Previous comments on this film that I have seen describe it as having a 'dreamy' character, with which I totally concur. It is indeed a young man's fantasy, my remembrances of it leaving me with feelings of profound melancholy; other reviewers have stated that they first saw it at the approximate age of 12 and of being totally captivated and romantically moved by it; surprisingly, these are my recollections of it, myself. I, too, saw it at about the same age, and I also recall being equally moved by the content of the film and the beauty as well as another quality about the lead actress, Marianne Hold,...something I remember as haunting and ephemeral...difficult to define. Many years later, I find that I am motivated to view it once again...and, this time, to read the book upon which it is based, as well. Will I find it equally captivating as I did decades ago, or will I find my memory of those 1950s and 1960s viewings, when I was able to find the B&W film on late-night-television, far exceeds their reality? (Does this description equally epitomize the anticipation vs. the reality of other aspects of one's physical/corporeal life? I wonder.)
Review of Marianne of My Youth
Marianne of My Youth
(1955)
Remembrances of a youthful late-night viewing of 'Marianne of My Youth'
21 December 2006