An American Romance (1944)

Interesting facts

• Budget: $2.4M
• Filmed in: Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago, and Utah

An American Romance is a 1944 American epic drama film directed and produced by King Vidor, who also wrote the screen story. Shot in Technicolor, the film stars Brian Donlevy and Ann Richards and is narrated by Horace McNally. The film is also known as The American Miracle.

Production

The film was part of a trilogy directed and produced by King Vidor consisting of war, wheat and steel. His films on war and wheat were The Big Parade (1925) and Our Daily Bread (1934). This was to be his steel industry epic film.

Vidor came up with the story which he proposed to Eddie Mannix. Vidor then sent a telegram to author Louis Adamic, who wrote on the topic of immigration and labor. A The screenplay was ultimately credited to Herbert Dalmas and William Ludwig, representing a long list of contributing writers, including John Fante, and alternate titles.

Vidor says the lead character was inspired by immigrants such as Andrew Carnegie, Charles Proteus Steinmetz, William S. Knudsen and Walter Chrysler.

The film's working titles were America, This Is America, An American Story, American Miracle and The Magic Land.

Vidor said "This project was a big love of mine for many years, I had many ideas: from the earth up into the air—lift—and doing it by colour, by the development and use of color. And then it was the earth, the heavy earth, iron ore, getting more refined, more refined, until it finally flew into the sky as an airplane, you see, and only up, and it was all of America."

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