"The Clock"...a perfect WWII romance

I know...it's been forever since I posted here! But since the school year started (I home school) it's all I can do to keep up with my Family Doin's blog!

But I'm going to try...really try...to post a little more often here!

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Ever since I was a little girl, I was drawn towards all of the Judy Garland movies she made with MGM. There was just something about her doe eyes combined with the way she could sing with such feeling.

But there's one movie where she doesn't sing a note. Not one little note! Actually, there's more than one, but I'm referring to a film she did when she was still very young...It's called "The Clock".

I love the "feeling" of this movie!
I am not going to give a whole plot summary, but I will mention the basic premise...

It's New York City during WWII and Judy's character literally runs into a lonely soldier on leave, played by Robert Walker, near the giant clock in Grand Central Station. Although she's pretty cautious at first, she ends up showing him around the city a bit, and he is so completely vuneralble and sweet and eager.
Slowly- or should I saw swiftly- they begin to fall in love.

I say swiftly, because the entire movie takes place during the course of a day or two. And given the fact that this is WWII, the story isn't that far fetched...many similar love stories probably unfolded in this way because of the intensity of the times and short durations that men and women had together.

This movie captures all of this....and is beautifully directed by Vincent Minnelli.
The story goes that Minnelli and Garland were falling in love during this filming (they later married, one of their daughters being Liza Minnelli) and it is almost obvious of thier romance in the way he brings out Judy's best. But it's more than that...I find the direction in this movie very unique for it's time...almost as if we're sneak-peeking on a real life romance between the two characters.

At one point in the movie, there is some emotionally intense moments when, just as they are starting to really like one another, they are accidently separated in the huge crowds of New York. They realized that all they knew about each other were their first names, so we see each of their panic as they desparately try to find each other.

I have probably seen this movie about 30 times, and each time I do, I'm still riveted to the screen through the whole film.

For those that are romantic at heart, and also appreciate this incredible WWII era, it is a truly heart-warming film.
A wonderful Valentine's Day story!