VHS : I'll Be Seeing You [1944]

Rating: - "Where Have You Been?"
Like the scent of perfume a girl from our youth wore, so this film is etched in the hearts of all who have seen it, only to be recalled with fondness when something small, like that special feminine fragrance, touches our senses and brings back memories. Until now, this is all we had. Fortunately, and at last, we can visit this wonderful film with Ginger Rogers and Joseph Cotton anytime we want, as after decades of waiting, it is now available to us.

Based on a radio play by Charles Martin, this sweet and sentimental story very much has that involving feel many of the classy productions brought to the airwaves by Lux Radio Theatre had. It benefits greatly from the direction of William Dieterle, who allows the simple story to unfold in a natural way, with a minimalist approach. Both Ginger Rogers and Joseph Cotton underplay their roles, giving a premise which might have been a bit saccharine in other hands, a very real and moving feel.

One of the great songs made popular during WWII is used to good effect, as it sets the mood for a film about love during wartime. Both Mary (Ginger) and Zachery (Cotton) are shell-shocked as this film opens; he literally so, from war wounds and the psycological aftereffects, and she from a tragedy which left her in prison. He is on a furlough from the hospital to help regain his confidence and aid his recovery, and she is given a short leave back home during the holidays for good behavior, after which both must return.

They meet on the train and when Mary gets off in Pine Hill, Zachery, who really has no place else to go, makes up a story so he can get off there and see her again. She can tell he is slightly lost in the real world, and so is she. It is obvious how much has changed since her time in prison when she tries to purchase a chocolate almond bar and gum in the train station. But it is wartime and she can not explain to the clerk where she has been, nor can she tell Zachery, who must believe in her and have hope so he can recover fully.

As Mary adjusts to the outside and she begins to care for Zachery, she tries not to dream, as she knows dreams are impossible in her position. Spring Byington, Tom Tully, and a teenage Shirley Temple are all very good as Mary's only remaining family. Barbara (Temple) is a typical young girl with growing pains. Her reservations about Mary slowly fall away as they become closer, crushed completely when the reason for Mary's incarceration is brought out into the open.

The feelings of Mary and Zach grow as they do small town things through the Christmas season, and by the New Year's dance at the Y.M.C.A. they are in love. But a shadow is cast on their momentary happiness as little reminders of their past begin to creep in. For Zach it is a flashback, and for Mary it is a corsiage, a reminder of a time when she was twenty and lonely, and tragedy followed. She wants to tell Zach but can't, as he is scared and needs belief so he can get well.

This film will certainly touch your heart in a very special way as the parting of these two lost souls who have found each other quickly approaches and we long for their happiness. You must see this film to discover their fate. It is something you will always remember. First time viewers of this film need patience. It does not grab you like most films, but rather begins as a simple caress, which grows into a full embrace by the film's conclusion. If you are sentimental or romantic in the least, you must own this wonderful film.