Jennifer Jones is my favorite actress of the Golden Age, but if I'd first seen her in Good Morning, Miss Dove, I would never want to see another of her movies again. I don't know what happened to make her give such an uninspired performance, nor do I know why she agreed to make such a corny movie in the first place.
She stars as an old maid schoolteacher who's beyond strict. A teacher that stern and unfeeling would not be beloved in real life; she would be the most hated teacher on campus. When she goes in for unexpected surgery, the entire town worries for her and reflects (through endless flashbacks) how she positively influenced their lives when they were young children in her classroom. Not only are the flashbacks hackneyed and irritating, but they don't serve to illustrate Miss Dove as a good teacher or mentor. In every flashback, she gives the same stone-faced performance and delivers her lines without feeling. There's never any character development through the years, or any slight note of compassion that only the camera can pick up as she shapes the children's lives.
The first flashback shows Jonesy as a young girl, full of passion and sweetness, and in love. However, when her father dies unexpectedly and leaves her in a mountain of debt, she breaks up with her wealthy, classy boyfriend and takes a job as a history teacher. There's no reason, no explanation, and no mourning period shown as she transitions from youthful optimism to old maid. In one scene she's exuberant, and in all other scenes, she's haggard and old.
Without belaboring the point, this movie is not one to watch if you want a good impression of Jennifer Jones. It's a typical Jane Wyman movie, and it feels like a cheap knock-off of The Blue Veil. Save your time and watch a meaty Jonesy movie, like Madame Bovary.
She stars as an old maid schoolteacher who's beyond strict. A teacher that stern and unfeeling would not be beloved in real life; she would be the most hated teacher on campus. When she goes in for unexpected surgery, the entire town worries for her and reflects (through endless flashbacks) how she positively influenced their lives when they were young children in her classroom. Not only are the flashbacks hackneyed and irritating, but they don't serve to illustrate Miss Dove as a good teacher or mentor. In every flashback, she gives the same stone-faced performance and delivers her lines without feeling. There's never any character development through the years, or any slight note of compassion that only the camera can pick up as she shapes the children's lives.
The first flashback shows Jonesy as a young girl, full of passion and sweetness, and in love. However, when her father dies unexpectedly and leaves her in a mountain of debt, she breaks up with her wealthy, classy boyfriend and takes a job as a history teacher. There's no reason, no explanation, and no mourning period shown as she transitions from youthful optimism to old maid. In one scene she's exuberant, and in all other scenes, she's haggard and old.
Without belaboring the point, this movie is not one to watch if you want a good impression of Jennifer Jones. It's a typical Jane Wyman movie, and it feels like a cheap knock-off of The Blue Veil. Save your time and watch a meaty Jonesy movie, like Madame Bovary.