Random Harvest (1942)

 This was such a great title for a film, but the film failed to live up to its excellent Title.

Having lost his memory in the war, John Smith (Ronald Colman) is grateful when Paula Ridgeway (Greer Garson) stumbles upon him, finally giving him a purpose. Together, they carve a simple life in the country but tragedy strikes again. While interviewing for a job. Smithy (as Paula fondly calls him) runs out in to the street and is hit by a car, just a week after their young son was born. But he doesn't die, instead, he remembers who he was before his memory fled. He's actually Charles Ranier, the wealthy son of a business owner who has lost three years of his life.

Abandoning his wife and baby and dream of writing, he takes over the family business and it flourishes and his step-niece, Kitty (the great Susan Peters) falls in love with him and they very nearly marry, until Kitty realizes that he doesn't love her, which is accurate. 

Instead, he climbs up the political field and marries his secretary, Margaret, who just happens to be his wife, in disguise as he can't even recognize her so they wed, in name only, separate bedrooms and everything. 

It isn't until he returns to a small town to negotiate an ending to a strike and retraces his steps, including just letting himself into his old cottage that he remembers just exactly Margaret is, they embrace and all is right with the world, never mind that a second world war is just on the horizon.

To be fair, this whole idea is just odd, though it would be done in The Vow (which, despite the charming leads is pure utter garbage) but while I found this film could have also had tons of suspense, it was too watered down and I felt like the romance was also watered down as I needed tons more scenes of Margaret and Charles together and a lot more sexual tension but this was 1942 and the Hays Code was still very much in effect but I found such tension lacking and it was present in other films (such as the far superior Casablanca). That being said, the acting was decent though Peters gave the most memorable performance and the concept was good, I just wished it was executed better. Grade: B

Side Notes:

-There are also two minor inconsistencies which annoy me. First, when Kitty and Charles are having lunch, he opens the cigarette case, passes out the cigarettes and then they are immediately smoking, without the lighting being shown. Second, while trying to uncover his identity, his suitcase is still there after twelve years (which is prosperous in its own right), it is shut and then immediately open after the next edit. 

-As for the young baby, he dies before his first birthday from mystery illness and while Paula grieves him, she just wants her husband back.

-Charles might be a great businessman, but he's classist. 

-Pay attention for Henry Travers cameo as it is exactly that, a cameo.

-I'll say it, even though Kitty is Charles's sister's stepdaughter, it is still disgusting and inappropriate, that relationship.