"This Land is Mine"is, perhaps, Jean Renoir's finest American film and certainly his most underrated. Initially it may seem like just another piece of anti-Nazi propaganda centering on the heroism of the occupied French and in particular on the eventual heroism of a mild-mannered schoolteacher, (Charles Laughton, superb), but as scripted by Dudley Nichols this is a very different kind of war-film from others of its ilk; words are primarily the weapons here and unusually for an
American film of its period the Germans aren't painted as total
monsters. Naturally, the arguments are weighed heavily in favour of the
downtrodden and rightly so but there's a great deal of intelligence on
display in the way these arguments are presented and the relationships
between all the central characters are beautifully developed by Renoir.
As well as Laughton those fighting on the side of freedom include
Maureen O Hara, (surprisingly good), Kent Smith and Philip Merivale
while fascism is represented by Walter Slezak. The quisling is George
Sanders and there's a surprisingly energetic performance from Una
O'Connor as Laughton's possessive mother. Laughton's lengthy monologue
at the end may go on a bit longer than necessary but there's no denying
the sincerity. Essential viewing both for aficionados of the director
and of Laughton.
"This Land is Mine"is, perhaps, Jean Renoir's finest American film and certainly his most underrated. Initially it may seem like just another piece of anti-Nazi propaganda centering on the heroism of the occupied French and in particular on the eventual heroism of a mild-mannered schoolteacher, (Charles Laughton, superb), but as scripted by Dudley Nichols this is a very different kind of war-film from others of its ilk; words are primarily the weapons here and unusually for an American film of its period the Germans aren't painted as total
monsters. Naturally, the arguments are weighed heavily in favour of the
downtrodden and rightly so but there's a great deal of intelligence on
display in the way these arguments are presented and the relationships
between all the central characters are beautifully developed by Renoir.
As well as Laughton those fighting on the side of freedom include
Maureen O Hara, (surprisingly good), Kent Smith and Philip Merivale
while fascism is represented by Walter Slezak. The quisling is George
Sanders and there's a surprisingly energetic performance from Una
O'Connor as Laughton's possessive mother. Laughton's lengthy monologue
at the end may go on a bit longer than necessary but there's no denying
the sincerity. Essential viewing both for aficionados of the director
and of Laughton.
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