A powerful drama of country living that's much more than milking cows, churning butter and slopping the pigs. Life has made these people hard, and for aging farmer Arthur Byron, he has no time for levity, sympathy or compassion. You get to know and understand his mostly brutal persona and where it developed, and the object of most of his wrath is ward Jean Parker, leading to a not so shocking but still repulsive revelation. His marriage to Beulah Bondi has turned her hard too although you never get to see directly from her why she's so angry and mean.
When their farmhand quits out of the blue simply because he pays attention to Parker (more than Byron is comfortable with), escaped reform school inmate Tom Brown is taken on, and he falls in love with Parker which has Byron upset. Parker's not even permitted to attend the wedding of Nydia Westman, equally vile to her. Neighbors Charley Grapewin and Zasu Pitts are her only real friends outside of Brown later on. Then Parker's real father (Willard Robertson) shows up, complicating Byron's life even more.
Yes, the film is as depressing as the story sounds, but it's also fascinating. Well acted, beautifully directed and nicely designed with the farm set very stunning visually, particularly the very tall corn stalks. When Parker and Brown finally get a moment to be alone and kiss, it's like a brief moment of heaven has arrived in Parker's dismal life. Byron is genuinely despicable, but little elements of his performance so well crafted that he becomes one of the great unsung villains in film history.
When their farmhand quits out of the blue simply because he pays attention to Parker (more than Byron is comfortable with), escaped reform school inmate Tom Brown is taken on, and he falls in love with Parker which has Byron upset. Parker's not even permitted to attend the wedding of Nydia Westman, equally vile to her. Neighbors Charley Grapewin and Zasu Pitts are her only real friends outside of Brown later on. Then Parker's real father (Willard Robertson) shows up, complicating Byron's life even more.
Yes, the film is as depressing as the story sounds, but it's also fascinating. Well acted, beautifully directed and nicely designed with the farm set very stunning visually, particularly the very tall corn stalks. When Parker and Brown finally get a moment to be alone and kiss, it's like a brief moment of heaven has arrived in Parker's dismal life. Byron is genuinely despicable, but little elements of his performance so well crafted that he becomes one of the great unsung villains in film history.