How Green Was My Valley (1941)

So, this is the film that beat Citizen Kane (best film ever made) at the Oscars, only one of the numerous times the Oscars got it wrong.
To be fair, this is a solid film until the flimsy ending, telling the story of young Huw Morgan (Roddy McDowell), the youngest son in a large Welsh coal mining family. He witnesses a strike, four of his brothers leaving for America, as they can no longer find work in the mine and the death of his oldest brother, not to mention his only sister, Angharad (the great Maureen O'Hara) marry the mine owner's son, a loveless marriage for she truly loves the poor pastor, Mr. Gruffydd (Walter Pidgeon). But he won't subject her to a penniless life, and rejects her advances, thus setting both of them for eternal unhappiness.
Young Huw also undergoes struggles in school for he is the son of miners and is picked on mercilessly because of that. Instead of using his education, he opts to work in the mines even after they kill both his eldest brother and then his father, leading to the disappointing ending of stating that men like his father (Donald Crisp) can never really die.
Now, while Donald Crisp won the Oscar and Walter Pidgeon got top billing, I found the star of the film to actually be Sara Allgood, as the mother, Beth Morgan. She speaks her mind, going to talk to the men out of picking on her anti-union husband during the strike and collecting the wages from her menfolk upon their return from payday. She delivers a completely natural performance.
While the film is great, providing you with a sanitized feeling of being in that little Welsh village, the ending leaves you wanting, which is unfortunate. This was a safe film, and when it comes to awards, you should pick the best choice, not the safe one. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Does Angharad actually divorce her wealthy husband? It is implied that she wants to, proving that money doesn't buy happiness.
-Father calls Mother old beauty and she retorts, "Go and scratch," which is an interesting way of phrasing what I'm interrupting it to mean.
-Maureen O'Hara is a great actress and was constantly underrated in Hollywood.
-The Welsh accents vary quite a bit throughout the film.