The Sun Shines Bright (1953)

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Laurence Stallings (screenplay)
Irvin S. Cobb (short stories "The Sun Shines Bright", "The Mob from Massac" and "The Lord Provides")

Release Date:

2 May 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

John Ford weaves three "Judge Priest" stories together to form a good- natured exploration of honour...

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Charles Winninger	...	Judge William Pittman Priest
Arleen Whelan	...	Lucy Lee Lake
John Russell	...	Ashby Corwin
Stepin Fetchit	...	Jeff Poindexter
Russell Simpson	...	Dr. Lewt Lake
Ludwig Stössel	...	Herman Felsburg (as Ludwig Stossel)
Francis Ford	...	Feeney (Old Backwoodsman)
Paul Hurst	...	Army Sgt. Jimmy Bagby
Mitchell Lewis	...	Sheriff Andy Redcliffe
Grant Withers	...	Buck Ramsey
Milburn Stone	...	Horace K. Maydew
Dorothy Jordan	...	Lucy Lee's mother
Elzie Emanuel	...	U.S. Grant 'You Ess' Woodford
Henry O'Neill	...	Joe D. Habersham
Slim Pickens	...	Sterling, Lanky Backwoodsman

Runtime:

90 min | 100 min (video version) | USA:92 min (original theatrical version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (MPAA rating: certificate #16222) | Argentina:Atp | West Germany:12 (f) | UK:PG | UK:A (original rating) (cut) | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Argosy Pictures

Quotes:

[the prayer he says at the funeral of Lucy Lee's mother]
Ashby Corwin: Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, / look upon a little child. / Pity her simplicity; / suffer her to come to thee. / Amen.

Movie Connections:

Version of Judge Priest (1934)

Ford's own personal favourite - and a masterpiece.

A masterpiece and reputedly John Ford's personal favourite from among his own movies. The sentimentality quotient is unnaturally high, even by Ford's standards and the racial stereotypes are appalling but this is still one of the cinema's greatest pieces of folk-art. It speaks of an American South about as realistic as the Ireland of "The Quiet Man" or "The Rising of the Moon", (another great, under-rated Ford film), where the old guard still cling to memories of a hopelessly romantic past, where blacks are treated 'honourably', even if their sole purpose is to play the banjo and the harmonica and in the name of the eponymous actor to 'Stepin Fetchit'.

By today's standards the film is anything but PC but it has an innocence that transcends its stereotypes and Ford handles the set pieces magnificently. In particular, the funeral of the 'fallen woman', (and mother of the heroine), that ends the film is deeply moving and is among the high points of Ford's work. The film itself is a remake of Ford's earlier "Judge Priest" with Charles Winninger in the role made famous by Will Rogers, but this is altogether superior.