Random Harvest (1942)

89% of critics liked it
(9 reviews)
90% of users liked it
(2,605 ratings)

At the close of World War I, shell-shocked amnesia victim Ronald Colman is sequestered in a London sanitarium; with no identity and no next of kin, he has nowhere else to go. Unable to stand the loneliness, Colman wanders into the streets, then stumbles into a music hall, where he is befriended by… More At the close of World War I, shell-shocked amnesia victim Ronald Colman is sequestered in a London sanitarium; with no identity and no next of kin, he has nowhere else to go. Unable to stand the loneliness, Colman wanders into the streets, then stumbles into a music hall, where he is befriended by good-natured entertainer Greer Garson. That Colman and Garson fall in love and marry should surprise no one; what is surprising, at least to Colman, is that he discovers that he has a talent for writing. Three years pass: while in Liverpool to sell one of his stories, Colman is struck down by a speeding car. When he comes to, he has gained full memory of his true identity; alas, he has completely forgotten both Garson and their child. Returning to his well-to-do relatives, Colman takes over the family business. Having lost her child, the distraught Garson seeks out the missing Colman. Psychiatrist Philip Dorn helps Garson, advising her that to reveal her identity may prove a fatal shock for her husband. To stay near him all the same, Garson takes a job as Colman's secretary. "Strangely" attracted to Garson, Colman falls in love with her all over again. Will there be yet another memory lapse? Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't believe a minute of Random Harvest, but the magic spell woven by the stars and by author James Hilton (Lost Horizon, Goodbye Mr. Chips etc.) transforms the wildly incredible into the wholly credible (just one quibble: isn't Colman a bit long in tooth as a "young" World War I veteran?) The film was one of MGM's biggest hits in 1942--indeed, one of the biggest in the studio's history. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 6 min.
Directed By: Mervyn LeRoy
Written By: Claudine West, George Froeschel, Arthur Wimperis
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Dec 17, 1942 Wide
On DVD: Jan 11, 2005
Studio: MGM Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
LeRoy's schmaltzy and literary romantic melodrama, about a WWI vet who suffers from amnesia, was a huge commercial hit due to Greer Garson and Ronald Colman's acting and the fact that it was released in the midst of WWII.
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
Dated, but still moving '40s classic with Garson and Colman.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies
Parts of it are tender and beautiful, but other parts are overplayed, maudlin, and about as subtle as a clunk on the head or a taxi across the sternum.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...a remarkable story of love and devotion, patience and endurance, an original and fascinating motion picture.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...it is the kind of love-found, love-lost, love-found tale that appeals to most anyone's sense of romanticism, nostalgia, and fair play.
David Bezanson, Filmcritic.com
the abundance of talent rescues the material
Daniel Eagan, Film Journal International
Lavish but far-fetched tearjerker

Read all 7 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Spencer S

This has got to be the most depressing movie I have ever seen. Not in a bad way either. Beautiful film, with the stellar grace of Greer Garson and the fumblings of Ronald Colman, it's the most romantic movies that doubles as a tear jerker that I have ever watched.
Stella D

the plot of this film is completely ridiculous. it's a big soapy melodrama and really not my kind of thing. however i feel compelled to keep watching...i can't explain...you'll just have to see for yourself
Mason W

This MGM film with Greer Garson and Ronald Colman is a wonderful drama/romance. The story of an ill man that looses his memory and falls madly in love with a showgirl to only loose it again. Is love powerful ebough to regain these emotions and find each other again?!
jay n

The acting is good but the story is hard to believe at best.

Cast

            Ronald Colman as Charles Rainer/John "Smithy" Smith

            Greer Garson as Paula Ranier

            Philip Dorn as Dr. Jonathan Benet

            Susan Peters as Kitty

            Henry Travers as Dr. Sims

            Edmund Gwenn as Prime Minister

            Reginald Owen as "Bitter"

            Bramwell Fletcher as Harrison

            Rhys Williams as Sam

            Una O'Connor as Tobacconist

            Melville Cooper as George

            Margaret Wycherly as Mrs. Deventer

            Aubrey Mather as Sheldon

            Arthur Margetson as Chetwynd

            Alan Napier as Julian

            Jill Esmond as Lydia Chetwynd

            Marta Linden as Jill Kitty's Mother

            Ann Richards as Bridget

            Norma Varden as Julia

            David Cavendish as Henry Chilcotte

            Ivan Simpson as Vicar

            Marie de Becker as Vicar's Wife

            Olive Blakeney as Woman

            David Clyde
            
            Alec Craig
            
            Henry Daniell as Heavy Man

            Elizabeth Risdon as Mrs. Lloyd

            Lumsden Hare as Sir John

            Sam Harris as Member of the House of Commons

            Forrester Harvey
            
            Terry Kilburn as Boy

            George Kirby as Conductor

            Peter Lawford as Bit Part

            Cyril McLaglen as Policeman

            Kay Medford as Wife

            Leonard Mudie as Old Man

            Helena Phillips Evans as Ella the Charwoman

            Hilda Plowright as Nurse

            C. Montague Shaw as Julia's Husband

            Reginald Sheffield as Judge

            Arthur Shields as Chemist

            Arthur Space as Trempitt

            Ian Wolfe as Registrar

            Frederic Worlock as Paula's Lawyer

            Lowden Adams as Clerk

            Madge Crane as Mrs. Sims

            Pax Walker as Sheila
See full cast