I was so excited to see this film because it was one that has thus far somehow eluded me in my quest for great cinema classics. And of course, I was not disappointed - after all, it starred the incomparable Olivia de Haviland.
To Each His Own is a classic melodrama which begins with a middle aged Olivia living in London, and is told through a series of flashbacks. It is the story of a young woman who meets a dashing airline pilot around 1916, falls in love and essentially has a one night stand with him. He flies off to France and writes her love letters, but unfortunately word comes back to her that he has been shot down. Around the same time she realizes that she is also pregnant with his baby. (Gasp!) Without revealing any spoilers, the film basically highlights moments for the next twenty years of her life.
I can honestly say that I have not seen a de Haviland film I didn't like, and she is one of my favorite classic film actresses along with her sister Joan Fontaine and my personal favorite, the great Bette Davis. She does not have the high drama that Davis projects, but she possesses such an incredible dignity and intelligence that flows into her work. To Each His Own won de Haviland her first Oscar in 1946, a very well-deserved honor for her. She followed it up a couple of years later with her fantastic turn in The Heiress, which earned her another Oscar.
This was a great melodramatic story that must have been slightly controversial in its day. Grab some tissues and enjoy this fine film.
--Shelly
To Each His Own is a classic melodrama which begins with a middle aged Olivia living in London, and is told through a series of flashbacks. It is the story of a young woman who meets a dashing airline pilot around 1916, falls in love and essentially has a one night stand with him. He flies off to France and writes her love letters, but unfortunately word comes back to her that he has been shot down. Around the same time she realizes that she is also pregnant with his baby. (Gasp!) Without revealing any spoilers, the film basically highlights moments for the next twenty years of her life.
I can honestly say that I have not seen a de Haviland film I didn't like, and she is one of my favorite classic film actresses along with her sister Joan Fontaine and my personal favorite, the great Bette Davis. She does not have the high drama that Davis projects, but she possesses such an incredible dignity and intelligence that flows into her work. To Each His Own won de Haviland her first Oscar in 1946, a very well-deserved honor for her. She followed it up a couple of years later with her fantastic turn in The Heiress, which earned her another Oscar.
This was a great melodramatic story that must have been slightly controversial in its day. Grab some tissues and enjoy this fine film.
--Shelly