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The Southerner
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by United American Video
Sales Rank: 15118
Price: $6.99
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During World War II, Jean Renoir fled Nazi-occupied France for America and tried his hand at making Hollywood films. This period is generally (and unfairly) dismissed as fallow ground in Renoir's career, but even most of his critics agree that <I>The Southerner</I> is not just the best of his five American films, but a fine example of Renoir's humanistic vision. Transplanting the poetic realism of his French masterpieces of the 1930s to the rural American South, Renoir presents a year in the life of a family of migrant workers who decide to follow their dream of farming their own land. Hawk-eyed Zachary Scott gives the performance of his career as the easygoing but determined father who risks everything to give his family something to call their own, with J. Carroll Naish as his bitter, hostile neighbor. The seasonal structure and episodic nature of the film focuses on the hardships the family faces, finding the rhythm of life between setbacks and victories and the soul of his lovingly created characters through their bent but unbowed spirit. Renoir adapted George Perry Sessions's novel <I>Hold Autumn in Your Hand</I> with uncredited help from William Faulkner. This was Renoir's personal favorite of his American films and the only one to enjoy commercial success. <I>--Sean Axmaker</I>
Viewer Reviews
Why would someone in 2008 watch a B & W film made in 1945 about a 1930's family who are dirt poor trying start their own farm? First, this is a Jean Renoir film and many think he is the best director ever, certainly in the top five. Second, this is a film most of us can identify with at some level. It's about wanting a piece of the American dream, about starting your own business (farm) and creating something based on your abilities and desires. It's about trying to beat the odds, the odds like nature, no money, opponents and limited resources to make it. It's about having faith in yourself and in a higher power that gives purpose and meaning to what you do. Is there justice in this world for those who work hard and live a moral and upright life? You may or may not think so after watching this film. It's another reminder of what makes this country so great are the opportunities that it gives; though not are all equal, they are there for those with the courage and perseverance to follow a dream. Though the film quality is a little poor and Beulah Bondi as Granny Tucker is a weak link in the movie, it is definitely worth watching this little slice of Americana. www.lusreviews.blogspot.com
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The Southerner
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