Franklin, Sidney

The Good Earth

MGM's status as the "class" studio was fully engaged when production chief Irving Thalberg took on this expensive, serious adaptation of Pearl Buck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. A smooth entertainment with a stiff portion of this-is-good-for-you seriousness, The Good Earth epitomizes Thalberg's idea of Art, which was also the prevailing idea of the period he dominated in Hollywood. The story follows Wang Lung (Paul Muni), a humble farmer, who makes an arranged marriage to a slave, O-Lan (Luise Rainer). The couple's great struggle is to procure--and then, against withering odds, keep--a piece of land, ownership of which makes the difference between self-determination and near-slavery. The film's physical production is truly eye-filling, with location shooting in China providing exterior shots and backdrops (and blending seamlessly with the footage shot in the U.S.). No wonder the great cinematographer Karl Freund won an Oscar for the photography, which includes an awesomely staged locust plague.

Also copping an Oscar was Luise Rainer for best actress--her second consecutive award, after The Great Ziegfeld. Rainer's underplayed portrait of self-effacing stoicism is a contrast to Muni's broader performance, although in some odd way he's exactly right for his role. Caucasian actors play the main characters (Walter Connolly is the family's bothersome, and tiresome, know-it-all uncle), with Asian actors--including Keye Luke--filling out the supporting parts. The blend of sobriety and hokum is vintage Thalberg, and this is the one MGM movie with an onscreen dedication to the young dynamo; he died during production, age 37. --Robert Horton

First came marriage an arranged union of peasant farmer Wang Lung (Paul Muni) and kitchen slave O-Lan (Luise Rainer). Then through poverty and wealth family and betrayal war and pestilence came love. From Pearl S. Buck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Good Earth combines Wang and O-Lan's story with a sweeping saga of China in upheaval. Muni and Rainer had both won 1936 Academy Awards and Rainer repeated here with another Best Actress Oscar. The film also won for Best Cinematography - with camerawork most powerfully on display in the astonishing locust-plague sequence. Producer Irving Thalberg known for combining literary prestige with commercial success died during the production and the film isdedicated to him.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/CLASSIC UPC: 012569692626 Manufacturer No: 66926

Captured on Film - The True Story of Marion Davies

Tennessee Williams once wrote, "Marion Davies makes up for the rest of Hollywood," and this superb documentary demonstrates why the gifted actress was so beloved in high society. Executive produced by Hugh Hefner and narrated by Charlize Theron, Captured on Film corrects the fallacy that obscured Davies's achievements since the release of Citizen Kane in 1941. Orson Welles intended no harm with his masterpiece, but the film's portrayal of a publishing tycoon--loosely based on William Randolph Hearst and his lengthy affair with Davies--painted an unflattering portrait of a talentless, drunken mistress, and Davies was quite the opposite. Among many expert interviewees, film historian Kevin Brownlow observes that Davies was truly the first screwball comedian, and vintage film clips bear him out: watch Davies impersonate such film greats as Lillian Gish and Pola Negri, and you can see her comedic gift in full bloom, undiminished by time. Her 32-year devotion to Hearst (whose wife refused to divorce him) is accurately chronicled as sincere and meaningful, and the 1927 feature Quality Street offers a worthy showcase for Davies's versatile talents. (It was remade in 1937 with Katharine Hepburn; this silent version is arguably superior.) --Jeff Shannon

Blonde, beautiful and talented, Marion Davies was the first and funniest screwball comedienne. As star of two of the best comedies ever made, "Show People" and "The Patsy," she combined zany slapstick and exuberant mimicry; she was also famous for her 35-year-long love affair with William Randolph Hearst. Unfortunately she has too often been remembered for a film in which she never appeared: "Citizen Kane." Orson Welles may have based his great film on the life of Hearst, but Davies was nothing like Susan Alexander. This loving and insightful combination of archival film clips, interviews, and rare home movies explores her life and work, from her days dancing in the Ziegfield Follies through her relationship with Hearst, which led to Hearst creating for her a movie studio and a legendary castle where she reigned over the elite of Hollywood. Narrated by Charlize Theron, this moving tribute to a silver screen legend is one to cherish.

The Primitive Lover

Constance Talmadge was one of the most popular stars of the 1920s, but her reputation today has slipped, simply because her films are now hard to find. "The Primitive Lover" shows why she was so popular! It's a lively romantic comedy (scripted by Frances Marion), in which the fevered prose and unlikely plots of Connie's favorite romance novels are brought to life. While roughing it in the California mountains, she gets to choose between her dull husband and a rugged man of adventure, setting the stage for an amusingly romantic adventure of her own.

This film was made right around the peak of her stardom, and it really shows off the personality, beauty and talent that nade her an audience favorite in the silent days. She was clearly a natural comedienne, and it's a shame that so few of her films are in circulation today. Look for an appearance by Big Joe Roberts, who's best known for his work in the films of Connie's brother-in-law Buster Keaton. Organ score by Bob Vaughn.