Sigh.
I first saw “Enchantment” when I was about ten years old, and it made such an impact on me that I’ve remembered bits of dialogue from it ever since. This is a perfect, ooey-gooey romance that will leave you swooning.
Rollo Dane, a retired General, has returned to the home of his youth to live out his remaining years. The house is full of memories, some sweet and some painful. When his great-niece Grizel (Evelyn Keyes) turns up on his doorstep, stationed in London while she serves as an ambulance driver for wounded soldiers, he reluctantly allows her to stay in the house. She hears mention of a Miss Lark who once lived there, and is driven by curiosity to ask about her, but the answers aren’t immediately forthcoming.
We get to see what happened, though, as present day intermingles with the past. When Rollo was just a young boy, his father took in a little orphan girl named Lark Ingoldsby to be raised with the family. They played together as children, although Lark’s position in the house was never as elevated as it ought to have been because of the jealousy of Selene, the oldest sister. Selene treated Lark like a servant and resented her father’s attempts to make her one of the family. When old Mr. Dane died, Selene had free reign and made Lark’s life miserable.
As we go back to the present (by that, I mean World War II and Grizel’s story) we see that she has been called out to pick up a young pilot officer who is being transferred to a London hospital. His name is Pax Masterson (Farley Granger), and his hands have been badly burned. He starts flirting with Grizel almost immediately, but she’s immune to his charm – she’s been hurt in the past and doesn’t want to be vulnerable again. She takes him to the hospital, finishes her rounds, and then is surprised to see Pax in her living room when she returns home. It turns out that Pax is Lark’s nephew, and has been sent to look up the family should he ever make it as far as London. They tour the house together, enjoying each other’s company. He continues to flirt, and oh, the silly girl – she continues not to be charmed.
As Lark (Teresa Wright) grows older, Selene (Jayne Meadows) is jealous of her. She is lovely, where Selene is plain. She can sing and play the piano, and Selene can do none of those things. When Rollo comes home for a quick leave from the Army, Selene notices how much attention he pays to Lark, and she intervenes as much as possible, making Lark look foolish in front of Rollo. Every time Rollo (David Niven) steps to Lark’s defense, Selene shoots him down too.
Lark grows up in Rollo’s absence, and one day he returns home for a visit to find a lovely young woman where a little girl used to be. She’s been in love with him for some time, but he finally realizes that he’s in love with her too. That scene is my favorite in the movie and my heart goes pitty-pat every time I just think about it. But Selene once again intervenes, and this time, she succeeds. Rollo encourages Grizel not to miss out on love like he did.
This is a perfect movie to watch while curled up on the couch with a big box of tissues. It’s a little melodramatic, sure. But in a good way.
This film was not rated.
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