User Reviews

If one didn't know beforehand who directed this film (which proved to be Renoir's U.S. debut), he would be excused for thinking it was made by John Ford - given the presence of a good number of his stock company of actors (Walter Brennan, John Carradine, Ward Bond, Russell Simpson) and the music score utilizing themes from THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940), which was also a 20th Century-Fox production! Still, Renoir's uniquely humanist outlook is unmistakable - which is only betrayed by the one-dimensional Tweedle-Dee/Tweedle-Dum pairing of Bond (here practically duplicating his villainous role in Ford's YOUNG MR. LINCOLN [1939]) and Guinn Williams.

An altogether impressive production, with the overpowering atmosphere of the Okefenokee beautifully captured by Renoir and veteran cinematographer Peverell Marley (despite some obvious back-projection); the use of shadowy lighting is especially striking. Its concern with realism also extends to some rather physical violence for the time and a couple of unnerving scenes involving prowling alligators and snakes! Consequently, the film is vastly underrated in the director's canon (especially having now watched all his American features). While it may have served as a sort of dry run for Renoir's own THE SOUTHERNER (1945), the film also looks forward to INTRUDER IN THE DUST (1949) - which, similarly, dealt with a miscarriage of justice.

With regards to casting, I don't agree with Leonard Maltin who felt that Walter Brennan's fugitive constituted "bizarre miscasting" (certainly no more than his uncharacteristic if brilliant turn as Old Man Clanton in Ford's MY DARLING CLEMENTINE [1946]): despite receiving top billing, he appears very little but his presence permeates the entire film. Walter Huston is never less than good in anything he does, but his gruff patriarch here isn't all that central to the plot; interestingly, the actor later appeared in a film by another expatriate French director - Rene' Clair's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (1945). Conversely, Dana Andrews makes quite an impression as his rebellious but subsequently heroic young son - and this film must surely have put him on his way to becoming a veritable leading-man. The film also has Andrews forsaking egotistical village belle Virginia Gilmore for the raggedy but radiant Anne Baxter (whose real identity has been shielded from most of the community). To spite Andrews, the former takes up with another man: the actor's face was familiar to me but I couldn't quite place it, that is, until I saw his name during the end credits - it was none other than Matt Willis, who would go on to play Bela Lugosi's werewolf acolyte in THE RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE (1944)! Similarly, Huston's young bride (played by Mary Howard) is pursued by an atypically meek, almost pitiful Carradine - though it later transpires that he was involved in Brennan's framing!

Surely one of the film's most endearing aspects is the unconditional love shown by both Andrews and Brennan to the former's wayward dog, hence the name of Trouble (which even occupies the film's very last shot via a well-deserved close-up!). As for the attractively-packaged DVD itself, the overall quality of the film's transfer was acceptable (though print damage was evident on occasion); I don't usually buy bare-bones discs, but the very reasonable price-tag and the fact that this rarely-screened film is as yet unavailable on R1 made the purchase virtually a no-brainer - and it has certainly made me game to pick up some more exclusive R2 stuff, above all the SE of Lewis Milestone's war drama THE PURPLE HEART (1944), also featuring Dana Andrews and a film I missed out on during my tenure in Hollywood...

Considering that Hollywood's view of the South consisted of films like "L'il Abner" and "Swing Your Lady" during this era, the fact that "Swamp Water" turned out so good is a bit of a surprise. What's even more surprising is that this film about the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia was directed by a Frenchman, Jean Renoir.

The film is set along the edges of the swamp. Apparently the locals all are a bit afraid of going into the treacherous swamp and if they do, it's only in groups. Considering all the gators and snakes, it's easy to see why they avoid it! However, when Dana Andrews' dog gets lost there, he ventures into the swamp alone. Instead of dying or never finding his way back, he meets up with a wanted man (Walter Brennan). Despite Brennan being wanted for murder for the last five years, it soon becomes apparent he's too nice a guy to have killed anyone--and Andrews agrees to keep his whereabouts secret and become his partner in the fur trapping trade.

