she was miscast in this movie. I haven't read the book but she seems about 20 years too old at the beginning of the movie when she takes the job in the Scott house. People accused Cary Grant of always playing himself but you could also say the same about Miss Garson. Goodbye Mr Chips, Mrs Miniver, Blossoms In The Dust, this movie. Had she been about 25 instead of 40 she would have been perfect.But Gregory Peck is another matter. Even in movies I like such as Roman Holiday, Spellbound, Cape Fear or The Omen, he's always seemed too wooden. The exception to that is Mockingbird but I think his underplaying the role of Finch was perfect. In this movie I never saw the spark that would interest Garson. I know this is a minority view but I've never been a big fan of Peck and this movie didn't change my mind.The story of Mary Rafferty (Garson) taking a job as a maid for the wealthy Scott family and falling in love with the son (Peck) is pretty standard melodrama. Donald Crisp is smooth as Peck's father and Marsha Hunt is enjoyable in a small role as Peck's sister. But Lionel Barrymore is over the top as Garson's embittered father who was injured in the Scott steel mill and blames Peck's father for losing his legs.The movie takes place after the civil war and it's unlikely a wealthy family would treat the hired help the way they would a long lost cousin. Then there's the fact that Peck's father would continue to pay Barrymore full wages after he got hurt. If companies had done that in the 19th century we never would have the rise of the labor unions in the 20th century.But the biggest fish to swallow was the ending. Peck has married another woman and they have a young son. But when Peck's mother dies, suddenly Garson and Peck rekindle their love for each other and the fact that he has a wife already is no big deal so Peck and Garson can live happily ever after. I'm not an expert on 19th century divorce laws in Pennsylvania but somehow I think there may have been more to do than just tell your wife she can't take the kid to Boston.The talent in this movie is immense. The director, Tay Garnett did a perfect job with The Postman Always Rings Twice. Garson, Peck (despite my feelings) Crisp, Barrymore, Hunt, Dan Duryea and Jessica Tandy were all terrific actors. Greer Garson's talent by itself is worth 5 stars. But this movie is not on the level of her best work. Come to think of it, everyone connected to this has done better.

I happened to catch this one on TCM. I'd heard about how Peck was one of the few hunks left at home during WWII but was not as familiar with Miss Garson except for perhaps Goodbye Mr. Chips. Also, I am more a fan of Warner Brothers films than the glossy MGM fare. Nevertheless, I was captivated by this one. Garson plays with charming capability the Irish servant Mary to the Scott scion Peck against the backdrop of a Pittsburg steel mill. It's rather soap operatic but Peck manages to bring it down to earth. You could already see the Atticus Finch in him. Only Lionel Barrymore as Mary's bitter father manages to wreck things with his usual ham overacting. The story was also surprisingly politically correct with the servants, especially Mary, being treated more like cousins than workers as one might find in say, class conscious British films. The ending was a tad implausible but a happy one nonetheless. I would definitely add it to my rainy day, sick in bed with the flu, can't sleep insomniac collection.

Okay, I'll admit that this movie is a bit heavy-handed at times. Lionel Barrymore's performance as Mary's father is not a subtle performance and the movie is a tad predictable at times. However, despite these minor shortcomings, this is a marvelous romantic flick from Hollywood's heyday and is a great early Gregory Peck vehicle.Mary (Greer Garson) is a lovely poor lass who goes to work as a housekeeper in the home of the wealthy family (the Scotts) who own the local steel mill. This is problematic, as Mary's father was seriously injured in the mill and bears an intense hatred of the Scotts. It becomes even more problematic as, over time, handsome Paul Scott (Peck) falls for her and asks for her hand in marriage! Yikes! However, this is only about half-way through the movie--what happens next you'll need to find out yourself.Great performances (not just from the two leads but from capable supporting actors such as Donald Crisp and Dan Duryea), direction, sets and writing make this one of my personal favorites. Watch it!

"The Valley of Decision" (I have no idea what the title means), is a competently told melodrama that is about too many things. Romance, class struggles, capitalism, etc. In fact it is about too many things. Chief among them is that it's about 20 minutes longer than it needs to be, and tries to address and resolve all of the minor plot lines.It's not a bad film, it's just not a good film. It doesn't help that there is little chemistry between Greer Garson and Gregory Peck. I believe that part of this has to do with Garson being much too old to play this part(she was 40 at the time the movie was filmed). Peck was 11 years her junior, and by this time had only had a couple of other pictures to his credit.Still, she is lovely, and it is obvious that he will be a star. Good supporting work from Thomas Mitchell, Gladys Cooper and Marsha Hunt.6 out of 10