Journey for Margaret

Director: W.S. Van Dyke II

Overview

While visiting London, American married couple Robert Young and Laraine Day are caught in the 1940 blitz. Losing her unborn child, Laraine sadly heads back to the U.S., while her journalist husband stays behind. Young makes the acquaintance of two children orphaned by the blitz and she decides to adopt them.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/01/2009
UPC:	0883316225547
Original Release:	1942
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[Full Frame]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:21:00
Sales rank:	24,751

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Robert Young	John Davis
Margaret O'Brien	Margaret
Laraine Day	Nora Davis
Fay Bainter	Trudy Strauss
Signe Hasso	Anya
Nigel Bruce	Herbert V. Allison
William Severn	Peter Humphreys
G.P. Huntley Jr.	Rugged
Doris Lloyd	Mrs. Barrie
Halliwell Hobbes	Mr. Barrie
Jill Esmond	Susan Fleming
Charles Irwin	Fairoaks
Elisabeth Risdon	Mrs. Bailey,Mrs. Bailey
Lisa Golm	Frau Weber
Herbert Evans	Man
Clare Sandars	Child
Leyland Hodgson	Censor
Anita Sharp Bolster	Woman
Matthew Boulton	Warden
Lilyan Irene	Nurse
Olaf Hytten	Manager
Ottola Nesmith	Nurse
John Burton	Surgeon
Colin Kenny	Steward
Jimmy Aubrey	Porter
Heather Thatcher	Mrs. Harris
Joan Kemp	Isabel
Norbert Muller	Hans
Al Ferguson	Policeman
Bea Nigro	Nora's Mother
Cyril Delevanti	Stage Manager
Jody Gilbert	Mme. Bornholm,Mme. Bornholm
Crauford Kent	Everton
Keye Luke	Japanese Statesman
David Thursby	Air Raid Warden
Henry Guttman	Polish Captain
Doris Stone	Mother
Eric Snowden	Porter
Clive Morgan	Father
Hal Welling	Tailor
Gay Bennes	Screaming Girl
Anita Bolster	Woman
Margaret Hamilton	Actor
Miles Mander	Actor
G.P. Huntley	Rugged
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco	Composer
Sol Kaplan	Composer
Franz Waxman	Composer

Technical Credits

David Hertz

William Ludwig

David Hertz	Screenwriter
William Ludwig	Screenwriter
B.P. Fineman	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Journey for Margaret is a much better picture than one might think. Yes, it's an unashamed tearjerker, one which is not above a bit of audience manipulation as it searches for ways to get those tear ducts flowing. But it DOES bring forth tears in most people, and while some of it is undeserved dramatically, much more of it comes about because the story Journey tells is indeed an emotionally harrowing one. Dealing as it does with orphaned children during wartime, Journey can't help but melt the heart, and it's to its credit that it doesn't go too far overboard and become the kind of cloying, overly sentimental weepie that it easily could have been. The screenplay deserves some credit for this, but it's the director and cast that really give Journey its glow. Margaret O'Brien, of course, became a star as a result of Journey, and it's easy to see why. Though occasionally mannered, hers is a remarkable performance for someone so very young, and she really plays her scenes for all they're worth. William Severn is perhaps not quite as accomplished as an actor, but as an appealing and heartbreaking child, he's first rate. And Robert Young, in what could have been a thankless part, makes sure that he's not just there as something for the kids to hang onto. He makes sure that his character is every bit as important as the children, and his chemistry with the younger ones is crucial to Journey's success. Young's lovely, sensitive turn, and the performances of all the cast, were undoubtedly aided by W.S. Van Dyke's attentive, caring direction. Journey holds up quite well, unlike other "weepies" from the era which are often a laugh fest for modern audiences.