MovieChat Forums > How Green Was My Valley (1942) Discussion > Huw staying the same age ruins the movie

Huw staying the same age ruins the movie


Was anyone else (especially people who have read the book) put off by the fact that Huw is played by the same actor throughout the whole movie? It makes it seem like from the time of his accident, to going to school, to going to the mine and getting together with his brother's widow all takes place over a few months! He looks like he's about 10 when he's working in the mine and standing up for himself in the chapel and moving in with his brother's widow. In the book, he should be about 17 at this time. Does anyone else think that this corner-cut robs the movie of a lot? In the book, he's legitimately in love with his brother's widow and he's been having sex and all that. For me, it ruined the movie.

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I'd have to agree with you there. It's unintentionally comical (at best) and disturbing (at worst) to see him move in on the widow at 10 years old. They try to play it off with innocence, but it really adds an element of pedophilism.

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Though I have not read the book, I found it very curious that he grew as fast as a comic strip character. I don't think that it really hurt the movie in any way though.

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Never ever pedophilic, since it's THE BOY who is in love with the older woman, not viceversa. You may call it platonic love, or whatever. Or haven't you ever been in love with your teacher when you were a kid (assuming you are a man)?

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It's unintentionally comical (at best) and disturbing (at worst) to see him move in on the widow at 10 years old. They try to play it off with innocence, but it really adds an element of pedophilism.


Oh for hell's sake. What's wrong with people that they can't accept innocence anymore? Looking for dirty motives in everyone's actions.

There was absolutely nothing untoward going on in the film between Huw and his brothers' wife. It says a lot about the workings of some people's minds that they immediately jump to pedophilia!

Do the P-I-G-E-O-N

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The whole idea of a little boy moving in with his brothers widow is just stupid - they are supposed to be starting a real relationship. This would have come across better if they used an older actor. Everyone staying the same age is bizarre. I don't think it "ruins the movie" - but it is quite ridiculous. I agree with the OP - the film presents itself as an immediate chain of events - It's weird. There are literally YEARS passing between the scenes - but it's impossible to know.

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they are supposed to be starting a real relationship


Are they? What sort of relationship? Brother/sister? Because that's all I saw.

Do the P-I-G-E-O-N

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Exactly. That's all you saw because the actor was still a little boy. The character is supposed to be an adult at this time - and he is in love with Bronwyn! It's a major part of the original story.

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Yeah you're talking about the book. This is the film and in the film Huw is a young boy. No romantic relationship was taking place.

Look I can understand people being annoyed that the film didn't follow the book exactly, but we have to deal with what we're presented, and since Huw is so young in the film you have expect and accept that they wouldn't take that relationship in a romantic direction.

Do the P-I-G-E-O-N

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Fair enough, but there are still other scenes that make his ageing seem strange. Other characters are starting relationships, getting married, children are being born, etc... He even passes from school into a job. As I said, years are passing and he still looks exactly the same.

If they made the decision that the events would instead happen completely within his childhood in this version - then that's fine. But they shouldn't of included him moving in with her. Because it makes no sense for a little kid to do that.

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You musn't forget that the whole movie is his memories, so he reminds of himself as the 10 years old kid the whole time, because that kid represents the happy time in his life, and the story ends when the father dies because that's when the kid inside him died.
Or maybe I'm just trying to get an explanation to the fact that he didn't have money to hire another actor lol

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I'm reading the novel, and as has been mentioned, it sprawls over a number of years - Angharrad is much younger at the beginning of the novel than she is in the film, which telescopes many events from the novel into a much shorter time-frame, hence the decision to use one actor in the role of Huw.

"I don't use a pen: I write with a goose quill dipped in venom!"---W. Lydecker

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I've watched this movie every chance I had as it is one of my favorites. I have never read the book, but I thought it was strange to have a 10 year old move in with his widowed sister-in-law. However, those were very hard times for the Welsh, and I thought it just may have been the way things were done. During the Depression in the States, it was not unheard of to let a child go off with complete strangers for a hopefully better life. And one less mouth to have to try to feed.
The problem I had was with the character teaching young Huw how to box, and a few scenes later, the character was completely blind. That's the one that got me. Nevertheless, this is a great movie, a classic.

Oh Jerry,don't lets ask for the moon,we have the stars.