In addition to this major plot thread, several other seemingly divergent plot elements occur during the course of the film--and by the end they all come together. First, Andrews' mother has been allowing an old boyfriend (John Carradine) to spend time at the house when her older husband (Walter Huston) is gone on hunting trips. While she rebuffs Carradine's advances, you wonder why she doesn't tell him to leave---so it's obvious she' ambivalent about this. When the husband finds out she's been with another man, things get tense--but he has no idea who the man was. And, there is another plot involving two rough and nasty brothers (Ward Bond and Guinn Williams) who just seem to be up to no good! Finally, there is a blossoming love between Brennan's daughter (Anne Baxter) and Andrews.

So why did I like the film? Well, I appreciated how although the actors approximated accents of the locale, it was NOT exaggerated and the people were not made out to be a bunch of ignorant yokels. While I am sure the film would not be one recommended by the Georgia Department of Tourism, the film clearly is not offensive or overdone. The acting is good, the complex plot involving and interesting. While not exactly a great film, it did have some nice tense moments and was quite enjoyable.

By the way, despite the nice Midwest sort of 'perfect' accent, Dana Andrews was Mississippi-born! Interesting.

If one had missed the opening credits, he would be forgiven for thinking that 'Swamp Water (1941)' was one of John Ford's lesser-known efforts. If the cast of familiar Ford faces – including Walter Brennan, Ward Bond and John Carradine – didn't lead you up the wrong path, then it's the smaller touches that characterise the director's Westerns: a close-knit community, an impassioned brawl, an innocent young lass, a significant father-son relationship. In this case, however, the credit doesn't belong to one of America's greatest filmmakers, but to the French equivalent {though it comes as no surprise that writer Dudley Nichols was a frequent Ford collaborator}. 'Swamp Water' was Jean Renoir's first picture following his migration to Hollywood in the early 1940s. Interestingly, considering the distinctive brand of auterist film-making evident in 'The Rules of the Game (1939)' just two years earlier, there's little here to suggest that Renoir is seated behind the camera. Aside from a waterbound opening shot that calls to mind several scenes from 'A Day in the Country (1936),' this film bears little resemblance to the other seven Renoirs I've seen to date.

When hunter Ben Ragan (Dana Andrews, in an early role) ventures into the feared Okefenokee swamp to retrieve his lost dog, he happens upon the hiding-place of Tom Keefer (Walter Brennan), a convicted murderer who escaped custody and has been living in isolation for several years. Despite having become a rugged and slightly eccentric recluse, Keefer firmly professes his innocence and spares Ben's life, in exchange for keeping silent about his whereabouts. Back in town, and to his sweetheart's (Virginia Gilmore) chagrin, Ben befriends Keefer's daughter Julie (Anne Baxter), a raggedy young beauty who shies away from social interaction like a frightened kitten {fortunately for her career, Baxter would play a substantially more independent character in Wilder's 'Five Graves to Cairo (1943),' and I certainly don't need to mention 'All About Eve (1950)'}. Meanwhile, Ben's father Thursday (Walter Huston) watches out for the cowardly ruffian who has been bothering his younger wife Hannah (Mary Howard) – the perpetrator is, of course, the suitably pathetic John Carradine.

Even if it doesn't attain the dizzying heights of Renoir's other offerings, 'Swamp Water' deserves to be seen for his marvellous and atmospheric cinematography (the stifling swamp photography was captured by Peverell Marley) and strong performances. Andrews perhaps wasn't the most authentic actor of the 1940s, but here he plays the young hero with a tenacity that signalled a successful future in Hollywood. Huston is, of course, terrific, and I've found it interesting that he never seems to play the same character (to such an extent that in 'And Then There Were None (1945)' and 'Dragonwyck (1946)' it took me a while to even recognise him!). But the heart of the film belongs to Brennan, who comes across as sympathetic and likable without even trying, though he brings an added toughness to this role that I liked – by the way, how the heck did they film the snake-bite scene without risking their top-billed star? I don't know if 'Swamp Water' could be confidently recommended to fans of its French director, but John Ford aficionados could certainly do much worse.

