david selznick and since you went away

David Selznick and Since You Went Away
"I have a different concept of producing than
other producers. Some producers are money men,
and others are just lieutenants. For me to
produce is to make a picture. As a producer,
I can maintain an editorial perspective that
I wouldn't have as a director. I consider
myself first a creative producer, then a showman
and then a businessman. You need all three things
to succeed in the business today."
-David O. Selznick
The film Since You Went Away was released in 1944. This epic
film attempted to
relate to the American audience that was dealing with the war
foreclosing and
the flux of soldiers coming home at the time. The Hollywood
studios were
constantly trying to do their part for the war buy making films
about the war in
a fairy tale "Hollywood" style. Since You Went Away crossed
these boundaries,
and the movie audience at the time, positively responded for this
reason. The
producer and screenwriter of the film knew America craved this
portrayal.
Critics of the film from this period, applauded it's "realism",
but in hindsight
studies of the film in the seventies and eighties were a little
more critical of
the film. David O. Selznick was the man behind the vision of
this film and

Selznick is best known for film classic's like; Gone With the
Wind, (from which
the formula of this movie draws heavily from) Rebecca, and King
Kong. This
film was a special project for Selznick at the time, and it was
seen as his
contribution to the war effort. The academy awards recognized
Selznick's effort
and nominated his film for best picture of 1944.
David Selznick was known as a one of the great creative
producers- along side
Walt Disney. A creative producer is usually "a powerful mogul
who supervises
the production of a film in such exacting detail that he was
virtually its
artistic creator." (Eyman p. 121) In this period, Selznick's
style was
remembered best by his epic length movies in which he paid
special attention to
detail. His films catered to the female market but also had
potential to cross
over to the male segment. Selznick was "increasingly becoming
aware of the
commercial value of his name." (Fenster p.36) He decided to
repeat the formula
that worked well in Gone With the Wind and made a decision to
purchase a war
novel/diary from Margaret Wilder. Since You Went Away spawned
from Wilder's
novel, after Selznick spent many hours on developing the

screenplay and hiring
the right cast. The war film was a popular genre to produce
during the war
years in North America. Also, it was seen as a noble effort to
make a film
about the war. Most of the skilled directors or producers of
these films,
stylized their own vision of the war with their special
trademarks throughout
the film. Films that did this, usually did will well at the box
office as well
as at the Academy Awards Ceremony. David Selznick was looking
for a hit movie
to follow the success of Gone With The Wind and he hoped Since
You Went Away
would be a blockbuster. Selznick spent nearly "$3,000,000 on
this film",
(Thomas p. 220) which meant glossy and detailed scenes throughout
the film.
This was an unusual amount of money for a film from this period,
but David
Selznick was known in Hollywood for his elaborate budgets.
The films length allowed Selznick to allow it to take place over
a year. The
story begins in January 12, 1943 which is immediately after Mr.
Hilton departs
for the war. The Hiltons are a middle/upper class family who are
now faced with
dealing with dealing with the trials and tribulations of everyday
life without

the support of a male authority figure. A lot of emphasis is
placed on the
female audience's familiarity with "the details of day to day
living and plenty
of humorous sentimental reportage of housekeeping: rationing, the
problems of
two growing daughters and the business of getting jobs to help
the family's
reduced budget."(Hartung p 374) Selznick increased the original
ages of the two
daughters so Shirley Temple (Bridget) and Jennifer Jones (Jane)
could play the
roles and romance could be introduced. Nineteen forty-four was
quite the
turbulent year for the American populous. The war was coming to
a close, and
America saw the return of their heroes after a glorious battle.
But, there was
also a feeling of nervous uncertainty and anxiety regarding the
heroes return.
The reviewers and reviews of Since You Went Away were very much
in tune with
this feeling. In the press, critics viewed this film in either
of two ways.
First, it seen as a triumphant return of Selznick and secondly,
the critics
thought the movie attempted at a realistic portrayal. An article
in Variety
Magazine boasted "it's a box office mop-up" and the article also
listed the

