The Valley of Decision (1945)

A great classic romantic drama set at the turn of the 20th century in Pittsburgh with memorable background music and terrific actors(Greer Garson, Gregory Peck, Daniel Crisp, Gladys Cooper, Marsha Hunt....). I wish this movie could be restored and made available for online streaming as well as a higher quality DVD. It's such a good film with an all star cast and deserves more recognition and a wider audience than it currently has. Highly recommend!

This movie presents a great saga about a wealthy steel-producing family in 1870s Pittsburgh. It also presents a clash between a laboring Irish immigrant family (the Raffertys) and a manufacturing family (the Scotts). The families come to know each other after a crippled mill worker's daughter, Mary (Greer Garson), is forced to take a job as a servant in the mill owner's household. Mary's father is Patrick Rafferty (Lionel Barrymore), who is extremely bitter after having lost the use of his legs due to a mill accident. Specifically, he blames the mill owner's family (the Scotts) for his loss. Although Mary has fears that she will not fit into the family's household, they are soon overcome by the family's dependence on her as well as her acceptance of the family matriarch, Clarissa (Gladys Cooper), and eventually its patriarch, William (Donald Crisp). Though most of the Scott children are self-centered, Paul (Gregory Peck) is not. In addition, he more than any of the other children, is totally devoted to the steel mill and its future and following into his father's footsteps. The saga of these two families evolves over several years and includes: Mary working for one of the Scott daughters and her husband in England and Paul marrying his life-long friend and having a child by her. Mary eventually returns to Pittsburgh, when there are rumors of labor- management problems that may drive further wedges between the two families. Mary is the only one who might be able to bring these two families together---eventually.

she was miscast in this movie. I haven't read the book but she seems about 20 years too old at the beginning of the movie when she takes the job in the Scott house. People accused Cary Grant of always playing himself but you could also say the same about Miss Garson. Goodbye Mr Chips, Mrs Miniver, Blossoms In The Dust, this movie. Had she been about 25 instead of 40 she would have been perfect.But Gregory Peck is another matter. Even in movies I like such as Roman Holiday, Spellbound, Cape Fear or The Omen, he's always seemed too wooden. The exception to that is Mockingbird but I think his underplaying the role of Finch was perfect. In this movie I never saw the spark that would interest Garson. I know this is a minority view but I've never been a big fan of Peck and this movie didn't change my mind.The story of Mary Rafferty (Garson) taking a job as a maid for the wealthy Scott family and falling in love with the son (Peck) is pretty standard melodrama. Donald Crisp is smooth as Peck's father and Marsha Hunt is enjoyable in a small role as Peck's sister. But Lionel Barrymore is over the top as Garson's embittered father who was injured in the Scott steel mill and blames Peck's father for losing his legs.The movie takes place after the civil war and it's unlikely a wealthy family would treat the hired help the way they would a long lost cousin. Then there's the fact that Peck's father would continue to pay Barrymore full wages after he got hurt. If companies had done that in the 19th century we never would have the rise of the labor unions in the 20th century.But the biggest fish to swallow was the ending. Peck has married another woman and they have a young son. But when Peck's mother dies, suddenly Garson and Peck rekindle their love for each other and the fact that he has a wife already is no big deal so Peck and Garson can live happily ever after. I'm not an expert on 19th century divorce laws in Pennsylvania but somehow I think there may have been more to do than just tell your wife she can't take the kid to Boston.The talent in this movie is immense. The director, Tay Garnett did a perfect job with The Postman Always Rings Twice. Garson, Peck (despite my feelings) Crisp, Barrymore, Hunt, Dan Duryea and Jessica Tandy were all terrific actors. Greer Garson's talent by itself is worth 5 stars. But this movie is not on the level of her best work. Come to think of it, everyone connected to this has done better.

Yes, this film is a melodrama, and if you're not in the mind-set, it will drag and drop you into a resounding 'uggh'. But, if you can place yourself in the era in which the film was made, it's a feisty, rallying film about industrial discovery and labor, with all the excitement of 'How Green Was My Valley." Cast beautifully, with Garson stretching into a scullery maid role (true, she doesn't look the part, but her heart's in it), and Peck from a rich family, yet a mediator who crosses caste lines, it's well worth watching for the revelation-style ending alone. Get both titles and be inspired!