I found the idea at the core of Random Harvest pretty moving. What if the person you loved couldn't remember you? There's something mystical about memory. We're nostalgic about our favourite things from childhood. It's a profound feeling when very old memories are triggered by a sense or a thought. Luke believed there was good in Darth Vader despite an overwhelming lack of evidence. We want to believe everything is remembered, somewhere deep down. True love cannot be entirely forgotten. It must live on somewhere.Ronald Colman walks out of an asylum when nobody is watching. He was there because he lost his memory near the end of the war. Maybe from an injury or from stress or shock. He doesn't talk much. But he meets a friendly lady (Greer Garson) by chance and she goes out of her way to help him. She trusts him for some reason. He appreciates her kindness and seems to recover his mental stability. Eventually, they fall in love.The movie maintains tension as we don't know where it is heading and we know nothing about this man or his nature. More stuff happens and his memory problems become an issue. The movie takes place over many years. It's a little tricky piecing things together as the film is indirect with a lot of information. It's not always obvious how much time has passed or what has happened to people. But it does make sense overall.One part of the plot in particular seems far-fetched. I'm skeptical about whether it's possible or has ever occurred in real life. But it creates the situation that the romance and drama reside within. If we simply accept it, the concept is powerful and affecting. The important thing is that the story and acting are very good. And the music is also very nice. I was unexpectedly moved to tears by the end of the movie. The feelings of Garson's character really resonated with me. And it's just a wonderfully beautiful story anyway. I was frustrated that Garson wasn't saying certain things but now I think I understand why. I'm very happy I discovered this movie. We watch movies to be affected and this one did that in many ways.

Ronald Colman stars as a shell-shocked WW1 soldier who suffers from complete amnesia. He is befriended by a kindly music hall singer (Greer Garson) and they fall in love. Inevitably, he regains his former memory and their lives change forever.Ronald Colman's dramatic voice and charismatic charm are irresistible in this movie and Greer Garson is incredibly beautiful and sympathetic; it's just a pleasure to watch them on the screen. The story is sweet and romantic and rich with characters. The movie received seven Oscar nominations in 1943. I did think the second half moved a bit slowly, but it comes to a satisfying conclusion. Recommended.

I have a tendency to like LeRoy's thirties movie best ("I'm a fugitive from a chain gang" "they won't forget" "Waterloo bridge" ) but "random harvest " is a superb melodrama which does not forget the zeitgeist of the time:mysterious past ,lapses of memory,Freudian sides were present in many Hitchcock,Lang ,Siodmak and Tourneur of the time.Le Roy's is psychoanalytical melodrama (whereas theirs were thrillers) Greer Garson was Le Roy's favourite actress at the time :she had been Edna Gabley who devoted her life to orphans ("Blossoms in the dust") and the same year Wyler's "Mrs Minniver" followed by another Le Roy's work "Madame Curie" (to think that there are French critics who do not like that movie!)So it is surprising to see a cast against type Greer Garson portray a music hall dancer (she manages quite well though).She won't stay in the job for long anyway and the rest of the movie shows Greer Garson in her usual role :an actress who never overplays -which in melodramas can be dreadful- and plays with restraint and sensitivity.The structure of the movie is bizarre ,there are several parts with sometimes a lack of connection between them ;take Garson's reappearance after the greedy family episode .Few scenes in the pure melodrama genre leave the viewer ill at ease like this one.In its own way ,it predates the second part of "Vertigo" .The end of the movie is what we have got to call "catharsis" ,or how the hero finally comes to term with his past .Ronald Coleman may seem a bit too old in the first scenes but as the movie at least spans a decade or more ,it's not a big problem,except may be for the short romance with his distant niece .Melodrama buffs cannot ignore "random harvest" .

I had never seen Random Harvest until just the other day on my TCM channel. What a refreshingly beautiful romantic drama that was. My favorite star, Ronald Coleman, was there and that is what made me even want to watch it. I have never seen Greer Garson but know of her great talent from Mrs. Miniver and this pair made the fine story even finer with their convincing and earnest acting. Oh! for the days when we had real actors and real stories come out of Hollywood! I do not recall any other romantic drama from Hollywood that is this memorable or haunting as this one. Only Wuthering Heights with Lawrence Olivier and Merle Oberon came close.Ronald Coleman and Greer Garson did a superb job of producing a variety of expressions on their faces to match their words and atmosphere. Some scenes would bring tears to the eyes even in grown men. The movie as a whole including the sets and period costumes was impeccable.I wonder if any one with a fascination for old Hollywood classics noticed the actress that played the little lady owner of the tobacconist shop. She was the one that performed so delightfully as the half blind house keeper in that famous film, Witness for the Prosecution.