complete list of about ninety actors involved. The critic
constantly mentioned
David Selznick's name throughout the review and thus, set the
tone for the
magnitude of this film. Similarly, in a Newsweek article, there
was constant
enforcement of how much money was spent on this film and how much
Selznick made
on his last film. This worked as a quality control mechanism for
Hollywood and
the viewing audience. People knew what to expect when they went
out to see a
David Selznick film.
The second type of review paid particular attention to the
"realism" of this
film. A review in Time Magazine stated: "this is the most human,
factual
picture to date". It mentioned the film dealing with things like
the sorrow of
death, and the comfort of religion, food shortages, and being
away from loved
ones. For example, a scene where a telegram is sent to Mrs.
Hilton, informing
her that her husband is missing in action. This scene takes
place after the
housekeeper receives the telegram and yells for Mrs. Hilton who
was sleeping.
Upon reading the letter, Mrs. Hilton insists that there is still
hope and he is
still alive. The American public at the time of this release,

were caught up in
these "everyday" feelings and it was apparent that Selznick deal
with these
issues with as much love and heart as Selznick could fit
on-screen. In another
review they mentioned that the film is "always authentic,
endearing and true to
life as death and taxes" (Abel p 13) This "realism" was
constantly
reinforcedwith sequences like the scenes in the rehabilitation's
rooms,
psychiatrist's office and recovery wards. In these scenes, the
film maker uses
lighting to cast shadows in these rooms.
This is especially prevalent in the scene where Jane Hilton says
good-bye to her
boyfriend Billy at the train station. The long shadows are used
to show the
shadow that is cast over America at this point in history and to
enhance this
on-screen realism. Indeed, this issue was the case for many
Americans and
people from other countries as well. Overall, it was the message
that appealed
to the audience the most and the modern day press agreed with
this films message.
But, this wasn't the absolute case. A famous film critic, at
the time was very
harsh on this film. He downplayed Selznick's attempt at
portraying a typical

American Family. In The Nation, James Agee writes about the home
that the
Hiltons reside in: "They live in an American home that seven out
of ten
Americans would sell their souls for". This review addressed the
issue of class,
which is the main bone of contention that most of the more recent
articles death
with.
It is quite easy to look back at older films and sneer at them as
inferior. But
these films from the forties and fifties are cultural products
that were apart
of the social fabric at this time. One must look at the politics
that were in
place at the time, and see how that effected a medium such as
film.
Since You Went Away was shown to the people of America to
increase support and
motivate people to get involved. It was also shown to troops
because it the
film was also saying: "they'll be there when you get back".
(Jarvie Lecture Jan
19) Since You Went Away was one of the first films to deal with
the American
home front and the issue of the soldiers return. Selznick's past
experiences
led him to understand "not of what Americans were, but what
Americans wanted to
be." (Koppes p 157) Today, this film looked upon as a model of

how Americans
were expected to behave. This film could be seen as a teaching
tool for the
average American. Seeing a family such as the "Hiltons"
on-screen, pinching
from their usual weekly budgets and bringing a boarder into their
home for extra
income- is a lesson to be learned. The Hilton family is thrusted
into new
situations they might never have dealt with prior to the war.
Since this film was projected towards the female market, the film
gave a strong
message about empowering women. In the period in which this film
was made, the
climate for gender equality wasn't really an issue. With all the
men off at war,
women started to take up male roles and jobs to fill the
temporary gap. Jane
who wanted a job before her father left, eventually got one as a
nurse's aid.
After Mrs. Hilton agrees with Jane, a cut to the capping ceremony
where Jane,
"with shining face and sun glinting off her white cap, recites
the Red Cross
pledge." (Koppes p 157) Bridget is the young eager citizen who
can't do enough
for her country. She constantly complains that she is only
doing "kid's stuff"
for the war. Anne Hilton is also set up as a model citizen. For
example, she

