Of Human Hearts

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Movie
Original title Of Human Hearts
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1938
length 103 minutes
Rod
Director Clarence Brown
script Bradbury Foote
production Clarence Brown,
John W. Considine Jr.
music Herbert Stothart
camera Clyde De Vinna
cut Frank E. Hull
occupation

Of Human Hearts is a 1938 American drama film directed by Clarence Brown, based on Honoré Morrow's 1917 novel Benefits Forgot .

action

In the early 1850s, Reverend Ethan Wilkins moved from his affluent Maryland community to a poor village on the Ohio River . While his wife Mary realizes that a clergyman's family must make sacrifices, son Jason cannot come to terms with the new and tougher life. Jason befriends the alcoholic doctor Dr. Shingle on. His father upsets him with his opinion about the magazines the doctor offers for reading. Mother Mary sells some silver spoons to buy her son a subscription to Harper's Magazine . But Evan finds this particular magazine unsuitable for the son of a clergyman.

Ten years later, the now grown-up Jason still holds a grudge against his father. Evan wants Jason to accompany him on one of his trips to visit local parishioners. Jason refuses to wear a worn old second hand coat. The resulting argument with his father causes Jason to leave home. He moves to Virginia to study medicine. Mary suffers from the separation. She sells many of the family's memorabilia in order to provide money for her son remotely. But neither Mary nor Ethan, who is in poor health, complain.

Shortly before his doctorate as a doctor, Jason received a letter from his mother, in which she wrote about the imminent death of his father. Jason travels home, but his father died when he arrived. Mary is now an impoverished widow who keeps her head above water by sewing. Her only joy is the rare letters from her son. In one of the letters Jason announces his visit for Christmas. But already in the next letter he cancels the visit. He has to stay in Virginia and needs more money. Mary sells the last of her valuables, including her gold wedding ring, to the greedy businessman George Ames, who is supposed to send the money to Jason. Dr. Shingle learns of Mary's plight. He convinces Ames to undergo bloodletting. The doctor can take the ring and give it back to Mary.

Some time later the civil war is in full swing. Jason is drafted and stops writing to his mother. Jason receives a summons to the White House and is amazed to meet President Abraham Lincoln . The president tells him that his mother wrote to him to find out where Jason's grave was. She believed that her son had died because she had not received any more letters. Lincoln makes Jason promise to write to Mary every week.

Jason returns to his unit and finds Pilgrim, the faithful family horse, there. Now he realizes how bad his mother's situation must be that she had to sell the horse. Jason can save his superior, Captain Griggs, from losing an arm to amputation. As a reward, he is allowed to go home to his mother. Jason goes home with Pilgrim. At home he is greeted by his happy mother. Finally there is a dinner where Jason, Mary, Dr. Shingle and Jason's childhood friend Annie Hawks attend.

background

The premiere took place on February 5, 1938. Cedric Gibbons and Edwin B. Willis were responsible for the production of the film . Douglas Shearer was the sound engineer .

In this film, Beulah Bondi first played the mother of James Stewart. Three more films followed in this constellation: Vivacious Lady (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and Isn't Life Beautiful? (1946).

Ward Bond and Brenda Fowler can be seen in small supporting roles . Of Human Hearts was the last of over 80 films by actor Robert McWade , who directed Dr. Crumm plays a supporting role. Just seconds after McWade finished his final scene alongside James Stewart, the 65-year-old suffered a heart attack and died instantly. His last words are said to have been "Yes, that's my final scene".

While the working title as well as the novel title Benefits Forgot from the seventh scene of the second act of the play As You Like It by William Shakespeare (original text: "Freeze, Freeze, thou bitter sky, Thou dost not bite so nigh as Benefits Forgot"), the production studio MGM held a nationwide competition to find a suitable title for the film. The winner, a student from South Carolina, was awarded $ 5,000.

According to a report in Life magazine , the battle scene alone cost $ 50,000. The scene, which is not based on any historical battle during the civil war, was filmed with around 2000 extras.

Reviews

Variety was disappointed with the film, which the newspaper attributed to the slow pace and bad mood.

Awards

Beulah Bondi was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 1939 Academy Awards.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See immortalephemera.com
  2. ↑ a b See Notes on tcm.com
  3. ↑ See Of Human Hearts . In: Variety , 1938.