All the Way Home is a stylized drama that feels like you're watching a play. Jean Simmons does the best she can, but the dialogue hasn't been adapted to suit film audiences, so there's very little she can do. "You're not alone, do you hear?" she says to her son in a tearful monologue. No one actually says, "Do you hear?" when they're shouting at someone who's looking right at them. So, keep in mind the dialogue will feel very wooden and stage-y if you decide to rent this.
The story is set at the turn of the century, when cars were new and women wore their hair in Gibsons. In other words, Jean looks very pretty and her biggest problem during the first half of the movie is her refusal to tell her son she's expecting another child. She thinks it's vulgar and inappropriate, but her husband Robert Preston thinks it's important to the family unit. Robert is the quintessential husband and father, the head of the household no one can live without. You might wonder why Robert Preston was cast in this role, since he never conveys very much warmth in his performances. However, he played a very similar role in a very similar movie ten years earlier When I Grow Up, so that's probably why. Either that, or Hollywood audiences were used to seeing him in that time period because of The Music Man. The Dark at the Top of the Stairs was also set at the turn of the century.
This isn't really an enjoyable movie. If you look up the synopsis online, you'll find out what happens; but if you're not expecting it, it'll come as a shock. If you like Jean Simmons, you might enjoy seeing her in a dramatic role, since Hollywood didn't often know what to do with her.
The story is set at the turn of the century, when cars were new and women wore their hair in Gibsons. In other words, Jean looks very pretty and her biggest problem during the first half of the movie is her refusal to tell her son she's expecting another child. She thinks it's vulgar and inappropriate, but her husband Robert Preston thinks it's important to the family unit. Robert is the quintessential husband and father, the head of the household no one can live without. You might wonder why Robert Preston was cast in this role, since he never conveys very much warmth in his performances. However, he played a very similar role in a very similar movie ten years earlier When I Grow Up, so that's probably why. Either that, or Hollywood audiences were used to seeing him in that time period because of The Music Man. The Dark at the Top of the Stairs was also set at the turn of the century.
This isn't really an enjoyable movie. If you look up the synopsis online, you'll find out what happens; but if you're not expecting it, it'll come as a shock. If you like Jean Simmons, you might enjoy seeing her in a dramatic role, since Hollywood didn't often know what to do with her.