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The Enchanted Cottage (1945) DVD5 - Robert Young - Dorothy McGuire Classic Love Story [DDR]
The Enchanted Cottage is a 1945 romantic fantasy starring Robert Young, Dorothy McGuire, and Mildred Natwick.
It was based on a play by Arthur Wing Pinero. The Enchanted Cottage was previously adapted for the silent screen in 1924, with Richard Barthelmess and May McAvoy as the newlyweds.
CAST:-
Dorothy McGuire as Laura Pennington
Robert Young as Oliver Bradford
Herbert Marshall as Major John Hillgrove
Mildred Natwick as Mrs. Abigail Minnett
Spring Byington as Violet Price
Hillary Brooke as Beatrice Alexander
Richard Gaines as Frederick 'Freddy' Price
Alec Englander as Danny 'Taxi' Stanton
Robert Clarke as Marine Corporal
Eden Nicholas as Soldier
Directed by John Cromwell
Produced by Harriet Parsons
Written by Arthur Wing Pinero (play)
Screenplay by Herman J. Mankiewicz, DeWitt Bodeen
Narrated by Herbert Marshall
Music by Roy Webb
MOVIE REVIEW:- The Enchanted Cottage (1945)
This romantic fantasy was based on a popular play by Arthur Pinero. Oliver Bradford (Robert Young) is a young man who returned from World War II with severe facial scars; while he was engaged to be married before he left, he believes that no one could love him now, and he lives on the brink of suicide. Oliver meets Laura Pennington (Dorothy McGuire), a plain young woman who is convinced that her looks will never win her a man. These two lonely people marry, more out of desperation than love, and move into a small cottage which is all that remains of the large estate of Abigail Minnett (Mildred Natwick), who lost the rest of her property in a fire. The cottage has been the site of many happy honeymooners over the years, and inside its walls, Oliver and Laura discover that a magical transformation takes place; he regains the handsome features he once possessed, and she becomes beautiful. The couple find love and happiness with each other, but find that the cottage's magical spell only works as long as they remain at home with each other; the outside world does not recognize the beauty that they have found with each other. The Enchanted Cottage was previously adapted for the silent screen in 1924, with Richard Barthelmess and May McAvoy as the newlyweds.
SYNOPSIS:- The Enchanted Cottage 1945
At a party, while waiting for the arrival of Laura and Oliver Bradford, blind pianist John Hillgrove plays a tone poem titled "The Enchanted Cottage," which he wrote in their honor, and relates their story to his assembled guests: In the nearby countryside, a great estate lies in ruins, the main house razed by a fire. Only one wing survived the flames, and legend has it that the original owner, an English nobleman, remodeled the wing and has begun to rent it out as a romantic hideaway for honeymooners. Intrigued by the legend, Hillgrove asks his young nephew Danny to guide him to the cottage. There he meets the current owner, an aloof widow named Abigail Minnett.
The music of romance eludes Hillgrove, however, until one day, Laura Pennington, a homely young woman, arrives at the cottage to apply for a job as housekeeper. Lonely following the death of her mother and ostracized because of her appearance, Laura falls under the cottage's spell. Mrs. Minnett, devastated by the death of her husband during World War I, feels a kinship with the girl and hires her to work as a maid for the engaged couple who have just rented the cottage. Soon after, the couple, Oliver Bradford and his fiancée, Beatrice Alexander, arrive. Beatrice is disappointed by the cottage's simplicity, but Laura assures her that the place is enchanted and shows her the window on which lovers throughout the ages have etched their names. When Oliver starts to etch Beatrice's name using her engagement ring, the stone falls out of its setting, creating a sense of forboding. Oliver, a pilot, is called to war before he can be wed, and soon after, Beatrice cancels their lease. One year later, a telegram comes from Oliver, stating his intention to rent the cottage for an indefinite period of time. Expecting to greet the newlyweds, Laura is shocked when Oliver arrives alone, his face horribly disfigured and his arm disabled from an airplane crash. Soon after, Oliver's shallow mother, Violet Price, his stepfather Frederick and Beatrice come to visit, but Oliver refuses to see them. Angry and bitter, Oliver slowly becomes softened by Laura's compassion and common sense.
One day, Hillgrove comes to meet Oliver and reveals that he lost his sight during World War I, but that his love of music offered him new vision. Sensing that Oliver is filled with self-pity, Hillgrove counsels him to accepts his disabilities. Three weeks later, Oliver receives an ultimatum from his mother: either come home or she will move in with him. To fend off his mother, Oliver proposes to Laura and she accepts. After their wedding, the newlyweds send for Hillgrove and avow that they have experienced a physical transformation. Laura explains that they both believed their marriage a farce until their wedding night when Laura tried to voice her devotion to Oliver and suddenly, the room became filled with enchanted music and she saw Oliver as he was before the accident. Now realizing that he is truly in love with Laura, Oliver sees his wife as a beautiful woman. Their illusion is shattered, however, by the intrusion of Oliver's mother and stepfather. Although Hillgrove tries to reassure them of their son's newfound peace and happiness, the Prices see only ugliness and imperfection and insult Laura's appearance, thus shattering the dream. Mrs. Minnett consoles them by stating that their love gives them a gift of sight unlike any other, and later that night, Oliver inscribes their names on the window. His thoughts returning to the present, Hillgrove continues to play the piano as Laura and Oliver approach the portal to his house and embrace, their beauty restored by love.
           
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:-
Video Codec: MPEG-2
Video Bitrate: 4999 kbps
Video Resolution: 720x480
Video Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1
Frames Per Second: 23.976
Audio Codec: AC3
Audio Bitrate: 192kb/s CBR 48000 Hz
Audio Streams: 2
Audio Languages:English,
RunTime 91 mins
Subtitles: None
Ripped by: Trinidad [DDR]
Duration: 91 mins |
