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      To Each His Own

      Released Mar 12, 1946 2h 2m Drama List
      81% Tomatometer 16 Reviews 84% Audience Score 250+ Ratings During a night watch in London, middle-aged American Jody Norris (Olivia de Havilland) meets the brisk but kind Lord Desham (Roland Culver). Later, Jody recalls her youth when she fell in love with a pilot and bore his illegitimate child after his death in the war. Jody tried to arrange to adopt her own child, but the boy ended up with her best friend, and Jody's efforts to regain custody were fruitless. Years later, when Jody's son arrives in London as an American pilot, Desham provides help. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

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      Bosley Crowther New York Times Although [writers] Charles Brackett and Jacques Thery are not telling anything new in To Each His Own, which follows the broad pattern of countless tales about the grief of unwed mothers, they have worked in a few refreshing twists. Apr 21, 2020 Full Review Erle Cox (The Chiel) The Age (Australia) There is much more tearful sentiment than strict moral justice in the story, which Is well handled by the cast. Apr 21, 2020 Full Review Variety Staff Variety Artistry of Olivia de Havilland as the mother is superb. From the eager, young girl whose first romance ends when her hero is killed before marriage, through to the cold, brusque business woman, her performance doesn't miss a bet. Apr 21, 2020 Full Review Basil Wright The Spectator This one is set in war-time England (a very curious country) and involves that clever, but in this case stultified actress, Olivia de Havilland. Apr 21, 2020 Full Review Josephine O'Neill Daily Telegraph (Australia) Olivia gives a terrifyingly accurate performance of the middle-aged woman, showing her irritating ways as well as her underlying pathos. Her young girl is completely captivating. It is splendid work. Apr 21, 2020 Full Review Jack Moffitt Esquire Magazine It's a plot that will exercise many tear ducts. But a cinder in the eye would serve just as well. Apr 21, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Kay W This is a great movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/26/22 Full Review Nadya R Touching, beautiful movie, superlative cast, still relevant today. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/07/21 Full Review Audience Member Olivia de Havilland won her first Best Actress Academy Award for this 1946 tearjerker. She plays a woman who is looking back on her life. She had fallen in love with a soldier and become pregnant. He never returns. It is an era when a single woman who is about to have a baby is a scandal. She allows the baby to be adopted by friends. Years later she learns that her grown son is comin to London. Now she wants to reveal the truth. The film is overly sentimental, but does a good job showing a much different social world. de Havilland is wonderful as always, and deserved to at least be nominated for the film. Worth a watch. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Great story. Olivia the Great. Love this movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review steve d It has all been done before but rarely this well. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member This is one of those films that could have only found success in the mid to late 1940s because it is far too melodramatic for modern tastes but if you enjoy films from this era then this is a certifiable classic. The greatest attraction of this film is the wonderful Olivia de Havilland who gives one of her most acclaimed performances and earned her first of two well deserved Academy Awards for her richly textured role as Jody Norris. The film also boasts impressive performances from Mary Anderson and Victoria Horne in supporting roles and it's screenplay is beautifully crafted. I know it will not appeal to all, if you have a cynical bone in your body you might turn your nose up at it, however it pulls of it's highly dramatic plot beats with grace and elegance and anything that features de Havilland is worth a look in my view. Small town girl Jody Norris, Olivia de Havilland, does not love the besotted Alex Piersen, Phillip Terry, who promptly marries the jealous Corinne, Mary Anderson, after her rejection. She finds love in the arms of US Army pilot Bart Cosgrove, John Lund, but he leaves and dies after they have a one night stand which causes her to be pregnant. She goes to the city in order to have her child and asks a helpful nurse to drop the baby outside of another person's house so that people will not suspect that the child belongs to her but she believes she will still be able to adopt the child. Unfortunately the pregnant Corinne loses her child the night that the baby is dropped off and Jody's baby is handed to her. Jody is separated from her child for years as a result but serves as a nurse for her baby whom she dubs "Grigsy." She is later able to become a successful businesswoman in the city but her yearning to be with her son continues. It is de Havilland who makes the film work as her expressive face, full with flashing, accusatory eyes and lips set in hard line, convinces us of her character's journey from innocent, hopeful young woman to tortured but successful businesswoman. The final scenes of the film work because she has displayed such restraint, for the 1940s, throughout most of the film, as her emotional breakdown seems like that of a woman who has carried a heavy burden for many years instead of a sudden emotional outburst. We feel her yearning as she excitedly prepares to see her son again even as he is unaware of her being his mother and we are completely crushed when we witness her hopes being dashed. I think she gives one of the greatest performances I have ever seen and only her performance in Gone With the Wind (1939) tops her work here. Beyond de Havilland the story of the film is really very interesting as I found that I could not tell what would happen next. Much like Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman (1947) you have to accept how ridiculous the story is and just go with it but if you are willing to suspend your disbelief it is remarkably easy to get swept up in the emotions of the characters. I was practically quivering with excitement as Jody and Corinne sparred over ownership of Grigsy and Alex's love for Jody. These scenes work so well because the film manages to wring so much drama out of situations that could play as simply being dull and depressing. We eagerly await the showdowns between various characters even as we can see these difficult situations from each character's perspectives relatively sympathetically. I admired how well the screenplay managed to piece together these big scenes and the emotional catharsis provided at the end was well earned given all of the set up we received. In my mind this film was deserving of more praise than it received as only de Havilland received the awards she deserved. A nomination for Anderson in the Best Supporting Actress category should have been in order and I think that the film is better than both Henry V (1946) and The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) both of which were nominated for Best Picture with the latter winning. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      To Each His Own

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis During a night watch in London, middle-aged American Jody Norris (Olivia de Havilland) meets the brisk but kind Lord Desham (Roland Culver). Later, Jody recalls her youth when she fell in love with a pilot and bore his illegitimate child after his death in the war. Jody tried to arrange to adopt her own child, but the boy ended up with her best friend, and Jody's efforts to regain custody were fruitless. Years later, when Jody's son arrives in London as an American pilot, Desham provides help.
      Director
      Mitch Leisen
      Distributor
      Paramount Pictures
      Production Co
      Paramount
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Mar 12, 1946, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Sep 26, 2016
      Runtime
      2h 2m