calvinnme
This film is probably most important because it showcases two stars - Bette Davis and Richard Barthelmess - whose careers are traveling in opposite directions. Barthelmess actually headlines here, but he is a silent star whose career is on the decline, and he has a hard time getting parts after 1934. Bette Davis is a star on the rise, in only her first year of her contract with Warner Bros. where she will become a major star.Unlike many silent era stars, Barthelmess' problem was not his voice but his acting style. He was just a little too wooden to turn in a truly dynamic performance, and this film is no exception. The story is pretty interesting - Barthelmess plays Marvin Blake, a sharecropper's son who is educated by the plantation landowner and ends up keeping his books. His loyalty is torn between the planter who is sponsoring him, and whose daughter attracts him, and the sharecropper families with whom he grew up. The planter owns everything and is always charging high fees and interest via the company store and thus cheating the sharecroppers out of what they need. The sharecroppers have cooked up a plan to short the planter some of their cotton and sell it themselves and reap the rewards.It's really hard to take sides in this film because everyone seems so unsympathetic - both sides are stealing from the other without any remorse or much redeeming value for that matter. It is worth a look if you can find it, although it is not yet on DVD.
MartinHafer
This was not a "big" movie from Warner Brothers, but a relatively inexpensive film starring its lesser actors. It just so happens that one of these "lesser" actors turned out to be a very young and vivacious Bette Davis. Sure, her accent is a bit broad, but she does a lovely job playing the happy-go-lucky daughter of a rich Southern land owner. Richard Barthlemess plays a poor but decent guy caught between loyalties to the land owner and the sharecroppers he knows and loves. Perhaps the biggest down-side to this film is Barthelmess--his character often seems very weak and wussy--though he does a great job in the end standing up to both sides. On the plus side, the dialog and direction is generally very good, and like most Warner films it's great entertainment tied to an interesting social message. Not the best film by any means, but well-made and worth seeing.
sunlily
As a social issue picture and an early breakout effort of Bette Davis, this movie shines! Miss Davis devours every scene she's in with her typical gusto! And it's her first performance as a Southern belle and contains the famous line, "Ah'd love t'kiss you, but Ah jes washed mah hayuh." Richard Barthelmess plays Marvin Blake, a poor sharecropper's son, to whom Bette's character Madge is drawn. The only problem is that Richard was thirteen years older than Bette and too old to be playing this part and it shows. This is not helped by the fact that he spends a large part of the picture overly made up. But he does a fine job and when he gets to play a wonderful scene at the end of the movie, giving an eloquent speech on behalf of the poor tenant farmers from whom he came, he relishes the opportunity! The tension of the movie is contained in Marvin's torn loyalties, the division of the haves and the have nots, and his physical attraction to Madge.My Mom, who watched this movie with me, commented that Bette was hyperactive, which goes a long way to explain her constant motion! This is a movie that explores feudalism in Thirties America and is a good commentary on injustice. The photography is lovely and it's directed by Michael Curtiz. (Casablanca) See it if you get the chance and enjoy!
David Atfield
The problems of Capital and Labor are well explored in this tight little drama set amongst cotton tenant farmers and their landlords. Striking cinematography and excellent direction, from Michael Curtiz, combine with a first-rate and intelligent screenplay to create a memorable film. The two sides are well presented, both good and bad, and, although the solution for reconciliation is never really explained, the result opens up areas for debate that are still relevant today.The performances from everyone are very fine - the supporting cast is an extraordinary group of unique faces and personalities. And then there is Bette Davis, in one of her first roles, looking sensational (platinum blonde) and being very naughty - an implied nude seduction is a highlight - as is that famous line. She eats poor Richard Barthelmess for breakfast, spits him out at lunch, and devours his remains for dinner. Barthelmess' performance is wonderful - he was one of the best actors of the silent era and here is strong in one of his rare talkies. He is so good that he almost makes you forget that he is far too old for the idealistic boy straight out of school that he is supposed to be playing. Great film - see it.
AD
