filmguy2058
....What a wonderful film......Technically superior..........The slow dissolves from past to present.....done so slowly was refreshing to see especially when compared to the rapid jerky crap that we see today..........and the narrowing of the spot on the key being held by Jayne Meadows....indicating the compression of her character into the key in the door being opened by Evelyn Keyes indicating the opening of the relationship between Keyes and Farley Granger was SPECTACULAR!!!!What a wonderful way to express character and story.Wish we could see techniques like this today.....Gigi Perreau's scene in which she makes her lower chin quiver when brought into her new home at the beginning of the film was very moving........have only seen Hepburn, Brabara Rush and Marisa Haggarty of CSI Special Victims able to do this on the screen....an incredible acting accomplishment.......
juikfred
A melancholy love story that is a work of art. Flashbacks are often misused in movies but they are subtle and flow easily in "Enchantment", intertwining two stories. This tear-jerker flows from beginning to end - a masterpiece in every way. David Niven shows his acting skills both as a dashing young officer and as the retired general (makeup is FANTASTIC!!) still carrying a torch. His facial expressions tell his portion of the story even better than the well-written lines given to his character. Jayne Meadows is the older sister you'll love to hate. Teresa Wright is a sweet unintentional heart-breaker with a voice to match. As wonderful as the acting is, the photography and lighting make this movie as magical as it is "Enchanting".
Ana Guglielmi
Please, be warned, it contains spoilers!!! . . I love David Niven, so, naturally, I wanted to see this movie. He's charming (as always),and the film was, indeed very well done. The music, the flashbacks, the characters are pretty well portrayed. So, that's why I've voted this movie a "5". Because, the other "5" points that it needs it's the story itself!Come on! They tell you this is "Just About the Most Wonderful Love Story Ever Filmed!" Yeah, sure. They put David Niven and Teresa Wright on the cover, smiling... so you believe it. But it's not a nice little love story. Everyone ends up alone, sad, and dead. Well, the "new generation", I mean the American ambulance driver and the Canadian pilot, gets to survive, and you can tell that they do survive and can get together because of Niven's advice... but that's not enough for me. In a love story... I want love! There's a lack of fulfillment in this movie that I can't take it. Let's face it, I like happy endings. But isn't that what they sell to you when they add that tagline?!If you are a fan of David Niven, go and watch it, If you like sad movies, when you end up with a tear or two, go and watch it.But don't expect a happy "lived together ever after" ending. There's a lot of sadness in that house. You just want to enter the movie and punch Selina (Niven's sister, who is the jerk that put them apart).
blanche-2
What a wonderful movie! I had never heard of it and had no idea what it was. It's a lost treasure, it seems."Enchantment" is the story of two generations, and a very special love. The narrator is the house they lived in at various times. When the movie begins, David Niven is an old man, Rollo, during World War II, and he is living alone in the house with the man-servant with whom he grew up, Leo G. Carroll. His niece, in the service, comes to stay with him and soon meets a wounded soldier (Farley Granger) who has a connection to the house.Rollo's story, and the story of his sister, brother, and the little girl that came to live with them, Lark, is told in flashbacks throughout the film as they grow up and Rollo and Lark fall in love. After a flashback, the camera focuses on the fireplace, or some other object, and we are brought back into the present, with the fire still burning or the book still in the bookshelf, and we are back with Rollo and his niece in the present day. It is a seamless way to tell the story and very poignant.David Niven is wonderful as Rollo but the surprise performance for me was by Jayne Meadows as his selfish, sharp-tongued sister Selina, who always resented Lark. She is excellent. Farley Granger and Evelyn Keyes are the present day young loves, and they give very sweet performances. Gigi Perreau as the small child Lark is heartbreaking.The ending of the film is very striking. My only criticism would be that it seemed as if the character of Rollo aged 50 years instead of about 30.Don't miss this marvelous film.
AD
