The assured hand of master filmmaker George Stevens makes the third and final pairing of Cary Grant and Irene Dunne more than an emotionally satisfying experience. Unlike the first two films - Leo McCarey's "The Awful Truth" (1937) and Garson Kanin's "My Favorite Wife" (1940) - this wholly sentimental 1941 tearjerker is not remotely a screwball comedy. That's not to say Grant and Dunne do not exude their customary charm and grace in their roles. They do in spades and continue to show the easy rapport that made them so compatible in all their films together. The film is also an early, uncommonly mature look at the challenges that arise with marriage and adoption, a precursor to later accomplished films like 1967's "Two for the Road".<br /><br />Written by Morrie Ryskind (who wrote the classics, "My Man Godfrey" and "Stage Door"), the time-spanning story of Julie and Roger Adams is told in flashbacks as Julie plays her collection of 78's on an old Victrola. Just as she is about to leave Roger, the songs spark memories of defining episodes from their courtship and marriage. The early part of their relationship is played out fully with the stars' wit and charm as Roger attempts to pick up Julie by buying a pile of records at the store in which she works (even though he doesn't have a record player). They marry, and when he gets a career break as a reporter in Japan, she joins him and announces her pregnancy. This brief interlude is most amusing in hindsight as it shows a very stereotypical view of pre-WWII Japan right out of "Madame Butterfly" (the film was released a mere eight months before Pearl Harbor). In an intriguing display of early special effects, the 1923 Tokyo earthquake destroys their home, and she loses her baby and any chance of future conception.<br /><br />This intractable loss becomes the impetus for the rest of the story, as they come back to California and attempt to adopt while running a local newspaper. They eventually adopt and raise a daughter from infancy, Trina, but further tragedy ensues to a palpable breaking point. As the classic film stars that they truly were, Grant and Dunne show how skillfully they can balance drama and comedy with a heavy emphasis on the humanism of the characters. Grant, in particular, has a heartbreaking scene where Roger begs a judge to allow Julie and him to keep their baby daughter despite their dwindling economic circumstances. Edgar Buchanan (long before his lazy Uncle Joe on TV's "Petticoat Junction") and Beulah Bondi provide able support as their devoted friend Applejack and Miss Oliver, the compassionate adoption agency worker, respectively. With no extras, the 2002 DVD has a decent enough print, though the film is in need of a more through restoration.