vincentlynch-moonoi This is a gloriously old-fashioned and sentimental film. The type that went out of style right around the time of World War II, when the country quickly grew up. But this film gives one quite a good idea of what rural life may have been like in pre-Civil War era America.To me, the real star of this film is one of the greatest female character actresses of all time -- Beulah Bondi. Here she plays a minister's wife who endures poverty and hardship while living in a dinkwater town along the Ohio River.Her son is brilliantly played as a boy by Gene Reynolds, and as an adult by Jimmy Stewart.Another "star" of this film would have to be the horse Pilgrim. What a beautiful animal, and so key to the plot.Walter Huston is excellent as the minister/father, who is all too strict with his young son to be as likable as he typically is in most of his film roles.Another welcome feature of this film is rather stunning scenery, with outdoor scenes actually filmed outdoors and in beautiful settings.The pivotal point in the film comes when the father beats the son one more time, even though he is -- at that point -- a young adult. This leads the son to leave home, much to his mother's distress, and head for medical school. While it's easy to criticize the son for his selfishness in not realizing his mother's sacrifices, a 21st century interpretation of the story would be more sympathetic toward the son whose mother did nothing to stop the physical abuse by the father. Clearly, mores have changed a great deal since this film was made in 1938. However, once he graduates from medical school, his selfishness toward his now widowed mother becomes more unforgivable.Then comes the Civil War, and his mother even sells Pilgrim to pay for the son's uniform as he becomes a surgeon. This leads to the climactic and famous scene where the son is called to Washington to meet President Lincoln who severely chides him for neglecting his mother. Corny? For sure. But a dramatic tear jerker for anyone with a heart.And, there are a number of supporting roles here that are well done -- Charles Coburn (not his usual crusty self), Guy Kibbee, John Carradine (as Lincoln), and others.

Ripshin By the end of this "sudser", I was howling. Come on, folks, this is one ridiculous drama. I suppose that the first 30 minutes can be tolerated, but when Stewart keeps writing his mother to send him more money, I couldn't wait to see what item she was going to sacrifice next. The ring....the family horse...the whatever. I could easily picture an SNL sketch going bonkers with the concept.And the Lincoln interlude....WHAT??!! Let's stop EVERYTHING, and have ABRAHAM LINCOLN give the selfish main character a lecture on how to treat one's mother???? Definitely, a lesser Jimmy Stewart film. Sure, Bondi performs her standard role with the usual flourish, as do the other main stars, but the script is NOT to be believed.

Roger Christenson Of Human Hearts is one of those poignant family dramas remembered fondly by older audiences but neglected by DVD marketers who shun religious themes. It's a film that tells a story, rather than just a bunch of stuff that happens - a story about austere Reverend Ethan Wilkins, played perfectly by Walter Huston (Rain, Dodsworth, The Devil and Daniel Webster) who takes a position as the new preacher in Pine Hill Ohio, bringing his wife Mary, played by Beulah Bondi (On Borrowed Time, So Dear To My Heart) and young son Jason, portrayed as a boy by Gene Reynolds (who appeared in many movies as a boy, including In Old Chicago, Boys Town, and Love Finds Andy Hardy, and went on to direct many TV episodes including Leave It To Beaver, MASH, Lois and Clark - The New Adventures of Superman, and Touched By An Angel). Ethan is humble but strict, emphasizing courtesy and generosity while denouncing pride and selfishness with stern discipline. Jason is practical and wants to become a doctor. His curiosity provokes his fathers wrath, and as he grows into a young man, later portrayed by James Stewart (It's A Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, etc.), he continues to defy him, at one point declaring "I'd rather save bodies than souls any day!" He runs away to medical school, often sending for money from his mother, who gradually sells her personal possessions to fund him, though he never returns to visit.Civil War ensues, and Jason is one of the Union's best doctors, trying to save limbs rather than amputate whenever possible, though still neglecting his own parents. He's finally shamed by the President himself, Abraham Lincoln, played excellently by John Carradine (The Grapes of Wrath, House of Frankenstein, Bluebeard, Peggy Sue Got Married, etc. etc. etc.).This is still a great movie for the whole family, probably even more to the point in modern times, with relevant demonstrations of selfishness, pride, humility, courtesy, and transient material values. It's one of the first and best of those poignant family classics like A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, I Remember Mama, Friendly Persuasion, etc., and a bit of a tear-jerker.The terrific cast include a number of great character actors including Guy Kibbee (Little Lord Fauntleroy, Captain January), Charles Coburn (The Devil and Miss Jones, Kings Row), Ann Rutherford (Annie Laurie, Gone With The Wind, Andy Hardy series), Gene Lockhart (A Christmas Carol, That's The Spirit, Miracle On 34th Street, Going My Way, etc. etc.), Charley Grapwin (The Wizard of Oz, Grapes of Wrath, Ellery Queen series), Clem Beven, Sterling Holloway (Remember the Night, Meet John Doe, Dumbo, Bambi, Peter and the Wolf, Winnie The Pooh, etc. etc.), Minor Watson, Ward Bond, and others.This one is not to be missed, and should be on DVD.

MartinHafer I'm surprised when people talk about BAD movies made by GOOD actors this one never seems to be discussed. Clark Gable did the sappy Parnell, John Wayne did The Conquerer and Jet Pilot, and Humphrey Bogart did Swing Your Lady. So how did Jimmy Stewart get away with his participation in this stinker? I would say it is WORSE than at least Parnell and Swing Your Lady.So why is it so bad? Because it is irredeemably sappy from start to finish. No, wait. By the finish its sappiness goes off the Richter Scale when President Lincoln takes time out of his busy schedule to chide the impulsive Stewart into remembering how he broke his poor mother's heart!!! This is an even worse cameo by Lincoln than in the Shirley Temple flick, THE LITTLEST REBEL (1935)! So who else was wasted in this boring saccharine-fest? Beulah Bondi (who I generally like in movies) and Walter Huston (who has made many great films such as Dodsworth and Treasure of the Sierra Madre and some crappy ones such as Duel in the Sun and The North Star) were also tortured by starring in this picture. With Stewart and Bondi you understand that at this point neither were stars so I guess they had no choice but to be in this mess. But Walter Huston?! He'd just finished the greatest performance of his life in Dodsworth--don't you think he could have done ANYTHING to get out making this bomb?! FYI--Interesting trivia time! Walter Huston apparently starred in other terrible flicks, including the insipid movie Abraham Lincoln (1930). In fact, he played the lead in this movie destined for The 50 Worst Films book. This, combined with the Lincoln segment in Of Human Hearts proves that, other than John Wilkes Booth, no human being hated our 16th president more than Walter Huston!FYI Again--If you LIKE the sort of schmaltziness you see in this film, then try GRAND OLD GIRL--another old film that is just embarrassingly saccharine.