Random Harvest (1942)

As WWI ends, a shell shocked veteran (Ronald Colman) with amnesia walks away from the hospital where he has been recuperating. Although he has no memory of who he is, he falls in love with a music hall entertainer (Greer Garson). Together they build a new life with him as a struggling writer. But one day, his memory comes back. Based on the novel by James Hilton (LOST HORIZON) and directed by Mervyn LeRoy. This is one of the great movie romances of 1940s cinema. Surprisingly so since Colman and Garson are probably the most passionless movie stars of their era. Oh sure, it's hokey but done with such aplomb that one swallows the balderdash willingly. The film gets the full MGM treatment, first class all the way. The film also contains one of the most surprising twists at the halfway point which changes the film considerably. In the novel, the twist doesn't come until the last page which wouldn't work on film. Its sentimental romanticism isn't everyone's cup of tea (Pauline Kael detested the movie) but it's the kind of film if seen early in one's life stays with you forever. With Susan Peters, Philip Dorn, Una O'Connor, Margaret Wycherly, Henry Travers, Ian Wolfe and Elisabeth Risdon.