Directed by Anthony Mann
Author Erskine Caldwell's second novel, "God's Little Acre," sparked a firestorm of controversy in 1933 for its earthy, overheated depiction of life and love among poor Southern sharecroppers that was still blazing in 1957, when Georgia refused to allow director Anthony Mann to film the screen adaptation in the state. A decided departure from Mann's typically austere oeuvre, the film sings with Caldwell's distinctive brand of social realism, a ribald blend of political, sexual and social themes that casts a sharp, knowing eye on the hypocrisies and hardships of Southern customs and culture.
Robert Ryan stars as Ty Ty, the eccentric patriarch of the Walden clan who has forsaken farming in favor of spending the last 15 years obsessively digging for gold on his hardscrabble patch of farmland. Tina Louise. making her film debut, keeps tensions and temperatures running high as Ty Ty's buxom daughter-in-law who still holds a flame for her ex-beau (Aido Ray).
The political content of Caldwell's work, however, was as liable to raise the hackles of local censors as its sexual content. Adapted by blacklisted screenwriter Ben Maddow (but credited to Philip Yordan), the film binds its bawdy love triangle to a stark portrait of a company town thrown out of work by the closing of the local cotton mill. Mann deftly captures the oppressive poverty of rural America while never losing sight of the simple faith that makes life bearable. Initially edited for release in the South, God's Little Acre is being presented here in its entirety.
—Paul Malcolm
Based on the novel by Erskine Caldwell. Producer: Sidney Harmon, Anthony Mann. Screenwriter: Philip Yordan. Cinematographer: Ernest Haller.Editor: Richard C. Meyer. Cast: Robert Ryan, Aldo Ray, Tina Louise, Buddy Hackett, Jack Lord.
35mm, 120 min.
Preserved from the 35mm acetate original camera negative and a 35mm acetate fine grain master positive.
Laboratory services by Cinetech Laboratory.
Special thanks to David Cetra. Sean Coughlin, Lisa Davidson. Joseph Olivier, TV Matters.
