Luise Rainer as O-Lan in THE GOOD EARTH This Weekend at Webster University

“Hunger makes men mad.”

THE GOOD EARTH (1937) screen this Friday through Sunday (May 13th-15th) at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 E. Lockwood, Webster Groves, MO 63119). The film begins each evening at 8:00. 

They just don’t cast enough Caucasian actresses in yellow-face drag anymore! Katherine Hepburn in DRAGON SEED, Myrna Loy in THE MASK OF FU MANCHU, and (my favorite) French Hammer starlet Yvonne Monlaur in THE TERROR OF THE TONGS all proved that a little scotch tape behind the eyes is all it takes to change one’s ethnicity! German-born actress Luise Rainer won her second consecutive Oscar (her first was for THE GREAT ZIEGFELD) in 1937 for playing O-Lan in THE GOOD EARTH opposite Paul Muni as her husband Wang Lung. Producer Irving Thalberg had originally planned on casting Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong as O-Lan but once Muni was hired, he knew the Hays Office would not allow a hint of inter-racial coupling, so Ms Ranier was given the role (the rest of the cast is Asian, btw)

THE GOOD EARTH is a 1937 film is about a family in China during the early 20^th century. The film follows them through the early stages of China’s revolution, the drought period and the harvest.

Paul Muni delivered a terrific performance in THE GOOD EARTH as a simple farmer, Wang Lung, who is trying to survive during a drought with his slave bride, O-Lan, and their children. Wang Lung is a hardworking man who only wants to create a better life for his family. He lives with his father and O-Lan, a most quiet and docile wife. She has subtle hints of feminism in her character’s demeanor, but more often than not she is portrayed as a servent to her husband. She bears her husband children and does anything else he wants without question. Though she has minimal dialogue, at times her actions and assertiveness give her a brief voice in the home. The Earth’s best intentions are always O-Lan’s focus, knowing that the Earth will determine whether or not the family is prosperous. She makes the best of eating mud because they have no food in a devastating scene when she quietly states:  “At least it is warm and fills the belly”

Not only was the acting superb for its time, the Oscar- winning cinematography by Karl Freund and visual effects made THE GOOD EARTH all the more stunning with a strong sense of realism that really pulls the audience into the film especially when the hardships of the drought strike. The special effects were spectacular and added another layer to the film. The locust scene in particular is impressive because those bugs are clearly real!

THE GOOD EARTH was about family, hardships, spirituality and morals with a combination of actors, cinematography and special effects that make it a classic and one worthy of revisiting on the big screen and you’ll have the chance this weekend when it screens at Webster University’s Winifred Moore Auditorium.

Admission is:

$6 for the general public
$5 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools
$4 for Webster University staff and faculty

Free for Webster students with proper I.D.

Advance tickets are available from the cashier before each screening or contact the Film Series office (314-246-7525) for more options. The Film Series can only accept cash or check.

The Webster University Film Series site can be found HERE

http://www.webster.edu/film-series/