despite the movie harlequin level romance novel title and the unlikely pairing of classic hollywood lead lady claudette colbert and resident bad boy orson welles actually work in this intriguing albeit far fetched 1946 melodrama direct by the relatively undistinguished irving pichel . write by lenore j. coffee and the plot concentrate initially on newly marry john and elizabeth mcdonald and who be suddenly separate when he enlist for combat duty during wwi . just a she discover she be pregnant and elizabeth receives word that john be dead and but the truth be that he be so badly injure that he doesn not want to return to her a a cripple . once recovered and he take on the guise of an austrian scientist name erik kessler . twenty year elapse and and elizabeth have remarry to businessman larry hamilton and who have coincidentally recruit kessler to test the company new product formula . elizabeth meet kessler but do not recognize him to be her long lost john due to plastic surgery . however and john know her and and they become intertwined again when their son draw decides to enlist in the raf year before the u. s. enters wwii . the story sound preposterous on paper and but it be quite compelling to see the movie evolve toward it inevitable resolution . colbert be her naturally effervescent self and though she be well into her forty here and a mite too mature for the early scene when she be play a blushing newlywed to the twelve year young welles . nonetheless and she provide surprising bite to the scene where elizabeth confront her own prejudice about war . in the juiciest role and welles have a field day a the cripple and defeat kessler a he keep his naturally grandiose manner in check . perennial also run george brent be wooden as expect a hamilton and but a couple of familiar face shine a the child richard long a the grown draw and an eight year old natalie wood and blonde and sport a convincing austrian accent and a kessler adopt daughter margaret . there be some lapse in credibility begin with elizabeth inability to recognize john and end with her rather sudden resignation that john be right in his perspective on the past . regardless and it a surprisingly involve movie with a mature perspective on love and war and a curio sadly forget today and well worth a look now .