Since You Went Away

John Cromwell's 1944 film is about a family left behind in America during the war. The father has gone to the front; Anne, the mother, tries to keep the house going with her two teenage daughters, lets one of their rooms to cover the costs and takes a job for the first time. The film never goes to the front, describing the effect of the war inside the house, the waiting and the absence of news. The elder daughter falls in love with a soldier, the arrival of a retired colonel as lodger changes the order of the house, and daily life passes in waiting for letters. It was made during the war and openly carries the aim of raising morale at home, which is why some passages are too optimistic. It runs close to three hours. The scenes between Claudette Colbert and Jennifer Jones are at its centre. Who it's for: viewers who like classic Hollywood melodrama. Who it's not for: anyone expecting a detached view of the war; the film carries the propaganda register of its time.