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The Good Earth Movie Review

The Good Earth is a 1937 historical drama film directed by Sidney Franklin and starring Paul Muni and Luise Rainer. It’s a pretty good, though troublesome film.

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“O-Lan, the earth has forgotten us“

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Wang is an out of luck farmer who has a hard life. Until, one day he marries this beautiful woman O-Lan and his luck begins to blossom. This movie is based on the eponymous novel by Pearl S. Buck. It offers a moving look into the plights of the Chinese farmers who struggle to survive, and thus it was actually rather relevant for the Depression Era Americans despite not being set in that country.

But obviously the movie was not cast well. It’s laughable watching these white actors play Asian roles, but this was a different time so we all have to let that one slide, no matter how ludicrous the viewing experience is. The main two actors are white, and of the two, I really did not like Paul Muni. I actually really disliked him in this movie.

He’s usually a terrific actor, but his hammy, wide-eyed turn here is the worst I’ve personally seen from him. It’s simply too theatrical for it to work. Much better of course is his co-star Luise Rainer. She is fantastic as O-Lan, very emotive and thus her character’s arc is quite moving. She is easily the standout of this entire picture and the best reason to see the movie, though I personally would not give her an Oscar, but I do respect that decision.

Others are less memorable, though the inclusion of Asian-Americans at least in the supporting roles was admirable for this time. The Good Earth is also a very emotional movie, especially in its second half. It’s a very good portrayal of the fight against the elements and it’s thus always relevant in that regard. I also loved the catastrophe and the locust sequences.

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But the movie is slower in pace and overlong. It’s epic, but mostly not deservedly so. I found the dialogue and characterization solid, but some of the characters are caricatures. The movie should have been more involving, but it’s stellar technically speaking. The direction isn’t the greatest, but the cinematography is terrific with some wonderful imagery at display and the score is also excellent.

The Good Earth isn’t particularly involving as it’s slower in pace and quite long, but it’s still a very moving look into the hardships of farmers with particularly strong cinematography and score. Paul Muni gave one of his weaker turns here as he’s quite hammy, but Luise Rainer is excellent in her very emotional Oscar-winning performance.