It takes a lot of studying for Americans like myself to get to studying the British film Classics, and once you discover them, it's difficult to turn away from them. They have an artistic glow all their own, particularly the films of the 1940's and 50's through the Ealing Studios. The British film industry had its own share of superstars that are mostly unknown by American audiences outside of film historians, and in the case of Googie Withers, she's a face hard to forget once you see it. Her versatility and no-nonsense persona is instantly captivating, and in the case of this beautifully filmed celebrating the gloriousness of the open land, she's just as exquisite as the landscapes this was filmed on location around.
Plot wise, this is a slice of life drama that shows what happens when a determined woman in 1905, tired of being taken for granted by the men around her, decides to run a farm all by herself. This of course gets tongues wagging, you mean because it's obvious no woman had ever done that in this area. She manages to find time for romance, but ultimately they are all disappointments, causing her to return to what she truly loves: the land. There's not much love between her and her sister, played with an innocent upitiness by Jean Kent, another British actress worth discovering. Withers, initially seen in beautiful clothes, slowly dresses for the life of a farm woman, while Kent determinedly remains the epitome of early 20th Century glamour.
Withers, reminding me of the British transplant to Hollywood, Ida Lupino, is excellent, going from glamour to sensible looks, yet remaining alluring, strong and devoted to the land. The other star of this film is the cameraman, utilizing the glorious land on location to make this a fantastically visual piece of art. technically, that makes this a masterpiece, but the lack of a consistent storyline to hold a film together makes it just good, not great. I'm sure on a big screen, it plays much better. but it does show the strength of a determined woman in a pre feminism error in an area of England that probably had never even heard of such a scandalous thing. That makes us very much worth seeking out because it does really seem to be ahead of its time.
Plot wise, this is a slice of life drama that shows what happens when a determined woman in 1905, tired of being taken for granted by the men around her, decides to run a farm all by herself. This of course gets tongues wagging, you mean because it's obvious no woman had ever done that in this area. She manages to find time for romance, but ultimately they are all disappointments, causing her to return to what she truly loves: the land. There's not much love between her and her sister, played with an innocent upitiness by Jean Kent, another British actress worth discovering. Withers, initially seen in beautiful clothes, slowly dresses for the life of a farm woman, while Kent determinedly remains the epitome of early 20th Century glamour.
Withers, reminding me of the British transplant to Hollywood, Ida Lupino, is excellent, going from glamour to sensible looks, yet remaining alluring, strong and devoted to the land. The other star of this film is the cameraman, utilizing the glorious land on location to make this a fantastically visual piece of art. technically, that makes this a masterpiece, but the lack of a consistent storyline to hold a film together makes it just good, not great. I'm sure on a big screen, it plays much better. but it does show the strength of a determined woman in a pre feminism error in an area of England that probably had never even heard of such a scandalous thing. That makes us very much worth seeking out because it does really seem to be ahead of its time.