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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   1,757 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 11% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Talbot Jennings (screenplay) and
Tess Slesinger (screenplay) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Good Earth on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
6 August 1937 (USA) more
Genre:
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:
Awards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Music: Review:The Feelies: Crazy Rhythms / The Good Earth
 (From The AV Club. 14 September 2009, 10:00 PM, PDT)

The Feelies: Crazy Rhythms and The Good Earth
 (From PasteMagazine. 8 September 2009, 6:00 AM, PDT)

User Reviews:
Wonderful movie, with stellar performances more (43 total)
US TV Schedule:

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Philip Ahn ... Captain in revolutionary army (uncredited)
Philson Ahn ... Chinese Man (uncredited)
Caroline Chew ... Dance in teahouse (uncredited)
Jack Don ... Chinese Peasant (uncredited)
Chester Gan ... Singer in teahouse (uncredited)
Betty Soo Hoo ... Baby (uncredited)
James B. Leong ... Chinese Peasant (uncredited)
Bessie Loo ... Chinese Woman (uncredited)
Richard Loo ... Chinese Farmer (uncredited)
Clarence Lung ... Bit Role (uncredited)
Charles Middleton ... Banker (uncredited)
Miki Morita ... Wang's house guest (uncredited)
Layne Tom Jr. ... Chinese Boy (uncredited)
Kam Tong ... Chinese Peasant (uncredited)
Sammee Tong ... Chinese Man (uncredited)
Iris Wong ... Chinese Woman (uncredited)
Marcella Wong ... Baby (uncredited)
Shirley Wu ... Baby (uncredited)
Victor Sen Yung ... Chinese Peasant (uncredited)
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Directed by
Sidney Franklin 
Victor Fleming (uncredited)
Gustav Machatý (uncredited)
Sam Wood (uncredited)
 
Writing credits
Talbot Jennings (screenplay) and
Tess Slesinger (screenplay) and
Claudine West (screenplay)

Pearl S. Buck (novel "The Good Earth")

Produced by
Albert Lewin .... associate producer
Irving Thalberg .... executive producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
Herbert Stothart 
 
Cinematography by
Karl Freund 
 
Film Editing by
Basil Wrangell 
 
Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons 
 
Costume Design by
Herbert Neuwirth (uncredited)
 
Makeup Department
Holly Bane .... makeup artist (uncredited)
Jack Dawn .... makeup artist (uncredited)
Max Factor .... makeup artist (uncredited)
Cecil Holland .... makeup artist (uncredited)
Web Overlander .... makeup artist (uncredited)
Robert J. Schiffer .... makeup artist (uncredited)
William Tuttle .... makeup artist (uncredited)
 
Production Management
Dave Friedman .... production manager (uncredited)
Frank Messenger .... production manager (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hugh Boswell .... assistant director (uncredited)
Fred Niblo .... second unit director (uncredited)
Hezi Tate .... assistant director (uncredited)
 
Art Department
A. Arnold Gillespie .... associate art director (as Arnold Gillespie)
Harry Oliver .... associate art director
Edwin B. Willis .... associate art director
Tom Gubbins .... props: China (uncredited)
F. Suie One .... props and Chinese artifacts (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Douglas Shearer .... recording director
 
Special Effects by
James Basevi .... special effects: locust sequence (uncredited)
Dave Friedman .... special effects: locust sequence (uncredited)
James Curtis Havens .... special effects: locust sequence (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Charles G. Clarke .... photographer: China (uncredited)
Ben M. Cohen .... assistant camera (uncredited)
Russell A. Cully .... photographer: China (uncredited)
George W. Hill .... supervising photographer: China (uncredited)
Mason Hooper .... photographer: backgrounds and process shots (uncredited)
Walter Lundin .... camera operator: Cedar City (uncredited)
Gustav Machatý .... director of process photography (uncredited)
Ray Ramsey .... camera operator (uncredited)
H.C. Smith .... photographer: China (uncredited)
Frank Tanner .... still photographer (uncredited)
'Newreel' Wong .... photographer: China (uncredited)
 