Having seen almost all Renoir's works, I was eager to see this one, the master's first film of his american stint. If you have seen Renoir's The River (1951), one of his loveliest masterpieces, the feeling cames to you, when you are watching this 1941 movie, that you are seeing just a preparatory exercise for that later piece of art. Just listen Walter Brennan's lines when he first meet Dana Andrews about how the death of an individual begets new life elsewhere.

Sometimes also in the movie I had the resemblance of watching a John Ford movie, specially in the town scenes, more obvious in the ball scenes, the guy with the girl chatting, the dancers background, and suddenly a huge thug coming out, and the fight therefore. More hints about this: the writer is Dudley Nichols, a Ford habitual collaborator, and among the cast, John Carradine and Ward Bond, also from Ford's troup. Anyway, it's a Renoir. Watch it (it's short and pleasant, and hide two or three great moments.)

While participating in a posse to hunt down the fugitive Tom Keefer (Walter Brennan), who is accused of murdering a local inhabitant, the young Ben Ragan (Dana Andrews) loses his dog Trouble in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. He returns to the swamp to seek his dog out but he is captured by Tom. Soon he learns that Tom Keeler is innocent and has a daughter, Julie (Anne Baxter), who is raised by the local merchant Marty McCord (Russell Simpson). Ben has an argument with his father Thursday Ragan (Walter Huston) and he moves to a shanty that belongs to Marty. Then he associate to Tom Keeler to hunt animals in the swamp and he shares the profit of selling furs with Julie. Soon they fall in love with each other. One day, Ben witnesses Bud Dorson (Guinn Williams) and his brother Tim Dorson (Ward Bond) stealing Marty's pigs. There is a meeting in the village with Sheriff Jeb McKane (Eugene Palette) to find the thief and Ben's ex-girlfriend Mabel MacKenzie (Virginia Gilmore) is jealous of Ben and accuses Tom Keefer. The sheriff organizes a search party to hunt Tom down, but Ben presses Jesse Wick (John Carradine), who is harassing his stepmother Hannah (Mary Howard), and he finds who the real killers are. He wants Tom to return to the village, but Tom suspects that Ben might intend to betray him.

"Swamp Water" is an entertaining and dramatic adventure. The locations and the camera work in the swamp are impressive. The choreography of the fight and the quick sand in the swamp "swallowing" the criminal are very realistic. The direction of Jean Renoir and the cinematography are amazing. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Segredo do Pântano" ("The Secret of the Swamp")

When Ben (Dana Andrews) heads into the dangerous Okefenokee Swamp to search for his missing hunting dog, he finds fugitive Tom Keefer (Walter Brennan) living like a wild man. After a rough beginning, Ben and Tom grow to trust each other, and Tom reveals that he was falsely convicted of murder, which is why he's hiding out. Ben promises to look in on Tom's daughter Julie (Anne Baxter), which leads to romance, but when townsfolk begin to suspect that Ben's frequent trips into the swamp may be connected to Keefer, everyone is put in jeopardy.

This was one of the few American films that French master Renoir worked on, and it wasn't a pleasant experience. He and producer Darryl F. Zanuck fought over everything, particularly location shooting, which Renoir preferred, versus studio shooting, which the cost-conscious Zanuck wanted. Most of the film ended up being shot in the studio, but some location shots were done in the real Okefenokee by dialogue director Irving Pichel. The movie is okay as far as films about "backwoods simple folk" subgenre movies go.

The cast is good, especially Brennan, but Walter Huston is wasted as Andrews' disapproving father. Anne Baxter replaced the fired Linda Darnell, and while I normally prefer Darnell, I don't think she would have been right for this part. Baxter has a certain feral look to her eyes that fit the wild-child role, even if her perfectly drawn eye brows don't. As for director Renoir, he accused Zanuck of butchering the film in the editing process, and canceled his Fox contract as soon as he was able.

Walter Brennan (Tom Keefer) has been on the run and made a life for himself in the Georgia swamplands after being wrongly accused of murder. Dana Andrews (Ben) comes across him when he goes looking for his dog and an alliance is formed. However, the townsfolk soon discover that Brennan is still alive as Andrews lets a few things slip to his girlfriend Virginia Gilmore (Mabel). It's up to Andrews to prove that Brennan is innocent and re-introduce him into society.

