With a title like Smilin' Through, you'd hardly expect to bring a Kleenex with you. Trust me, you're going to need at least two. This is such a tearjerker!
As much as it pains me to admit it, if it weren't for David Niven, Brian Aherne might have had a bigger boom to his career. Brian is tall, handsome, classy in roles that require it, can age himself up when needed, and a good actor. He could have easily tackled Wuthering Heights, Separate Tables, Enchantment, and The Bishop's Wife. If you liked the tragedy of Enchantment, you'll love Smilin' Through.
Jeanette MacDonald stars as a young girl in love with the one man her uncle hates above all others. It's always that way with young people, isn't it? She falls in love with Gene Raymond, but when her aged guardian Brian Aherne finds out about it, he's furious. He demands she break off the romance, for his own broken heart decades earlier was directly linked to Gene. Do I hear the bells of a flashback? Yes! In glorious Technicolor, you get to see a young, smiling, waltzing Brian Aherne with brown hair. Jeanette plays a double part, as does Gene, as we learn the true story of Brian's tragic romance.
While most of this movie is extremely sad, there is a very sweet element. It's the only on-screen pairing of real-life husband and wife Jeanette and Gene. They enjoyed a thirty year, very happy union, and it's touching to see them in love on the screen. Still, in the story, I was on Brian's side. How much pain did the poor fellow have to endure throughout his life? Bring your Kleenexes, folks. You'll need them.
As much as it pains me to admit it, if it weren't for David Niven, Brian Aherne might have had a bigger boom to his career. Brian is tall, handsome, classy in roles that require it, can age himself up when needed, and a good actor. He could have easily tackled Wuthering Heights, Separate Tables, Enchantment, and The Bishop's Wife. If you liked the tragedy of Enchantment, you'll love Smilin' Through.
Jeanette MacDonald stars as a young girl in love with the one man her uncle hates above all others. It's always that way with young people, isn't it? She falls in love with Gene Raymond, but when her aged guardian Brian Aherne finds out about it, he's furious. He demands she break off the romance, for his own broken heart decades earlier was directly linked to Gene. Do I hear the bells of a flashback? Yes! In glorious Technicolor, you get to see a young, smiling, waltzing Brian Aherne with brown hair. Jeanette plays a double part, as does Gene, as we learn the true story of Brian's tragic romance.
While most of this movie is extremely sad, there is a very sweet element. It's the only on-screen pairing of real-life husband and wife Jeanette and Gene. They enjoyed a thirty year, very happy union, and it's touching to see them in love on the screen. Still, in the story, I was on Brian's side. How much pain did the poor fellow have to endure throughout his life? Bring your Kleenexes, folks. You'll need them.