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I Remember Mama

Released Mar 9, 1948 2h 14m Comedy Drama List
100% Tomatometer 18 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Norwegian immigrant Marta Hanson (Irene Dunne) keeps a firm but loving hand on her household of four children, a devoted husband (Philip Dorn) and a highly-educated lodger (Cedric Hardwicke) who reads Charles Dickens to the family every evening. Through financial crises, illnesses and the small triumphs of everyday life, Marta maintains her optimism and sense of humor, traits she passes on to her aspiring-author daughter, Katrin (Barbara Bel Geddes).
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I Remember Mama

Critics Reviews

View All (18) Critics Reviews
James Agee TIME Magazine Above everything else, the picture has obviously been made with the lively affection and pleasure which are the life blood of good popular art. Mar 2, 2018 Full Review Nell Minow Movie Mom Rated: A Feb 18, 2012 Full Review Tom Milne Time Out A charmer, nevertheless, directed and acted with real delicacy. Jun 24, 2006 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com This chronicle of one immigrants clan in San Francisco circa 1900 is sentimental and nostalgic, but it's precisely directed by George Stevens and emotionally effective. Rated: B+ Aug 1, 2011 Full Review TV Guide A delicate charmer, sometimes precious, but nonetheless fine. Rated: 4/4 Nov 13, 2007 Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid It's a quietly effective work, thanks to its strong sense of time and place. Rated: 3/4 Mar 7, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Georgan G This film is simply a true classic. Such wonderful acting and storytelling. The drama is about the daily lives of a family in the early 1900s. Irene Dunne is outstanding. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/31/24 Full Review Audience Member Decent film that I would probably watch if it was on, but still had some seriously dated humour that was common for that time. I believe that Irene Dunne's acting carried most of the film for me; performing a very believable Norwegian accent that would rival any modern actor today. She was deservedly nominated for Best Actress in tough year from the films I have seen. I have not seen Jane Wyman in Johnny Belinda and Ingrid Bergman in Joan of Arc. Dunne's performance is better than Stanwyck in Sorry, Wrong Number (good, but nothing noteworthy). However, it's hard to decide if Dunne's performance is better than DeHavilland's performance in The Snake Pit, as both performances are very good. I would probably choose the latter as the better performance. Oscar Holmolka, who was also Oscar-nominated for Best Supporting Actor, gave a very jovial, if quite dated, performance as Uncle Chris. He was a bit over-the-top but, in the context of the time, he played the role well. I haven't seen the other roles in the category so I can't comment whether he gave a better performance than his colleagues. Two other actresses were nominated for their roles in the film, Barbara Bel Geddes and Ellen Corby as Katrin and Aunt Trina respectively, were both fine in the film but nothing noteworthy. From the nominees I've seen I believe the winner, Claire Trevor, was better than both performances followed by Jean Simmons who was also better than both Geddes and Corby. The script was alright, I especially liked who the film finished. The direction was also pretty basic as was the cinematography but that was again expected for that time. The production design was pretty good for the family house and Uncle Chris's house. Overall, although it is dated and Dunne's performance significantly helps the film, it is enjoyable and I wouldn't mind watching it again. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member The movie is a wonderful sweet story of a Norwegian immigrant family living in San Francisco in the 1910s. The story tells us of small things in the family life; financial troubles, small kindnesses, quiet generosity, the uniqueness of family members, all told with love, humor and determination. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review steve d Not enough story, and a weak script. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member No sentiment whatsoever in this creakly old tale. These tales should be told for warmth and for remembrances of childhoods long forgotten. This film misses on almost every track. It is OK if you just want filler, but why go back to these old behemoths when there are so many newer vehicles that are done so much better? Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review ashley h I Remember Mama is an amazing film. It is about the ups and downs of a Norwegian immigrant family, circa 1910. Irene Dunne and Barbara Bel Geddes give excellent performances. George Steven did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the drama. I Remember Mama is a must see. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
I Remember Mama

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Norwegian immigrant Marta Hanson (Irene Dunne) keeps a firm but loving hand on her household of four children, a devoted husband (Philip Dorn) and a highly-educated lodger (Cedric Hardwicke) who reads Charles Dickens to the family every evening. Through financial crises, illnesses and the small triumphs of everyday life, Marta maintains her optimism and sense of humor, traits she passes on to her aspiring-author daughter, Katrin (Barbara Bel Geddes).
Director
George Stevens
Producer
Harriet Parsons
Screenwriter
DeWitt Bodeen
Distributor
RKO Radio Pictures
Production Co
RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 9, 1948, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2009
Runtime
2h 14m
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