Most of the negative criticism is rather bizarre in that, having read a great many of the comments and reviews here, most of them complain about the film being a film of its time period.
1. The film is sentimental and so is the score. Of course it is it's a 1941 film.
2. The film is unrealistic and should be gritty. One commentator/reviewer even said it should have been like the British kitchen sink films of the early 60's, apparently missing the fact that this grittier type of film was a development of the early 60's and not the early 40's.
3. The book is better and has much more detail. Yes, the book always has more detail, it's a book.
4. It wasn't filmed in Wales. It was planned to be filmed in Wales but a little thing called World war II prevented that.
5. The accents aren't Welsh. Hollywood didn't even get American regional accents right, much less those of the British Isles. Besides, outside the U.K. hardly anyone knows what a Welsh accent sounds like.
6. The film beat out Citizen Kane. Yes, it did. Kane's reputation has grown mostly in retrospect until it finally became an icon. It's the type of film that appeals to film critics, directors and film buffs. It has never really captured the public and tends to get respect rather than love.
7. There are some apt criticisms. The screenplay leaves a great deal unsaid that could have been filled in with a sentence or two. This leaves the audience wondering why the characters are doing what they do and makes some of their actions seem irrational.
Roddy McDowell plays Huw throughout, never aging (and looking 10 rather than the 13 he was). This makes it seem like the film takes place in a single year.
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