Such a frustrating disappointment

Awesome Movie

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The advantages and disadvantages of television's bill of divorcement from history and chronology are very evident on a recent viewing of Homecoming. It doesn't matter much anymore that the film re-unites Gable and Turner who literally set the screen afire on their previous outing, "Somewhere III Find You", six years earlier. The romance is strong, but much more muted. Turner doesn't come on for at least half-an-hour and it's an equal length of time after that before the first silhouetted embrace. All that doesn't matter any more. Nor is it worth knowing that contemporary critics poured scorn on the movie, whereas the public loved it. What we have now is only the movie itself - divorced from history, from all the cries of studio publicity, from the derision of contemporary reviewers, and even from the word-of-mouth of acquaintances and friends.Actually, the film stands up rather well. True, the story is as artificially ' contrived as they come, but I found it both moving and engrossing - despite the feeling that it is scripted and directed with occasional too-obvious clumsiness and heavy-handedness. Gable is excellent - a strongly charismatic personality, playing with conviction and sincerity. Turner - in what is undoubtedly her least glamorous role - plays with unusual naturalness and professionalism. It is probably the most convincing performance of her career. The character is well-written. By contrast, Baxter seems artificial and too sweet. Hodiak makes the most of his big scene with Gable early in the film (effectively shot all in one take), but thereafter - like most of the support players who exist merely to provide cues and background - has little to do.All in all, "Homecoming" is big-budget screen entertainment - directed and produced with considerable style and expertise - that wears rather well, thanks to the magnetism of its stars, the appositeness of its dialogue and the realities of its plot.

I'm not sure if I classify this as a romance or a war film, but to be more accurate, it is a complete three dimensional theatrical dramatization.The stars abound here. The four in the forefront are the extremes in the handsome and beautiful. We see Gable in a fascinating performance, but to be honest, all give fascinating performances. We have Perry Mason's judge, Ray Collins in a fifth role, not just as a senior or mentor, but as a very deep character himself. Cameron Mitchell, I didn't even recognize him as the doomed soldier, which is what any actor loves to hear, that he was so effective, you didn't know it was him.Gable is a doctor. So is Hodiak. Hodiak is himself a hidden gem. He often played the ultra handsome "everyman", like he does here. He was the ultimate "everyman" in the grand daddy of switch ending films, AMBUSH AT TOMAHAWK GAP. Here, he is a very dedicated doctor at odds with Gable.Through out the film, we keep hoping for what looks to be the obvious pitch. Will the couples switch to happier mates? Bancroft with Hodiak and Turner with Gable? As it moves along, we see this to be more and more unlikely, and we are drawn into the charisma of "Useless" and "Snapshot".To say more would be a spoiler. Just be prepared for surprises in this hidden gem.

Clark Gable, Lana Turner, Anne Baxter, John Hodiak, and Gladys Cooper star in "Homecoming," a 1948 film about wartime and its aftermath. Gable plays a surgeon, Lee, who falls for a nurse (Turner) with whom he puts together the wounded, endures a life with only the barest of necessities, sits in shelters, and dodges. Back home, his devoted wife (Baxter) realizes by reading his letters that she's losing him.World War II has been romanticized often in films and in music - somehow, it is perceived by people who lived through Vietnam, Desert Storm, and our current conflicts as being somehow a cleaner war. But no war is clean, and there were some homecomings that were difficult as well. This was touched upon in "The Best Years of Our Lives," and very well here.The story is brought to life by its players. The role of Snapshot the nurse is a different one for the glamorous and beautiful Turner than what she was normally handed - the curse of the beautiful in Hollywood. She was capable of much more, and she gives a strong performance as an outspoken soldier who finally lets her vulnerability show. The stalwart Gable gives us a man who realizes the detached attitude he had toward his patients at home will no longer work, and he has to rethink himself and his life. Baxter is the "one left out," who can't experience the war, and she gives an excellent portrayal of a woman who loves her husband but doesn't know what to expect from him when he comes home. "I know he's changed," she laments, "but why couldn't we have changed together?" Her real-life husband, John Hodiak, looks quite handsome but doesn't have much to do as a family friend - his brief brush with stardom was a few years away.A very nice movie that shows that homecoming can be uncomfortable and bittersweet.

This is a very enjoyable piece of film making. Lana Turner and Clark Gable work well together in this likeable World War 2 light drama. A must for both Lana and Clark fans. Not a brilliant piece but again enjoyable.