The film starts well as we find ourselves in the swamplands being directed by Jean Renoir with layers of depth to every shot. It's a great beginning, it's just a shame that the beginning section of the film couldn't have been maintained all the way through. We needed to spend more time in the swamp. The story in the town takes up the majority of time of the film.....and it shouldn't...

Almost everyone has an accent in this film which is a hindrance at times. Talk properly! Walter Huston as Andrews' father (Thursday) and Virginia Gilmore were the best of the cast and I think we needed more from these characters. Gilmore was gloriously spiteful and bitchy and Huston was broody and just ready to erupt, but sadly never got the chance to really let go at someone. The cast all do well but the story seemed to come to an end rather quickly. It would have been more effective to build more tension and see a confrontation between Brennan and the townsfolk.

There's a good scene where Brennan gets bitten in the face by a snake and we have a touching moment as Andrews prepares to bury him. The film needed more swamp action.

I can remember seeing this movie as a kid and getting the bejesus scared out of me. The darkness and uncertainty of the swamp terrified my young imagination and the image of the skull atop a cross touched all my Roman Catholic primal fears. My impression of the swamp, i.e., crocs, gaters and snakes, topped with a dark image of the fugitive played by Walter Brennan, lasted for years. Now, I do recall there being a video (although none is listed here), because I did see it again a few years back. The shock of the darkness of the film was dulled by over 50 years of life but the Gothic quality of the story along with the fine characterization of Renoir makes this film a classic. Walter Huston is great in his curmudgeon role as the young Dana Andrews's father married to a younger woman who's getting moves laid on by ever villainous John Carridine. The presence of great character actors Guinn"Big Boy" Williams, Ward Bond and gravel-voiced Eugene Palette adds much to the texture of the film. Too, the young Anne Baxter is superb as the daughter of Brennan and the female interest of Dana Andrews. The story line seems a bit tame, by today's standards but holds up well. All in all, this is a satisfying film well done and provocative. Check it out.

Swamp Water is directed by Jean Renoir and adapted to screenplay by Dudley Nichols from the novel written by Vereen Bell. It stars Walter Brennan, Walter Huston, Dana Andrews, Anne Baxter, Virginia Gilmore, John Carradine, Eugene Palette, Ward Bond and Guinn Williams. Music is by David Buttolph and cinematography by J. Peverell Marley.

Dana Andrews plays Ben, a young man who while searching for his dog out in the Okefenokee Swamp happens across fugitive Tom Keefer (Brennan). With Keefer swearing his innocence, the two men become friends and hunting partners. But it's not long before suspicions are aroused back in town...

Renoir's first American film is ultimately a lesser light from his output. Not helped by the interference from 20th Century Fox supremo Darryl F. Zanuck, Renoir still managed to craft a film of visual atmospherics that neatly cloak a salty observation of backwater inhabitants. Renoir purposely keeps the pace sedate, choosing his moments when to insert tenderness or peril into the morally murky play, his sense of character building a treat to observe. The swamp itself, actual location filming a major bonus, is the key character on show. It's a place feared by the locals because of the dangers that lurk there, but of course the swamp and its critters are nothing compared to the humans back in town...

All told it's very good film making, from cast performances, visuals and narrative worth, but you just come away knowing it should have been so much more. That it could have had an edge to keep you perched on the end of your seat throughout, and to then deliver a coup de grâce instead of the tacked on happy finale that we get. Something which of course wasn't of Renoir's doing... 7/10

A swamp that is widely perceived by all the locals as impenetrable offers refuge to a convicted murderer who has been hiding out there for years and has learned its lessons well enough to actually get by quite well. Fear of the swamp and its cottonmouths and alligators is enough to keep any civilized person out, but when a hunter's dog jumps out of his canoe and gets lost in this swamp, its the love he (Dana Andrews) has for his dog that draws him deeper into the swamp and sets up the meeting with fugitive Walter Brennan. It turns out the swamp isn't so bad after all, as Andrews and Brennan team up to collect a valuable set of furs from the animals they've trapped. Back in the town the truth of the murder for which Brennan faces hanging emerges in a very well told story. Jean Renoir was able to bring the town into the swamp or vice versa in this beautifully filmed movie. For sure the best actor awards go to Walter Huston who plays Dana Andrews father, and whose second wife is being courted by another great, John Carradine. The primordial beauty of the swamp makes a nice contrast to the dramatic backwoods small town swamp of this slice of America.

