The ending and Angharad's lesson? *Spoilers*

Skindili,

I would offer this response. The choice Angharad made was a choice which would not have seemed so foolish to a woman in her circumstance in a day and place so infused by the traditions and hardships of the 19th century coal mining regions of Wales...or many other places in the 19th century.

I think the moral message you were looking for was there, but very subtle...as was common in films of the day in which this film was made. Remember, the notion of unions, for the betterment of the workers, was considered a "socialist" notion even as late as 1941. The film makers were treading risky ground with this story.

When Angharad puts her hand on Gruffydd's knee as he is about to descend into the mine to look for her father, the expressions on both their faces is the moral answer you were seeking.

You might find more pleasure in another great film with a similar story: "The Valley of Decision" from 1945 starring Gregory Peck as the industrial scion, and Greer Garson as the daughter of a blue collar worker who marries him. And you may enjoy, as I did, that Donald Crisp is again the father of the girl who "marries up".

Love these old B&W films!

Ciao, e buon auguri

Having just seen HGWMV, I'd venture that Ang's story line and relationships were not about love and human interaction, but her purpose in the story was to symbolize the ideological marriage to the concepts of capitalism and what gets left in its wake. Gryph would symbolize the balance between the "theologies" of capitalism and socialism. But that's just my first take of it.

Clearly this film was attempting to explore manifestations of political economy through what amounted to metaphors of family life, personal decisions and relations in the context of the economy in question. I am not saying what follows here as necessarily my preferred view of the film so much as what i think Ford and the rest involved were trying to say.

Arguably Gryffud's choice SHOULD be seen as mistaken, because in effect he fooled himself into seeing his religious vocation and choice as fitting with a perception that his proletarian beloved would prefer and be better off with the owners of capital than him. The two go together in his decision. In effect we see that his perception of what she would prefer was wrong, so why did he mistake her for someone other than she was? I don't see how any viewer of this film would think that Angharrad actually wanted to marry the mine owner's son over Gryffud, if at all. Why did Gryffud? Perhaps he was misleading himself, to some extent intentionally?

The irony is that the course Gryffud chose benefitted no one. WHat are we to make of this lesson?

Before answering, it is also tru as others have noted that not only the mine owner encouraged the match, but so did Angharrad's father, and implicitly her mother. On the surface this is seen superficially as wanting her to have a better life, but even as the story unfolds, we know she will not have a better life following that course. So what was really going on here?

I think the Morgans subconsciously were offering Angharrad to the owners to bind themselves to the owners. Perhaps not all that subconsciously. This fits with Morgan's later actions to undermine the unionization efforts. He identifies with the owners, and this has been reinforced by his daughter marrying into the family.

But back to Gryffud. The religious aspect to his decision is obvious, or more accurately the vocational aspect of it. He says his work in the parish in effect requires he foreswear marriage to Angharrad. Note the conflict here between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, and how Gryffud in effect follows a Catholic approach. But is there in fact any merit to his decision? I think not. Gryffud implicitly realizes this by tying his decision to a forthright self sacrifice - he will give over his beloved to the mine owner's son in order he tells himself to allow him to benefit his parish. He even goes so far as to assure himself that his beloved will be better off.

In short I think the film shows Gryffud to be a good but flawed man and leader. But the source of his flaw here is in his wrongheaded perception of the connection between his religious/vocational role and that of the actual economic, and political, situation in the Valley. He indirectly was too accommodating to the notion that was shared by the Morgans, regarding the potential benefits of being tied to the owners. He was patronizing to Angharrad herself, allowing his lack of resolve and courage to substitute his flawed perception of what was best for her for her own decision and wishes.

It is really a parable about how good intentions and a sense of duty can lead one astray if not informed by an accurate assessment of one's place in the political economy of one's environment.

Now I am aware some see this film as a very different one, a call to accept duty in the face of the rise of Fascism and the outbreak of WWII. But of course warning viewers to follow a "real" leader down the right path does not diverge from what Ford probably perceived as the issues of the day.