama Maureen meets a young orphan, Connie Marshall, and completely falls in love with her. They adopt Connie, but she and her new dad don't exactly hit it off. John Payne gives a wonderfully layered performance in Sentimental Journey. It's always more heart wrenching to see a man cry than a woman, isn't it? In this very heavy tearjerker, John sheds just as many tears as he inspires from the audience. He blends wonderfully with everyone in the cast; he and Maureen have a lovely and comfortable rapport as husband and wife, he and Connie enjoy a very special relationship, and he and William Bendix really seem like lifelong friends. Connie, a very talented child actress, shows her incredible chops in only her second movie. She's simultaneously childlike yet mature, a dreamer but wise in practical matters, and above all, darling and endearing. I don't even like children, and even I was won over by her sweetness. The next time you're in the mood for a good cry, rent Sentimental Journey. From then on, you'll start blubbering at the suggestion of breakfast in bed, I guarantee it.