Random Harvest

Released Dec 17, 1942

2 hr. 4 min.

Drama

List

82%

11 Reviews

Tomatometer

89%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

A veteran of World War I, Charles Rainier (Ronald Colman) has lost all memory of his life before the war. Left to wander, Rainier meets a showgirl, Paula (Greer Garson), with whom he falls in love. Rainier and Paula are soon happily married, but when Rainier travels out of town, a car hits him -- erasing the memories of his life with Paula, but restoring those of his life before the war. While he returns to his previous life, Paula tries to find a way to be reunited with her husband.

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annie c

One of the most romantic movies ever made.Ronald Coleman's voice is a marvel...deeply beautiful.Carson is fine as his rescuer,then loser.I have watched this movie many times and never tire of the simple,but beautiful love story.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Everyone should see this film!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

david l

While the core story of Random Harvest is totally implausible and overly melodramatic, the movie was elevated by Herbert Stothart's beautiful score, fantastic directing from Mervyn LeRoy and wonderful performances from both Greer Garson and Ronald Colman. It is a slow-paced, but effective picture in its nostalgic, strange atmosphere and its ending is very touching.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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steve d

It still works because of its stars.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Tom M

Movie starts slows , gets better and then gets slow again in the middle but Garson and Colman are perfect and pull it off, which makes it a classic. Garson won the Oscar for 'Mrs.Miniver' that year but she should have won for this. Colman was brilliant as always. One of the greats in the annals of 'amnesia' movies.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/07/20

Full Review

Audience Member

Are you kidding me? What woman in their right mind would'nt reveal the truth? Pure torture...

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

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Mervyn LeRoy

Director

Ronald Colman

Charles Rainier

Greer Garson

Paula Ridgeway

Philip Dorn

Dr. Jonathan Benet

Susan Peters

Kitty Chilcet

Reginald Owen

Biffer

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Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Rated: 5/5

Nov 12, 2004

Full Review

Zita Short

InSession Film

Everything about Random Harvest, from the score to the art direction, feels like it was put in place to make voters feel like they couldn’t not include it on their ballots.

Feb 9, 2023

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Boasts a deviously heart-wrenching plot, dripping with sentimentality and efficaciously tear-jerking romance, even though it was altered notably from the source material.

Rated: 10/10

Aug 14, 2020

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

LeRoy's schmaltzy and literary romantic melodrama, about a WWI vet who suffers from amnesia, was a huge commercial hit due to Greer Garson and Ronald Colman's acting and the fact that it was released in the midst of WWII.

Rated: B-

Mar 1, 2008

Full Review

Steve Crum

Video-Reviewmaster.com

Dated, but still moving '40s classic with Garson and Colman.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 16, 2006

Full Review

Michael W. Phillips, Jr.

Goatdog's Movies

Parts of it are tender and beautiful, but other parts are overplayed, maudlin, and about as subtle as a clunk on the head or a taxi across the sternum.

Rated: 2.5/5

Apr 17, 2005

Full Review

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Synopsis

A veteran of World War I, Charles Rainier (Ronald Colman) has lost all memory of his life before the war. Left to wander, Rainier meets a showgirl, Paula (Greer Garson), with whom he falls in love. Rainier and Paula are soon happily married, but when Rainier travels out of town, a car hits him -- erasing the memories of his life with Paula, but restoring those of his life before the war. While he returns to his previous life, Paula tries to find a way to be reunited with her husband.

Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Screenwriter: Claudine West, George Froeschel, Arthur Wimperis, James Hilton
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 17, 1942, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 21, 2016

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