Casting Department
Chester Gann .... casting: Chinese extras (uncredited)
William Grady .... casting: Chinese extras (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dolly Tree .... wardrobe
Tom Gubbins .... costumes: China (uncredited)
 
Editorial Department
Slavko Vorkapich .... montage
Peter Ballbusch .... montage (uncredited)
Tom Held .... editing staff (uncredited)
Ben Lewis .... assistant editor (uncredited)
Charles T. Trego .... montage (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Wayne Allen .... orchestrator (uncredited)
Leonid Raab .... orchestrator (uncredited)
Clifford Vaughan .... orchestrator (uncredited)
Edward Ward .... composer: additional music (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Donald Davis .... stage adaptation
Owen Davis .... stage adaptation
Victor Adams .... stand-in: Paul Muni (uncredited)
Marian Ainslee .... screenplay constructor (uncredited)
Pearl S. Buck .... technical advisor (uncredited)
Marc Connelly .... screenplay constructor (uncredited)
Howard Dietz .... press representative (uncredited)
Jules Furthman .... screenplay constructor (uncredited)
DuBose Heyward .... screenplay constructor (uncredited)
James Lee .... technical advisor (uncredited)
Clarence Locan .... publicist (uncredited)
Frances Marion .... screenplay constructor (uncredited)
John M. Nickolaus .... laboratory supervisor: sepia tinting (uncredited)
Bessie Ochs .... technical advisor: China (uncredited)
Yee On .... supervisor of landscapes (uncredited)
'Dutch' Pettit .... pigtail braider (uncredited)
Franz Schulz .... screenplay constructor (uncredited)
Frank Tong .... assistant: Harry Oliver (uncredited)
Dr. Y.S. Tsao .... technical advisor (uncredited)
General Ting-Hsiu Tu .... technical advisor (uncredited)
 
Thanks
Irving Thalberg .... dedicatee (as Irving Grant Thalberg)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Runtime:
138 min
Country:
Language:
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 | Sweden:15 (DVD rating) | Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #2584)
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Victor Adams, who was Paul Muni's stand-in, also played Wang Lung (Muni's character) in long shots when Muni went AWOL from the set. 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:

FAQ

Who is Irving Grant Thalberg, the person to whom this film is dedicated?
Why are there so few real Chinese actors in this very Chinese story?
How closely does the movie follow the book?
more
24 out of 27 people found the following review useful.
Wonderful movie, with stellar performances, 5 May 2004
9/10
Author: Stephen Alfieri (stevealfie@verizon.net) from Blauvelt, NY

Let's eliminate any discussion about the use of non-Asian actors playing Asian roles. The movie is 67 years old. In 1937 studio chiefs believed that any actor could/should be able to play any role. Actors were under contracts, and did not always have a choice about what role they played. End of story.

This is a truly great epic story of love, individual rights, class strata, and men/women issues. The centerpiece of the film is two brilliant performances by Luise Rainer and Paul Muni.

Muni plays Wang, a Chinese farmer, who is about to take a wife (Rainer). From the start, he treats her with respect, during a time when women were looked on as little more than hired help. Without giving too much of the movie away, they go through the highs and lows of all relationships, and even though the story may take place in late 19th/early 20th century,the story and much of their feelings, seems credible.

Other than the fact that the movie is about 5-10 minutes longer than it needs to be, and the performances of Charley Grapewin and Walter Connolly are typical 1930's cartoon characters, this is a really wonderful movie that, unfortunately, has become a victim of political correctness.

9 out of 10

Was the above review useful to you?
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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Good Earth (1937)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Best Line! Makes me cry. profprimbud
A couple of things the censors must not have approved.... BoomerMovieFan
Podcast on 'The Good Earth' Filmrob
Based on La Terre profprimbud
Paul Muni's hairline carrie-284
Beautifully shot... clarencejr
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