The Howards of Virginia [DVD]

This movie,adapted by Sidney Buchman from Elizabeth Page's massive 1939 best-selling novel "The Tree of Liberty",is one of those curious Hollywood hybrids:part grand historical epic,part modest family soap opera.Set in the second half of the eighteenth century during the build-up to,and subsequent battles of,the War of Independence,the story centres on the the relationship between Matt Howard (Cary Grant),a down-to-earth,restless,spirited and idealistic young woodsman,and Jane Peyton (Martha Scott),a privileged Virginia debutante.They meet,marry,and move to the rough-and-ready district of Matt's youth.Slowly,however,the differences that once seemed not to matter - class,for example,and old family allegiances - come to serve as the source of serious tensions.Matt,an old and firm friend of Thomas Jefferson,is drawn into the struggle againt the British colonial powers,eventually joining the army and fighting in the revolutionary war,while Jane,reflecting the conservative values of her cosseted upbringing,remains fervently opposed to the republican cause.Matt,therefore,faces two battles:one to defeat the British,the other to save his marriage. This ambitious movie never quite finds a proper balance between the epic and the intimate,moving backwards and forwards between the two without ever really finding either coherence or conviction.Scott is competent in an unimaginative role,but Grant is badly miscast and never looks or sounds remotely at ease.Sidney Buchman,a fine screenwriter who would later become a victim of McCarthyism,is too eager to illustrate his strong beliefs about Jeffersonian democracy and its legacy,turning some scenes into condescending history lessons and some characters into caricatures (he covered the same ground intellectually in "The Talk of the Town",but with far greater subtlety and a more assured dramatic touch). This is not,however,a bad movie,just a disappointing one.The period detail is vivid,particularly in those scenes that were shot on location in Williamsburg,and the action is staged and choreographed with a certain degree of skill.If one is frustrated by the unevenness and clumsiness one is still able,none the less,to admire the scope and the energy.The print,apart from the occasional pop and crackle,is in fairly good condition,and this particular edition comes with an original theatrical trailer.

This is a fine movie for adults to watch along with their children. I totally enjoyed the political IN-correctness of this movie. Filmed on location in Willimsburg before the town was turned into Revolutionary Themepark, the street scenes truly were what they would have been during the revolution. Historical movies today work too hard at either beating us over the head with societal inequalities or pretending they didn't exist. In the 1700s Legislators were men, women stayed on the sidelines, black people were slaves. To deny the truths of the period is to deny the valour of the people who fought for change since then. The story moved quickly and the reasons for Revolution were clearly spelled out as affecting the whole nation, not just about one or two people as we have recently seen in movies like "The Patriot". Although most of the women's costumes were awful (zippers were obvious), the furniture detail and most of the men's costumes were well done. I would recommend this movie as worthwhile viewing.

I agree with those reviews posted previously that Cary Grant was seriously miscast in this film. He does indeed stumble and plod through the proceedings trying too hard. If you like Cary Grant and are a fan of his in ANYTHING, then you will probably like this film.

There are some good things in it: The cast of supporting actors is excellent most notably Martha Scott as Jane Peyton (who becomes Cary Grant's wife in the film)...she is outstanding as the aristocratic wife trying to adjust to new surroundings; Sir Cedric Hardwicke is excellent as well bringing his classic style of characterization to the film; Richard Carlson is likeable and convincing as Thomas Jefferson; the young men who play Grant's sons Peyton and James are also to be commended. Sadly, the one flaw in the cast is Grant himself who is entirely unsuited to this role.

The cinematography is fine but the screenplay could have used a little more tightening up; the direction plods at an uneven pace.

The DVD is fine quality but aside from subtitles and chapter selection, no other extras are included.

There are better historical dramas out there and most certainly better Cary Grant films.