An odd and darkly beautiful swamp noir directed by revered French director Jean Renoir. Dana Andrews charges into the eerie & dangerous wilds of the Okeefenokee to find his lost dog and encounters the ravaged but thriving fugitive Walter Brennan.

Only viewed this movie once,when as an eleven year old , it first opened. I still recall the scene where Julie scurried away through the barn to hide from Andrews. Clawing like a black cat (with her raven hair matted as if it were a Brillo Pad.) I instantly fell head over heels in love with that gruff looking girl.

The fight scene , the cottonmouth attack still looms large in my memory. I'm 76 now, but would love to see it twenty more times and hark back to those innocent days, when a nickle candy bar could be bought for five cents .

Excellent movie (Also loved The Southerner)

The Lure of the Wilderness, the 1952 re-make of this film was better in my opinion. ( I rated that 8 stars) .The acting in this, Swamp Water, was of somewhat lower quality, notably the characters of the fugitive's daughter and Ben's first girlfriend. It was interesting to see that the two movies are almost identical, scene for scene .There were a couple of plot aspects that were puzzling to me in this original version. (One that I am thinking of was in the re-make also). The color in the '52 version enhanced the visual appeal of the swamp, and that went a long way in making the latter version better.

This is a really well made movie with good acting but the story is idiotic.

The script is pedestrian. It really ruins the rest of the film

This is a beautiful, sometimes extremely delicate, often very eerie film of love and death in the nearly primordial Florida Everglades. Both the director (Renoir) and the cinematographer have created a mystical feeling surrounding the setting, and it's a perfect match for the moral complexity Renoir draws from the characterizations. It is not an easy American film; it's morally challenging. Dana Andrews is perfect casting in this way; he is anything but a transparent presence on screen. Anne Baxter too, has an unspoken pain about her that's ideal. And Walter Brennan is just, as always, wonderful.

I'm not really familiar with Renoir's movies: I watched "The Woman on the Beach" a number of years ago and enjoyed it for Robert Ryan's performance, and its unusual plot and characters (especially Charles Bickford as the blind artist.) Unlike others, my appreciation of "Swamp Water" was not affected by its comparison to other films by the great French director. I came across "Swamp Water" online and, not knowing anything about it, initially thought it was either a horror movie or one of those cornpone looks at the "poor ole souls" of the deep South. The film's credits lifted my spirits, and assured me that I was in for a surprise. And I was. I love this movie: the cinematography, the subtle characterizations, the dialogue (especially Brennan's cosmic musings.) Dana Andrews (never my favorite actor, always to me a poor man's Robert Ryan) is superb, Walter Brennan, as usual, transcendent, the women complex and not condescended to, and the array of familiar character actors round out the cast with their usual more than competent contributions. Swamp Water has a psychological and emotional complexity unusual for such a simply plotted film, and its haunting evocation of the mysterious region in which it is set assures it will remain one of my favorites.

I viewed this film when it was released in 1941. At the time, I was six years old. The fact that it made a lasting impression on me is evidenced by the fact I still remember it vividly 66 years later.

The Okefenokee Swamp setting, complete with snakes, alligators and quicksand, provided a dark backdrop that served the plot well. It also gave this young boy a view of a part of American culture that I didn't know existed at the time.

Thinking of it today, I would call it a classic "innocent man" storyline with twists. Walter Brennan, Dana Andrews and Ann Baxter gave memorable performances and the chilling conclusion, tame by today's standards, is still remembered.

As I remember, it received mediocre reviews. I do not remember a TV release and believe that it could have been a cult classic if more people had seen it. If it was available on DVD today I would purchase it.

