CHASING OSCAR - Road to Madness

CLAUDETTE COLBERT 

as Anne Hilton in SINCE YOU WENT AWAY (1944)
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While husband Tim is away during World War II, Anne Hilton copes with problems on the homefront. Taking in a lodger, Colonel Smollett, to help make ends meet and dealing with shortages and rationing are minor inconveniences compared to the love affair daughter Jane and the Colonel's grandson conduct... The movie is set in a mid-sized American town, where people with loved ones in the military try to cope with their changed circumstances and make their own contributions to the war effort. 

"Cry, darling. Cry your heart out. I won't try to tell you that you'll get over it soon, because it will take time - maybe a long time."

                                         - Anne Hilton

Claudette Colbert received her third and last Oscar nomination, playing Annie Hilton, a mother and a wife who struggles to cope while her husband is off serving in War World II. Claudette Colbert is clearly the emotional center of the film. Even if the material isn’t enough substantial, Claudette finds a way to portray a very affected but strong
minded woman. She shows perfectly how the somber and realistic carnage of War, and the pain of separation, affect not only the person who is sent to war, but also the people who are waiting his return. It’s very interesting to see the background of such a story for once, and not as usual the battlefields. Claudette Colbert is very well cast. She portrays beautifully a devoted mother hurt by the absence of her husband. In a very subtle way, she manages to give a very ravaged and affected performance when she is all by herself, and stays strong and dignified when she is surrounding by her two daughters. She doesn’t fail to show this side, she has to fulfill the responsibilities. Even when the life is hard, she manages to illuminate the life of her daughters. The turning point of her performance is the moment when her husband is declared “Missing”. Claudette Colbert gives a very melancholic performance and full of nostalgia, it's very heartbreaking. She  makes us feel so empathic about what is happening in her life. She gives a brave interpretation. Her best scene is probably the one when she is sitting next to the Christmas tree, she is very emotional and lonely. She doesn’t have to cry or yell to bring any emotions, she makes us feel her sorrow, and everything is palpable. She is so moving, touching and effective.  


[Watching the film, I found the younger sister quite irritating, after some research, I found out it was Shirley Temple. It’s the first time I saw her on screen, and Well, I’m not a fan. Jennifer Jones is quite good in her role.] 

"As the mother and center of the family, Claudette Colbert gives an excellent show of gallantly self-contained emotion."

                                                                                               - Bosley Crowther

Claudette Colbert holds the movie together just as her character holds together her family during the family-rending crises that is World War II. She is the heart and soul of the movie. She is superb and is hands down the best performance of the movie. 

★★★★★