Motion Picture Review Digest (Jan-Dec 1937)

46 MOTION PICTURE REVIEW DIGEST MGM 130min F 2 THE GOOD EARTH. '37 Cast: Paul Muni. Luise Rainer. Walter Connolly. Tilly Losch. Charley Grapewin. Jessie Ralph Director: Sidney Franklin Based on the novel of the same title by Pearl S. Buck and on the play of the same title by Owen and Donald Davis. "The story starts on Wang's wedding day, describes his joy and his terror, follows him to the Great House where he meets his bride O-Lan for the first time. . . Then it is Wang and O-Lan whose fortunes we follow, rejoicing with them at the birth of their sons, starving with them during the great drought, following them through terror and revolution in the south." (N Y Sun) Audience Suitability Ratings "Whether or not this slow-moving adaptation of Pearl Buck's novel retains the elemental appeal of the original may divide general opinion but certainly it is an impressive production from any viewpoint. . . The sheer technical resources of the film are imposing. The salutary impression which remains to the spectator is of the rude dignity of human toil and its confirmation of moral character. The production recommends itself to discerning adults." T. J. Fitzmorris + America p456 F 13 '37 "A: outstanding; Y: mature; C: too mature." Christian Century p303 Mr 3 '37 "Deep study and careful attention to detail is apparent in every inch of the film and the result is a heavy, somber, but nevertheless absorbing picture of the peasant farmer of China. . . Altogether a very fine picture. Adults." Am Legion Auxiliary "It is truly a great picture. . . The entire cast deserves unlimited praise. This is rare entertainment. Mature -family." Calif Cong of Par & Teachers "This is pictured pastoral drama, a wonderfully impressive tale of man's dependence on the land. . . There is something primitive, suggestive of the Biblical tales of the Old Testament in many of these episodes. Familymature." Calif Fed of Business & Professional Women's Clubs "Excellent. A masterpiece. . . Though the tempo drags, the entertainment value is exceptionally fine for the critical audience. Mature & 14-18." DAR "Luise Rainer and Paul Muni in the leading roles merit superlatives for their superb acting. . . The plot and spirit of Pearl Buck's book are perfectly reproduced and the film with equal sincerity reflects the very soul of rural China." Nat Soc of New England Women "A most remarkable and unusual symphony in sepia, which seems to reflect the soul of China and the stolid patience and endurance of its people. . . Luise Rainer as O-Lan gives the finest performance of her career. Adults & young people." S Calif Council of Fed Church Women + + Fox W Coast Bui F 13 '37 "A magnificent and absorbing, artistic achievement. . . Highest honors are extended to the producers, the writers, directors, actors and all artists contributing to the greatness of this most distinguished production." + + Gen Fed of Women's Clubs (W Coast) F 3 '37 Reviewed by S. M. Mullen Motion Pict & Family p7 Ja 15 '37 "Adolescents, 12-16: very fine; children, too heavy and too mature." + + Motion Pict R p5 Mr '37 "Adults." Nat Legion of Decency F 11 '37 -12: "A & Y: extraordinary picture which no one should miss; C: mature but worthwhile." Parents' M p46 Ap '37 "It is a great picture, not alone because of its wealth of realistic detail and superb photography, but in the inspiring theme of man's gallant courage, and in the complete submergence of self by Paul Muni and Luise Rainer. . . Printed on tinted film stock, the picture's brilliant golden brown tones are remindful of the rich golden soil of the Good Earth of China. It is not a joyous picture; but it is an entertaining and fruitful one, making possible a more complete understanding of the struggle of China's little brown men to establish a republic where life will be made easier for these millions of toilers." S. M. Mullen + + Scholastic p22 F 20 '37 "Outstanding. Both as entertainment and as art it ranks among the greatest pictures ever made. Mature." + + Sel Motion Pict p3 Mr 1 '37 "In spite of its foreignness the essential human quality of the story makes it moving and understandable to anyone. Family." + Wkly Guide F 6 '37 Newspaper and Magazine Reviews "An example of motion picture art at its most effective, this film not only presents the rise to riches of a poor Chinese farmer but furnishes a pictorial treatise on a whole segment of China's millions. The enormous sums spent on its making do not obstruct the moving power of a simple story about a simple people. Adults & young people." + Christian Science Monitor pl5 Mr 13 '37 " 'The Good Earth' is the motion picture's first important presentation this year; it will remain important through this and many another twelve-month, for it stands monumentally as one of the most grandiose endeavors of the talking screen, poignantly dramatizing the whole human, fundamental struggle of man pitted against nature on the plains of China, as elsewhere. It is a distinguished photoplay." J. P. Cunningham + + Commonweal p472 F 19 '37 "[It] is a beautifully produced, faithful and painstaking translation of the original. It has been filmed with infinite care and a reverent artistry, directed by Sidney Franklin with full cognizance of the epic scope of the materials, and acted expertly by a large cast of occidental and Chinese players. . . If, at rare intervals during its unfolding, it sometimes drags slightly, the blame must rest on the sheer bulk of the story itself which relates the history of the Wangs in studied detail. . . All of the variegated elements of this film — surely one of the finest of the year — have been woven into a rich and vital tapestry. . . Count 'The Good Earth' as a 'must' on your cinema list." + + Cue pl8 F 6 '37 "It is hailed as one of the really great pictures in the history of the screen. Motion picture people . . . declare it a masterpiece. . . If the members of the Academy ever can learn to differentiate between acting and screen characterization, Miss Rainer and Muni already have won this year's awards for the best performances, for it is too much to hope that any other players throughout the year will reach the heights of artistic perfection they attain in 'The Good Earth.' And it is too much to hope that during the year Hollywood will cease photographing chatter long enough to give us another motion picture even approaching in its power and impressiveness this great saga of Chinese soil, one which so consistently will keep the camera in its rightful place as the screen's story telling medium." + + Hollywood Spec p2 F 13 '37 "Mute peasants easily may be dull; their tragedies and joys may be too much of the soil to have wide box-office lure. That remains to be seen. In fact, 'The Good Earth' is up + + Exceptionally Good; + Good; -| Fair; — + Mediocre; —Poor; Exceptionally Poor