This was a low budget film which had relevance in 1945.It is not the magical love story it presumes to be but a travelogueof NYC.The actors do not appear to be two young people falling in love as it is supposed to appear to be.It is true they are young people but they don't come off as naive or immature.There is no depth of story or plot to attract interest.The movie didn't make that much money but it wasn't a flop either.These two actors could have done better in a another movie with an intriguing plot.

Except for the sticky 5-minute church part, this is an utterly charming production. That's thanks mainly to the two stars who are so winsome you may want to hug them. Farm boy Walker's got two days on army leave, alone and in big, strange New York City. That is, until he meets cute office girl Garland. Needless to say, romance in the big city follows. Still, it's one of those precarious wartime romances where everything's on a hurry-up schedule. Then too, can these sorts of rushed attractions endure over a longer time. After all, he's going overseas so she'll be left alone. I guess that's the reason for the movie's heavy church part. Still the scene could have been done in a less heavy-handed way that would have harmonized with the movie as a whole.Anyway, MGM manages to create a convincing big city whirl on their studio lot. Crowds are everywhere, especially with servicemen. But true to wartime form, the movie makes clear that even strangers are generally supportive of one another. That's especially true here of milkman Gleason who befriends the youngsters in open-handed fashion, which they return in charming style when he gets hurt. I'm guessing that Keenan Wynn's obnoxious drunk is meant to show that the city also has a downside.Anyway, it's hard to say enough about the pairing of Garland and Walker. They are the ideal next-door youngsters of that era. More importantly, their romance manages to avoid being too sappy to believe. And even though I guess their respective personal problems were pretty severe (IMDB), you'd never know it from what's on screen. Too bad their lives ended so tragically. Nonetheless, the record they leave here is brimful of charm and beguiling innocence, as is the movie.

"The Clock" is a 1945 classic by Vincente Minnelli. A romantic drama, the film stars Robert Walker as a young soldier who, whilst spending several days in New York City, meets a character played by Judy Garland. From strangers to smitten souls they transmogrify, she reluctantly taking him on grand tours of the city, he instantly head over heels in love. The film would prove a huge influence on Richard Linklater's "Before Sunset" and "Before Sunrise"."The Clock" was Garland's first non-musical. It was originally to be directed by Fred Zinnemann, but Garland had him replaced by Minnelli, who had previously directed her to good effect in "Meet Me in St Louis". Garland feared that she was being type cast as a child actor, producers and studio chiefs thought she was an ugly, awkward looking woman, and so "The Clock" is oft seen as a watershed in Garland's career. Thanks to Minnelli's eye, and his clever wardrobe and make-up departments, Garland's public image was made over, until she emerged as we see her here: a svelte, foxy gal.But it's Garland's performance that most amazes. Compared to Walker, who overacts, Garland is naturalistic and measured. At the time she was suffering from depression, addictions and a severe inferiority complex foisted upon her by abusive studio heads.Whilst a giant fantasy, the film nevertheless has a certain intensity that is atypical of a film released in the 1940s. Minnelli imbues every scene with something extra, be they clever camera tricks, jokes, evocative lighting or sets that straddle the line between hyper authentic and enchantingly magical. Elsewhere the film offers several remarkable scenes. There's the couple's breathtaking first embrace, a romantic sequence in which our duo spend the night delivering milk to New Yorkers, and the first moments of the couple's awakening in a hotel room, shot wordlessly, but overflowing with a kind of connubial bliss.Minnelli was determined to make New York City the film's "third character". In this way the film's also about the romance of big cities and our own love affair with New York and its kaleidoscopic populace. Though shot entirely on sound-stages (including a huge, impressive recreation of Penn Station) the film posses a certain authenticity. It crackles with the electricity of The Big Apple, Minnelli capturing the hustle and the bustle of the city and paying careful attention to his extras and background characters. Elsewhere our couple visit romantic landmarks: parks, museums and of course New York at night, silent, magical and lit faintly by street-lamps and lazy headlights.Unsurprising for a film titled "The Clock", Minnelli's film is all about the rush of time. As Walker's character will soon be on active duty, our couple only have fleeting moments to scrap together a courtship, relationship and even a marriage. Because their adventure unfolds in near real-time, the film boasts a certain supercharged intimacy.Strange for a romantic fantasy, the film ends with our couple overcoming obstacles TOGETHER in an attempt to get married. Once successful, they then scarcely feel married, the film pointing to a climax that is more uncertain than is typical of the genre. Elsewhere the film is effortlessly enchanting. It's the kind of movie that makes you want to hug your neighbour, fall in love with strangers or rub perfume scented rosebuds along your naked body whilst wild ponies eat sugar-cubes off your head.8.9/10 – Charming, but Walker's character is horribly written, and the film's romantic use of war, soldiers and fate are specious. See "The Shop Around the Corner", "L'Atalante", "Four Nights of a Dreamer", "Before Sunset", "Before Sunrise" and "In The City of Sylvia".

The Clock directed by Vincente Minelli (who by the way got married with the leading actress Judy Garland) is a romantic love story, which takes place in New York during the WWII.The story begins when a soldier (Robert Walker) travels to New York for the weekend and meets a girl (Judy Garland) at the railway station. They start spending time together, and fall in love without even knowing each other very well.Even that the story has its flaws and some plot twists are a bit unbelievable, it has something "magical" in it. Because the characters are still well created and the milieus of the movie are fantastic. Even that most of this movie was filmed in the Hollywood studios, but well the cinematography isn't the only thing which creates a good atmosphere.The sudden love of two strangers also seems a bit unbelievable at some points, but still, that probably is what many people dream of, and this was made in the year of 1945, pure escapism. A movie is always a reflection of its time.This is also great entertainment. They can't make romantic films like this anymore in Hollywood. I can name dozens of great love stories from 30-40's, but can I do the same from 90-00's? No I can't.7/10 A nice, simple love story with sympathetic characters. Recommended to everyone!