A brilliant evocation of American small-town life over a 40-year period. This was always the kind of thing Hollywood did well, but few examples are better than this. The cast, headed by William Holden, sinks itself totally into the role of the two small-town families who are the subject of the film's all-pervading eye. Rich in detail, it is full of unexpected glimpses of everyday things that form a solid backcloth to the story. And it even has something extra: a mystical, timesliding last reel (as the heroine hovers between life and death in childbirth) that was far advanced for its time.

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