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Invitation (1952)iMDB Rating: 7.0
Date Released : 7 August 1952
Genre : Drama
Stars : Van Johnson, Dorothy McGuire, Ruth Roman, Louis Calhern
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

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Always believing she had a happy marriage, a young wife's trust in her husband is shaken when she discovers that her father had paid him to marry her.

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Review :

Dorothy McGuire Is "Ordinary" Looking and "Uninteresting"?

First, let me say, that I am delighted that there are so many other admirers of this truly talented and beautiful performer of the screen (that's Ms. McGuire, and NOT Van Johnson. Sorry, Van!). Of course, Ms. McGuire delivers her customary and, unfailingly, consummate performance as Ellen Pierce. But, could you really buy her character saying, that she thought of herself as ordinary-looking and, even, uninteresting to men? I mean, it was difficult enough, not to be mesmerized by those beautiful eyes and cheekbones in "The Enchanted Cottage" (in which the film studio make-up professionals "tried" to make Ms. McGuire look "plain" and "dowdy"). Yet, in "Invitation," Ms. McGuire is at her drop-dead gorgeous (not to mention, enticingly-eloquent) best. I mean, you literally cannot keep your eyes off of her, she's such a vision of beauty and elegance! And, with all due respect to nice-guy, actor Van Johnson, he's hardly Errol Flynn or Robert Taylor in the looks department or very "compelling" either, although, he was excellent in "Battleground." (Ellen really found HIM so irresistible? Oy vey!) Heck, any chance to see this great lady of the screen perform IS an absolute joy and delight. Still, I much prefer seeing Ms. McGuire in such wonderful and truly memorable films as "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn," "The Spiral Staircase" and "Till The End Of Time." "Invitation" gets an "8" because of the presence of its luminous star (no, NOT the "boy-next-door," Van Johnson, the unbelievably zaftig Ruth Roman (who, by the way, is outstanding as a particularly vindictive virago) or even the distinguished Louis Calhern!).

In his book, "Van Johnson: MGM's Golden Boy," author Ronald L. Davis wrote: "'Invitation,' Johnson's next film, had character actor Louis Calhern attempting to persuade Van to romance his invalid daughter, played by Dorothy McGuire. While the movie was cloaked in MGM gloss, it was a tearjerker with little to commend it except competent performances from a strong cast." Yes, tearjerker is the apt description of the maudlin "Invitation."