My last day of my favorite reviews of Movie Pick of the Day: Of Mice and Men (1939) RANDOM MOVIES MONTH Of Mice and Men (1939) Based on a truly classic novella by John Steinbeck, the film Of Mice and Men is one not to be missed from the great year in movies, 1939. It’s not one of the ones that everyone always talks about, like Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, but it’s worth talking about, as it is a great story and it is wonderfully acted. Burgess Meredith plays George, a fairly clever man in spite of what he really thinks about his own intelligence; accompanying him wherever he goes is Lennie (Lon Chaney, Jr.), who is a very tall, incredibly strong man whose mental capabilities are that of a child. They are both migrant workers and George always keeps an eye on Lennie as they get jobs together. Conflict ensues when they go to their next job at a ranch near Soledad. They are actually fleeing from their previous job because Lennie was accused of raping the daughter of the ranch owner because he touched her dress, which he thought felt so soft. This is in reference to the soft bunnies George always talks about in his daydream of their future life once they get up enough money to get away from it all. He always tells the same story, but the only part Lennie can remember is the bunnies frolicking in the fields. As they start their new job at the ranch, they meet Curley (Bob Steele), the incredibly volatile son of the ranch owner. Being of short stature himself, he is immediately enraged at Lennie’s towering height, which obviously makes him feel insecure. To make matters even more complicated, he also has a wife named Mae (Betty Field), who is always causing him violent jealousy for the shameless way she flirts with all the ranch hands. Unfortunately, Lennie finds her to be so pretty and this instant attraction gets him into trouble. George orders Lennie not to look at or talk to Mae because he can sense trouble right from the start. Lennie always listens to George and asks him what to do when Curley starts beating him up after catching him laughing in his bunk. The man is so full of insecurities that he doesn’t want anyone laughing in his presence, sure it is at his expense. George tells Lennie to fight back and he crushes Curley’s hand until he backs off. Eventually, Mae finds out who really crushed her husband’s hand and wants to talk to Lennie and “thank” him for what he did. Mae just likes the satisfaction of doing whatever she wants to do, which usually involves her flirting to every man in sight, no matter who he is. She confronts Curley and tells him she knows who really crushed his hand and starts laughing at him. She is ordered out of the house and finds Lennie with some of the puppies that belong to Slim (Charles Bickford), one of the ranch hands. He is sobbing because he stroked the puppy too hard and killed it. Even though George told Lennie not to talk to Mae, she forces him to. When he tells her that he loves to pet soft things, she offers her hair. But when he starts stroking too hard, she starts screaming. Trying to make her be quiet, he accidentally kills her by breaking her neck. George’s elusive “American dream” that was getting closer to being realized has been shattered. After a lynch mob is formed to go after Lennie, George knows what he has to do. They go to a secluded area and he retells his dream to Lennie like he always does. I don’t want to ruin the ending for people who haven’t read the book or seen the film, so I’ll leave it at that. BETTY FIELD (Played Mae in Of Mice and Men) Born: February 8, 1913 in Boston, Massachusetts Died: September 13, 1973 in Hyannis, Massachusetts She was considered a frontrunner for the peasant role of Maria in For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943) due to her Spanish-speaking skills, but her screen test indicated she was too Americanized. The role was eventually played by Ingrid Bergman, who earned an Oscar nomination. Her second husband, Edwin J. Lukas (1902-1973), a noted lawyer, author, criminologist and Jewish civil rights activist, was the cousin of actor Paul Lukas. Betty was his third wife. Started her career on the stage, first in stock productions and then on Broadway in the 1930s Was signed to a Paramount contract after executives saw her onstage in “What a Life” in 1938 and wanted her to act in the film version of the play Known for Picnic (1955), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), Of Mice and Men (1939), and Bus Stop (1956) QUOTES FROM THE FILM: Lennie: I dont need no fancy foods like beans with ketchup! George Milton: It aint your fault, but look, if a fella steps on a round pebble and he falls down, breaks his neck, it aint the pebbles fault, but the guy wouldnt a done it if the pebble hadnt been there. Slim: A guy dont need no sense to be a nice fella. Candy (Roman Bohnen): Curlys like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys. Kinda like hes mad at em, cause he aint a big guy. Youve seen a lotta little guys, aint ya? Always spattin’.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 17:29:43 +0000
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