When a filmmaker writes, produces and directs his own pet project sometimes it can be a masterpiece, sometimes it can be self indulgent. This is a bit of both.
This isn't just a film with a message, it isn't just an interesting idea, it is also entertaining. Well, reasonably entertaining, it certainly holds your interest but possibly more like a fascinating documentary of real actual life at times rather than a movie. The leads, Mr and Mrs Sims, the same suffering characters from Vidor's magnificent THE CROWD (1928) are deliberately ordinary (and still suffering) so not being that interesting, they're not that easy to engage with. What's more important than the characters is the story and because it's such a good, heartwarming and positive story, the dull characters don't really spoil the experience no more than they did in THE CROWD.
King Vidor does however inject a bit of additional colour for us. Barbara Pepper's incongruous 'gangster moll' was added purely to add some spice. At first she doesn't seem to fit, she's from the other 1930s! Although keeping our attention by adding a sexy blonde might seem a cynical trick, it does actually work. Her shoe-horned character does play a vital role in the story but because of bad timing - this came out just when the production code got its teeth - the affair she had with John had to be cut. This leaves a weird gap in the story but our imagination can easily fill that in.
What I find utterly bemusing is how some folks thought - and still do that it was promoting communism. The theme as I saw it was that if everyday Americans are prepared to roll up their sleeves and work hard together, they can get themselves out of economic adversities. I'll be blown if I can see anything remotely left wing in this. Maybe because its political ambiguity can be interpreted in different ways is indicative of the depth of its story telling - it doesn't just spoon feed you, it engages your mind.
This is a difficult one to rate because it doesn't feel that entertaining when you're watching it: it's rather too sincere and serious it's also too simplistic and naive at times (the water thing is a bit silly isn't it) but afterwards it stays with you. If you like something a little different (but still with a typical 1930s sassy blonde for good measure) or if you're interested in how America coped with The Depression then you will certainly want to see this superbly made film.
This isn't just a film with a message, it isn't just an interesting idea, it is also entertaining. Well, reasonably entertaining, it certainly holds your interest but possibly more like a fascinating documentary of real actual life at times rather than a movie. The leads, Mr and Mrs Sims, the same suffering characters from Vidor's magnificent THE CROWD (1928) are deliberately ordinary (and still suffering) so not being that interesting, they're not that easy to engage with. What's more important than the characters is the story and because it's such a good, heartwarming and positive story, the dull characters don't really spoil the experience no more than they did in THE CROWD.
King Vidor does however inject a bit of additional colour for us. Barbara Pepper's incongruous 'gangster moll' was added purely to add some spice. At first she doesn't seem to fit, she's from the other 1930s! Although keeping our attention by adding a sexy blonde might seem a cynical trick, it does actually work. Her shoe-horned character does play a vital role in the story but because of bad timing - this came out just when the production code got its teeth - the affair she had with John had to be cut. This leaves a weird gap in the story but our imagination can easily fill that in.
What I find utterly bemusing is how some folks thought - and still do that it was promoting communism. The theme as I saw it was that if everyday Americans are prepared to roll up their sleeves and work hard together, they can get themselves out of economic adversities. I'll be blown if I can see anything remotely left wing in this. Maybe because its political ambiguity can be interpreted in different ways is indicative of the depth of its story telling - it doesn't just spoon feed you, it engages your mind.
This is a difficult one to rate because it doesn't feel that entertaining when you're watching it: it's rather too sincere and serious it's also too simplistic and naive at times (the water thing is a bit silly isn't it) but afterwards it stays with you. If you like something a little different (but still with a typical 1930s sassy blonde for good measure) or if you're interested in how America coped with The Depression then you will certainly want to see this superbly made film.