That Forsyte Woman | |
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1949 theatrical poster
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Directed by | Compton Bennett |
Produced by | Leon Gordon |
Written by |
Jan Lustig Ivan Tors James B. Williams Arthur Wimperis (additional dialogue) |
Based on | the novel The Man of Property by John Galsworthy |
Starring |
Errol Flynn Greer Garson Walter Pidgeon Robert Young Janet Leigh |
Music by | Bronislau Kaper |
Cinematography | Joseph Ruttenberg |
Edited by | Frederick Y. Smith |
Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date
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November 3, 1949 |
Running time
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112 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $2,612,000 |
Box office | $3,697,000 |
That Forsyte Woman (released in the United Kingdom as The Forsyte Saga) is a 1949 romance film starring Greer Garson, Errol Flynn, Walter Pidgeon, Robert Young and Janet Leigh. It is an adaptation of The Man of Property, the first novel in The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy.
Walter Plunkett and Arlington Valles were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Color. The original music score was composed by Bronislau Kaper.
Irene (Greer Garson) is the wife of Victorian "man of property" Soames Forsyte (Errol Flynn), having married without love but after many proposals. Rebelling against her husband's preoccupation with material possessions, a list in which she is included, Irene falls in love with unconventional architect Philip Bosinney (Robert Young), who is engaged to Soames' niece June (Janet Leigh), one of Irene's closest friends. Soames learns of Irene's affair with Bosinney, and rather than allowing Irene to leave him, he reasserts his physical rights. When Soames and Bosinney discover that Irene has run away, Bosinney rushes out in the foggy London streets after her, only to be run over in an accident. After Irene learns of Bosinney's death she takes refuge with Soames' cousin Young Jolyon (Walter Pidgeon), who is June's estranged father but has sympathy for Irene's plight. Irene and Young Jolyon eventually marry, after Irene spurns Soames' attempts at reconciliation.
MGM bought the film rights to The Forsyte Saga in 1937 after much negotiating over a long period of time. Initial plans were to make an all-star film in the vein of Dinner at Eight or Grand Hotel, with Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford and Franchot Tone mentioned as possible stars.Joseph L. Mankiewicz was assigned to the project, which at one stage was going to be turned into two films.