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Actually I think hes supposed to be a little older than 10, he has finished his primary education (Roddy Mcdowall was in fact about 12-13 when this was filmed...Actually in the book the village has no problem with him living with Bron when he is a child, but when he is old enough to actually have had a relationship with her the gossips start back up and he moves back to his parents...I think a main reason they didnt film the whole book is because they were having enough problems with the material they did film without getting into some of the stuff they left out....

It is not our abilities that make us who we are...it is our choices

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(Roddy Mcdowall was in fact about 12-13 when this was filmed...

Roddy McDowall was 11 when this was filmed. Trivia says Maureen O'Hara was 19 at the time of filming and she's 8 yrs older than he.


MOJO2004

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Roddy McDowall was born in 1928, so he should have been about 12 if principal filming took place in 1940.

It is not our abilities that show who we truly are...it is our choices

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I thought it was strange to have a 10 year old move in with his widowed sister-in-law.


Why is it strange? She was knocking around in a house all by herself, except for the baby, so Huw moves in to keep her company and save her from being too lonely. He was a little brother to her. Just another person in the house that she could converse with and take care of.

Nothing wrong with that.


Do the P-I-G-E-O-N

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Huw is purposely the same age throughout the movie, as someone said before, they are all memories of an innocent youth. He remembers all of these events that occured over several years time, however he remembers himself age the age he was at his most happiest.
When the movie was in its planning stage Tyrone Power was to play Huw as a young adult, with another actor playing Huw as a child. So it wasn't because of oversight. If there is one person I will not question when it comes movies it is John Ford (with Tobacco Road the exception) I figure he knew what he was doing when keeping Huw the same age.

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At least they put a line in the narration reminding viewers that --at least in the movie-- he realized he was just a child and loved her in a way a child loves a women.

It also was played out so that it appeared he was doing it because she had mentioned how lonely she was, and she was setting his late brother's clothes out and putting them back every day anyway.

"Well, for once the rich white man is in control!" C. M. Burns

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It didn't bother me, although I haven't read the book. Fine, fine film,
though. Just an amazing film. Saw it the other night and it's so
touching.

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In the movie, it was his mother's idea to have him move in with his sister-in-law and give her his wages. I just figured since they were such a close family, that seemed like a noble solution. Otherwise, how would she get by?

But I'm glad people here have clarified the age thing. I was pretty confused about him going to school for what seems like about a week and is suddenly a scholar.

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I know nobody's gonna agree with me, but I read the book, and I like the film much better.

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It doesn't ruin the movie but I'll admit it is a bit confusing for the time frame, it makes it appear everything happens within maybe two years. I think once Huw's schooling is completed the part should have been played by a teenaged actor, it really doesn't make sense to keep Roddy in the role as he was an unknown at the time and the movie does not need him to carry it off (after all Maureen O'Hara disappears for quite a long stretch).

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Does anyone know if there is any footage of Tyrone Power or any other actors in otherwise unused scenes? Or would he have been used only if the company had actually gone to Wales?

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About 30 years ago, I read a book by Richard L. Bare (who directed Green Acres, of all things) called The Film Director. He did a great analysis of HGWMV and John Ford's conscious choice to let Roddy McDowall appear to not age. I don't remember all the details, but it was not an oversight by John Ford. McDowall has said that he was privileged to have been part of one great film in his career, and this was it.

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In the book Huw is young when he moves in with his sister in law, after his brother dies, as seen in the film. No in the village thinks anything of it at the time, but later as Huw gets older, the nasty gossips start back up, as they did with Angharad and Mr Gryffyd. The poisonous effects of gossip are even more explicit in the book than the movie. One of the best reasons not to age Huw is to avoid getting into certain plot lines later in the book that most assuredly would not have made it past the censors. I am actually amazed they got as much into the film as the did.

It is not our abilities that show who we truly are...it is our choices

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I heard that when they were first thinking of making this film they were going to stay faithful to the book having Huw age over time, with Tyrone Power playing Huw as an adult. But in the end Darryl Zanuck decided to keep Huw as a young man.

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He does age in the movie and it's shown in subtler ways. When first at school, he's dressed in an Eton collar, etc., showing his youth. Later in the movie he calls his mother "Mother", not Mama, and is dressed more like an adolescent boy. His voice breaks a few times while speaking to Bron. Roddy had such a youthful face, and they used clothing and speech to portray his growing up.

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The BBC television serial (it aired in 1975) had Dominic Guard play the older Huw Morgan and Rhys Powys player the younger.

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