Enchantment (1948)
1h 40m | PG-13
Roland Dane finally retires to the house he was brought up in. Lost in thoughts of his lost love Lark, he does not want to be disturbed in his last days. However, the appearance of his niece and her subsequent romance with Lark's nephew causes him to reevaluate his life and offer some advice so the young couple doesn't make the same mistake he did, all those years ago.
Director: Irving Reis
Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Genre: Drama, Romance
Video: 720p
Cast
David Niven
as Roland Dane
Teresa Wright
as Lark Ingoldsby
Evelyn Keyes
as Grizel Dane
Farley Granger
as Pax Masterson
Jayne Meadows
as Selina Dane
Leo G. Carroll
as Proutie
Reviews
David Niven is old soldier "General Rollo Dane" who returns to his family home after a long absence. Once there he is visited by his niece who wants a WWII wartime billet. Grumpily, he accedes and shortly thereafter they are visited by Farley Granger ("Pax") who turn out to be the nephew of Niven's childhood sweetheart "Larke" (Teresa Wright). Through a series of reminiscences we learn of the blossoming of their young love - despite the machinations of his older sister "Selina" (Jayne Meadows) and of how it all fell apart. Meantime we see the burgeoning romance between the latter day youngsters as they, too, fall in love. Niven features sparingly, and when he does he doesn't quite sparkle. The film sort of plods along with a certain inevitability that seemed completely unnecessary had only the hero actually "grown a pair". It looks good, but I'm not sure I'd bother to watch it again.