The Southerner

THE SOUTHERNER (PG)

D: Jean Renoir

United Artists (Robert Hakim & David L. Leow)

US 🇺🇸 1945

92 mins

Drama

W: Hugo Butler & Jean Renoir [based on the novel ‘Hold Autumn in Your Hand’ by George Sessions Perry]

DP: Lucien Andriot

Ed: Gregg C. Talias 

Mus: Werner Janssen

 Zachary Scott (Sam Tucker), Betty Field (Nora Tucker), J. Carrol Naish (Henry Devers), Beulah Bondi (Granny Tucker), Percy Kilbride (Harmie), Charles Kemper (Tim)

Jean Renoir received his first and only Best Director Oscar nomination for this bleak drama about a poor family who take up their own farm, only to have their efforts sabotaged not only by the forces of nature, but also by a local landowner who wants to take advantage of the family’s plight.

The cast doesn’t really feature any A-list stars, instead utilising character actors for a more grounded and realistic drama.

The film was actually incredibly controversial at the time of release as it pushed the boundaries of the stifling Hays Code that all Hollywood movies were restricted by, and looking back on it from modern eyes, it’s difficult to see exactly what the big deal was.  Nevertheless, it remains a solid drama which I would include in my top 10 films of 1945.

8/10