I Remember Mama (film)
| I Remember Mama | |
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original film poster
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| Directed by | George Stevens |
| Produced by | Harriet Parsons George Stevens |
| Written by |
John Van Druten (play) Kathryn Forbes (novel Mama's Bank Account) DeWitt Bodeen (screenplay) |
| Starring |
Irene Dunne Barbara Bel Geddes Oskar Homolka Ellen Corby Philip Dorn |
| Music by | Roy Webb |
| Cinematography | Nicholas Musuraca |
| Edited by | Robert Swink |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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134 mins |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3,068,000 |
| Box office | $2.9 million (US rentals) |
I Remember Mama is a 1948 drama film, directed by George Stevens, from a screenplay by DeWitt Bodeen, based upon the play by John Van Druten, which itself was based on Kathryn Forbes' novel, Mama's Bank Account (Published 1943 by Harcourt, Brace) about the family life of a Norwegian immigrant family in San Francisco early in the 20th century. The film starred Irene Dunne in the titular role, as well as Barbara Bel Geddes, Philip Dorn, Ellen Corby and Oscar Homolka who reprised the role of Uncle Chris, which he had created on Broadway. The film was nominated for 5 Academy Awards.
The film begins with eldest daughter Katrin completing the last lines of her autobiographical novel. As she reminisces about her family life, we flashback to 1910, where the first of a series of vignettes finds Marta Hanson preparing the weekly budget with her husband Lars, daughters Katrin, Christine and Dagmar, and son Nels, who announces his desire to attend high school. Each family member makes a financial sacrifice to contribute to the boy's education.
Marta's sister Trina arrives, announces she is marrying undertaker Peter Thorkelson, and implores Marta to break the news to their sisters Sigrid and Jenny. When Marta threatens to reveal embarrassing anecdotes about them, the women accept their sister's decision.
When Jonathan Hyde, the Hansons' impoverished lodger, reads A Tale of Two Cities aloud for the family, they are deeply moved by the story. Later, the family is visited by Marta's gruff but soft-hearted Uncle Chris and his housekeeper Jessie Brown, who is secretly his wife. When Chris discovers Dagmar is ill with mastoiditis, he insists on taking her to the hospital. Dagmar's operation is a success, but Marta is prohibited from seeing her. Disguised as a member of the housekeeping staff, she sneaks into Dagmar's ward and sings to her.
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Wikipedia