I wish I could remember when I saw this film on TV, but being a Renoir fan I was curious about it. The mood, the overall feel of the movie, was unusual and haunting. Given the cast, the acting was wonderful. It may not have done much for the tourist trade in the Okeefanokee swamp, but-- who knows?-- maybe it did. The film describes a style of life that was far from my experience, but it was believable. I recall loving Walter Huston's role. Comparing him in the Treasure of Sierra Madre where he seems shrunken and wizened, his large stature here shows what a towering presence he was on the screen. I have wanted to see this film again myself and keep looking for it on NetFlix.

Swamp Water (1941)

*** (out of 4)

Renoir's first American movie is quite impressive and if you viewed this thing without seeing the opening credits you'd swear it was made by someone like John Ford. The film takes place in the Georgia swamps where trapper Ben Ragan (Dana Andrews) gets lost in the swamp only to be rescued by fugitive Tom Keefer (Walter Brennan) who has been hiding there to avoid hanging. The two strike up a friendship but Ben must keep him secret while back at town all hell is breaking loose. I guess Fox respected the talent of Renoir enough to give him an all-star cast, something that not even John Ford would get at the studio. Sure, there are a few problems with this film but there's no denying it's technical beauty and the terrific cast makes it a must see. The cinematography is what really stands out here as the B&W footage is so beautiful that you can't help but get drawn into the atmosphere of this swampy land. A lot of the footage here was shot on location and you can't help but feel like the swamps is one of the main characters as you can just feel the dirtiness of the water and sense all the creatures living in it. There's some obvious back-projection but this doesn't take away from anything. As far as the cast goes we're in for a real treat. Andrews is very good in his role and Walter Huston is just as impressive as his father. Brennan gets top-billing but he's actually not in the film too much. There's some debate on his performance here but I thought it was a good one even if I didn't believe him in the role too much and I'm curious if it would have been better had Huston and Brennan switched roles. Ann Baxter, Virginia Gilmore, John Carradine, Joe Sawyer, Mary Howard, Ward Bond, Russell Simpson and Eugene Palette round out the supporting players and all them fill their roles nicely. Even if the story is lacking in parts, you can't take your eyes off the screen because this wonderful cast takes up every inch of film so you've constantly got something fun to see. I think the mystery around the killing Brennan was accused for is too easy to figure out but this too is just a minor point. Considering the cast and terrific cinematography, I'm somewhat surprised this film isn't better know. It's certainly not a masterpiece by any standard but there's enough here to make it worth viewing to any film buff.

Jean Renoir made some near masterpiece movies, it's one of them, "Swamp Water" has an incredible bright photography on black & white, could it be an adventure, crime or drama, which genre it belong maybe all them, the two Walters are really fantastic performances, mainly Brennan in southern hard accent, the story is quite compelling, each characters had an equal opportunity to expose their skills duly, but was a great chance for Dana Andrews establish as a promising upcoming star, but Brennan stolen the picture for an almost unbeatable dramatic acting, even in others movies as funny characters indeed he wasn't never overcome, a fine casting supplied so many defined moments, Renoir print his fingerprint in this unusual picture!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2006 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 9

This is such a great movie. I was about twelve when I first saw it--I watched it with my Daddy, who had lived a tent in the Everglades in 1939, and we sat in front of the fireplace and were enthralled.

We loved Ward Bond, who was a great actor. We talked about it for a long time afterward and it just resonated for us.

It was years later when I realized this movie was directed by Renoir, one of the most brilliant directors of all time, and what we were seeing really was a masterpiece.

The only other director I can think of who can match his artistry is Kurosawa. We've all got our own idiosyncratic tastes and feel passionate about the films we love (or hate). When we see a movie, it's not just the movie itself but when we saw it, where we saw it, who we were with, all of those things that make up the experience. For me, it was winter, a steak grilling over a wood fire, my father's laughter, the joy of us being together watching this movie we really enjoyed.

I love this movie, and think it's beautiful. But memory and emotion cloud my feelings, so watch it and decide for yourself.