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The Good Earth
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The Good Earth (1937) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   1,518 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 5% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Sidney Franklin
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Writers:
Talbot Jennings (screenplay) and
Tess Slesinger (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Good Earth on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
6 August 1937 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance more
Tagline:
China . . . . Land of unrest . . . tomorrow they may Starve !
Plot:
The story of a farmer in China: a story of humility and bravery. His father gives Wang Lung a freed slave as wife... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Charles Schram Dies at 97
 (From MakeupMag. 16 December 2008, 9:00 PM, PST)

93-Year-Old Oscar Winner Complains About Visit
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 21 March 2003)

User Comments:
Classic story given distinguished screen treatment and cast to perfection more

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Paul Muni ... Wang Lung
Luise Rainer ... O-Lan
Walter Connolly ... Uncle
Tilly Losch ... Lotus
Charley Grapewin ... Old Father
Jessie Ralph ... Cuckoo
Soo Yong ... Aunt
Keye Luke ... Elder Son
Roland Lui ... Younger Son
Suzanna Kim ... Little Fool
Ching Wah Lee ... Ching
Harold Huber ... Cousin
Olaf Hytten ... Liu - Grain Merchant
William Law ... Gateman
Mary Wong ... Little Bride
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Additional Details

Runtime:
138 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White (Sepiatone)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | West Germany:12 | UK:A | South Korea:All | Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #2584)
Filming Locations:
Beijing, China more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Irving Thalberg envisioned casting only Chinese actors for the movie, but gave up the idea because there were not enough suitable Chinese actors. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Unexplained sequence of events or possible error in continuity. Toward the beginning of the film, Farmer Wang walks to the Great House to meet his bride, O-Lan. He is carrying a basket. It appears to be empty. As he enters a market, the farmer declines to buy peaches. We don't see him purchase goods or trade for anything. We don't see him filling the basket. However, the next scene shows him at the door of the house with a full basket. Later, he does buy peaches. At this point, however, we're still not made aware how he has money or silver. more
Quotes:
O-Lan: When I go back in that house, it will be with my son in my arms. I'll have a red coat on him... and red flower trousers... and a hat with a gilded Buddha and tiger-faced shoes, and I'll go into the kitchen where I spent my days as a slave and into the great hall where the old mistress sits with her pipe, and I'll show myself and my son to all of them.
O-Lan: [Smiles, contented] Hmm.
Wang Lung: Well... Now, I... I haven't heard you speak so many words since you came to this house.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Some of the Best (1949) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
14 out of 16 people found the following comment useful:-
Classic story given distinguished screen treatment and cast to perfection, 27 June 2001
Author: Steven Mears (rmears@worldnet.att.net) from Clifton, Virginia

Pearl Buck's story of the ups and downs of a Chinese peasant family is adapted for the screen in a stately and dignified manner. Extreme respect is paid to the characters, who are given ample screen time to mature and develop. The roles are filled by actors who are able to get inside their characters without ever giving the impression that they are `performing,' and their performances are all the richer for it.

The story begins on the wedding day of Wang Lung (Paul Muni), a kind and gentle farmer. His wife, O-Lan (Luise Rainer), bears his sons and quietly encourages him to pursue his dreams, no matter what sacrifices they entail from her. The family lives through a famine and finally achieves prosperity and success. However, with success comes greed and corruption, and soon Wang is buying large plots of land and the Great Hall at which O-Lan was a servant. Eventually, he takes a second wife and breaks ties with all who were once close to him. It takes a tragedy for him to see the error of his ways.

All the while O-Lan stands behind him, supporting every decision he makes in her own tranquil way. Rainer's Oscar winning portrayal, like O-Lan herself, is the glue that holds the story together. Muni, often prone to hamminess in his work, shows restraint here and contributes a beautiful, multifaceted performance. The cinematography, which also received an Oscar, is excellent, as are the special effects. A sequence which involves locusts, invading the crops by the million, is nothing short of unforgettable. It is storytelling in the grandest sense of the word, with strong characterizations, high production values, and an engrossing story which more than justifies `The Good Earth's status as a classic.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Beautifully shot... clarencejr
Paul Muni's hairline carrie-284
Locust Scene spin73
Jessie Ralph ? b1987714
Best Line! Makes me cry. profprimbud
Based on La Terre profprimbud
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