It tells the story of Edna Gladney, who opened a home for foundlings and orphans find homes. She was able to place the children in good homes, despite the opposition of “conservative” citizens, who would condemn illegitimate children for being born out of wedlock. Eventually Edna led a fight in the Texas legislature to remove the stigma of illegitimacy from birth records in that state, while continuing to be an advocate for homeless children.
We watched this as part of our Oscar winner/nominees for 1942. I know this wasn't quite as artfully done as the winner, How Green Was My Valley, but we sure liked it better. Living in Dallas I'd heard of the Edna Gladney home in Fort Worth and I was interested in the story. It did not disappoint.
Greer Garson is a wonderful actress and the story, though told in a straight forward manner, handled several social issues that hadn't occurred to us. We also appreciated the way the story showed major events without drawing out the tragedies. It was inspirational in a way that I didn't expect.
I hadn't realized what a pioneer Gladney was in legislation to protect orphaned children. The film made it clear why this was very important. It was fascinating to realize that her accomplishments happened just a few years before this movie was made, making it a topic of real interest and also education to people at the time.
No comments:
Post a Comment