Motion Picture Review Digest (Jan-Dec 1937)

How to Use the Motion Picture Review Digest Sample Entry THE GOOD EARTH. MGM 130min F 2 '37 Cast: Paul Muni. Luise Rainer. Walter Connolly. Tilly Losch. Charley Grapewin. Jessie Ralph Director: Sidney Franklin Music director: Herbert Stothart Screen writers: Talbot Jennings. Tess Slesinger. Claudine West 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 "Adolescents, 12-16: very fine; children, 8-12: too heavy and too mature." + + Motion Pict R p5 Mr '37 "Outstanding. Both as entertainment and as art it ranks among the greatest pictures ever made. Mature." + + Sel Motion Pict p3 Mr 1 '37 Newspaper and Magazine Reviews " 'The Good Earth' fails in almost every conceivable way to be either as interesting as Mrs. Buck's novel or completely interesting in itself. There are several 'good things' in it . without the whole thing being good; and is what any work of art is expected to be. . . I had the uncomfortable feeling throughout that I was present at a classic, and no performance in a theater, least of all in a movie theater, ought to permit such feelings. I mean, of course, a classic that someone has not understood how to translate." Mark Van Doren H Nation pl94 F 13 '37 "Once again Metro-GoldwynMayer has ei riched the screen with a superb translation a literary classic. . . [It] is one of the fln« things Hollywood has done this season or other. While it has taken some liberties wit the novel's text, it has taken none with quality or spirit. The performances, directior and photography are of uniform excellence, have been fused perfectly into a digniflec beautiful and soberly dramatic production. The picture does full justice to the novel, that is the highest praise one can give it.' F. S. Nugent + -f N Y Times p27 F 3 "37 Trade Paper Reviews " 'The Good Earth' rightfully bears the dif. nity of an epic. It is picture making at it finest, technically and in dramatic force ar proportion. Exploitation — based on its source, the widely read novel, on the names to ador the marquee and on the other box-office assetscannot oversell its excellence for audiences ii any land or any theatre. It would be understood among any folk without words, so ehmental and penetrating is its appeal." + Variety (Hollywood) p3 Ja 29 '37 Starting at the beginning, the title of this picture is The Good Earth. The ducing company is Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It is 130 minutes in length. It was released on February 2, 1937. The list of principal players, the director, music director and screen writers will require no explanation. Next comes a brief note describing the picture, its nature, and plot. Sometimes these notes are written by our staff. In other cases they are quoted from a published source. In such cases the source is given, as (N Y Sun) in the above instance. Following the descriptive note, the excerpts from reviews begin. Following each review the source is given, with date of issue and number of the page on which the review appears. It will be noticed that plus and minus signs sometimes precede the sources. These indicate the degree of favor or disfavor of the review as a whole (not just of the quoted excerpt). The meaning of the various combinations of these signs is as follows: + ■+• Exceptionally Good; + Good; -\ — -Fair; (-Mediocre; — Poor; Exceptionally Poor The signs are omitted when a review merely reports on a film without expressing a definite critical opinion. In interpreting these signs, it will be well to remember that their precise significance will vary somewhat according to the source. In general there are three types of sources represented in the MOTION PICTURE REVIEW DIGEST: (1) audience suitability ratings by special reviewing organizations (women's clubs, religious groups and the like); (2) general newspapers and magazines; and (3) trade papers. The purpose of the audience suitability ratings by the special reviewing organizations is chiefly to pass on questions of morality and propriety and to report on suitability for children of various ages. The purpose of the reviews in general magazines and newspapers is to inform the adult patron of artistic and entertainment qualities. The purpose of the trade paper reviews is to inform the exhibitor of probable mercial value.