is portrayed as unhappy and lonely. Many scenes feature a
"slick" Lieutenant
Tony Willet making subtle hints for his unquestioning love for
Anne. The
audience is usually left wondering if Anne will give up hope and
marry Tony.
Anne sticks it out and her and Tony remain close throughout the
troubled war and
they stay strictly "friends."
Another point more current literature on this film investigates,
is the issue of
reality. Various articles I read, that were dated after the war-
said that this
film was full of propaganda. An example of this was when the
Hilton's were on
the train to meet up with their father. A boy with an amputated
arm yells to
the conductor: "Can't this train get moving? I'll miss my pop!"
The conductor
replies: "Your pop will have a lot better chance if these supply
trains get
through" This scene is reinforcing a sense of teamwork, and a
the American duty
to work together. Propaganda aside, did this film bring the real
issues to the
silver screen? Perhaps, Selznick's desire for perfection got in
the way of the
real story of the American home in war time. Paying "too much
attention to love
scenes, costumes, gestures" (Agee p 137) possibly made the film

look too
artificial. In order to present the Hilton's house as a fun and
happy home- the
Selznick's portrayal of the Hilton cook (Fidelia) is a little
skewed. The
Hilton's were forced to let Fidelia go because Anne could no
longer afford to
pay her. After the first 30 minutes of the film, the cook has
already moved
back into the home to work for free. There is also the issue of
the Hilton home.
This docile is a modest place of an advertising executive which
was supposedly a
"typical" American home. The home was very elaborate and had
plenty of extra
space for 2 other house guests. Some of these images that are
prevalent in this
film are not exactly the same as the average American's. The
scenes mentioned
above and many more, presented a classless society which was
definitely not the
case in nineteen forty-four.
Most critics enjoyed this picture. After all these were troubled
times and
Americans weren't sure what to think. It's safe to say that the
movie going
audience did want to laugh but they also wanted to cry- and
that's what this
film allowed the audience to do. Since You Went Away, also
points at many

interesting aspects of nineteen forties post-war society.
Selznick's particular
attention to style and form brought this film to it's highest
level. Selznick
once said:
"Since You Went Away would remain the
definitive home-front movieŠ until a
realist comes along to show us what
life is really like in America during
World War II."
I think Clayton Koppes describes the film and
David Selznick best when he answers Selznick's
comments about the film:
"Yet there lay Selznick's brilliance. The film triumphed
precisely
because it was not realistic. With Hollywood's slickest
touch
he wove together the sacred and the sentimental symbols of
American life and set them n the national shrine: the middle
class home."
I believe the film was a bit too long and a lot of scenes should
have been
omitted. In my opinion, a long movie doesn't necessarily make a
good movie.
Nevertheless, it was quite interesting to investigate old films
and see the
differences in opinion four decades can make.
Sources Cited
Abel. Brian. "Since You Went Away." Variety July 19, 1944 p13
Agee, James. "Films" The Nation July 29, 1944 p137.

Allen, Robert and Gomery, Douglas "Film History - Theory and
Practice" New
York: N. Award Records 1985.
Crowther, Bosley. "Since You Went Away," A Film of Wartime
Domestic Life, With
Claudette Colbert and Others, Opens at the Capitol." New York
Times July 21,
1944.
Eyman, Giannetti "Flashback - A Brief History of Film" New
Jersey: Prentice
Hall 1991.
Fenster, Mark. "Constructing the image of authorial presence:
David O. Selznick
and the marketing of since you sent away" Journal of Film and
Video 4.1 Spring
1989: p36-55.
Fearing, Franklin "Warrior Return: Normal or Neurotic?"
Hollywood Quarterly
Vol. 1, 1945-1946: p96-107.
Hartung, Philip. "The Screen: While You Are Gone, Dear." The
Commonweal August
4, 1944 p374-375.
Koppes, Clayton "Hollywood Goes to War" New York: Free Press
1987. p154-162.
Newsweek "First GWTW, Now SYWA" July 10, 1944 p85-6.
Thomas, Bob. "Selznick" New York: Doubleday & Company, 1970.