John Cromwell’s The Enchanted Cottage is the second of three filmic adaptations of Arthur Wing Pinero’s 1921 play, and it’s perhaps the most fondly remembered of the trio.
The Production: 3.5/5
John Cromwell’s The Enchanted Cottage is the second of three filmic adaptations of Arthur Wing Pinero’s 1921 play, and it’s perhaps the most fondly remembered of the trio. A fantasy romantic melodrama tied to war and its sometimes horrific aftermath, The Enchanted Cottage is a mood piece, a cinematic tone poem of the power of love to transform even the most desperate people, and while the direction is steady, the performances sublime, and the intentions completely earnest, your reaction to the film will depend quite a bit on how much romantic whimsy your constitution is capable of.
Painfully shy and unattractive Laura Pennington (Dorothy McGuire) comes to work as a maid in a honeymoon cottage on the coast of Maine, presided over by its owner and housekeeper Mrs. Minnett (Mildred Natwick) who neighborhood scalawags think is a witch. She does seem to have an otherworldly sense of indistinct clairvoyance when Oliver Bradford (Robert Young) and his fiancé Beatrice Alexander (Hillary Brooke) look over the place for their upcoming honeymoon, sensing Oliver will get his commission as a flyer sooner than he expects. As the day is December 7, 1941, war is declared and Oliver finds himself off to aerial combat much to the consternation of his clinging mother (Spring Byington) and jovial if indifferent stepfather (Richard Gaines). Two years later, Oliver arranges to use the cottage for his convalescence after he’s shot down and disfigured during a mission, but with his life shattered, the cottage, its staff, and the eerie spell it exudes will have a herculean task in convincing Oliver that his life is now worth continuing.
Pinero’s play has been adapted here by DeWitt Bodeen and Herman J. Mankiewicz, but though both are expert and award-winning writers, the dialogue and narration can’t help but assume overly flowery romantic effusions more often than not. Their premise that one’s outward appearance is of no real consequence when seen through the eyes of one’s love is a tricky proposition to put on the screen with director John Cromwell choosing to use practical photography to represent “before-and-after” transformations in the eyes of the two young people who self-consciously spark or crumble based on others’ perceptions of their looks. In the presence of blind concert pianist John Hillgrove (played with sincerity by Herbert Marshall), their playful manner can dictate what the camera chooses to show us (and making us aware that a bit of plastic surgery for him and some makeup and hairdressing for her could solve their dastardly problems without the Sturm und Drang that the script inflicts on them and us). The director and the RKO Radio production design team have given the title dwelling real character and dimension, a couple of years before Fox would instill a similar feel to their seaside set for The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, and the film’s middle scenes as the two hapless outcasts explore each other’s personalities and longings are stronger than later moments when cinematic tricks are played to toy with viewers’ emotions.
As always, Dorothy McGuire exudes calm control and believable earnestness as homely Laura Pennington. Robert Young doesn’t quite reach the depths of despair that his suicidal thoughts would seem to dictate, but the couple works well together as they navigate their insecurities as the screenplay dictates. Mildred Natwick’s enigmatic, deadpan Mrs. Abigail Minnett is outstanding, perfect for the movie’s tonal surroundings, and Herbert Marshall’s John Hargrove is likewise perfect casting for his function in the story. Spring Byington and Richard Gaines as the parents who mean well but uncannily say or do the wrong things without fail do try one’s patience but undoubtedly deliver perfectly with their roles. Hillary Brooke is at her loveliest as the fiancé abandoned after Oliver’s war wounds take over his life.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
The film’s 1.37:1 theatrical aspect ratio is presented in 1080p resolution using the AVC codec. Image quality is pristine throughout with a strong grayscale that boasts some deep black levels. Close-ups on the ladies do occasionally soften in Ted Tetzlaff’s glamor photography, but that’s to be expected, and elsewhere, the detail in the image is exemplary. The movie has been divided into 23 chapters.
Audio: 4.5/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono sound mix is just as one would expect from this era of aural recording. Dialogue has been professionally recorded and has been combined with Roy Webb’s lush, Oscar-nominated background score and the expected sound effects with great surety. There is just a bit of soft, scratchy hiss midway through the film; otherwise, the soundtrack is clear of aural anomalies.
Special Features: 2/5
Radio Broadcasts: Lux Radio Theatre (59:34) with Robert Young and Dorothy McGuire; General Electric Theater (29:50) with Joan Fontaine.
Theatrical Trailer (1:58, SD)
Overall: 3.5/5
John Cromwell’s romantic fantasy The Enchanted Cottage will likely be more dependent on your mood or your tolerance for whimsy for total enjoyment (whether your heart or your head takes priority in your viewing preferences), but the film has been quite sincerely made with firm direction, excellent performances, and the best of intentions.
Matt has been reviewing films and television professionally since 1974 and has been a member of Home Theater Forum’s reviewing staff since 2007, his reviews now numbering close to three thousand. During those years, he has also been a junior and senior high school English teacher earning numerous entries into Who’s Who Among America’s Educators and spent many years treading the community theater boards as an actor in everything from Agatha Christie mysteries to Stephen Sondheim musicals.
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