Upcoming Theme for February

The theme for February is....Isn't It Romantic?

We will be reading books by Jane Austen and Margaret Mitchell

Be sure to check back in every other Friday for a new book review and every other Wednesday for a new movie review. 

The Good Earth (1937) Dir. Sidney Franklin

 

Classic Film Adaptation of a Pulitzer-Winning Novel

If you have read my review of The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, then you already know I was not a fan of the novel. My hackles were raised for most of my reading. The tone and the representation of the characters in the novel left me wanting a more genuine picture of pastoral Chinese life. 

So, when I found this film based on the novel from 1937 starring Paul Muni as Wang Lung and German-born actress Luise Rainer as O-Lan, I was struck by the Caucasity of it all. The main characters in the film are all white people playing Chinese characters.

Being familiar with old Hollywood, this is not a surprise. I grew up watching Charlie Chan films with my mother. I have seen Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I know how deep the crime of Yellowface in Hollywood runs. So much so, it is still an issue today.

Luise Rainer and Paul Muni as O-Lan and Wang Lung

How Does the Film Compare to the Novel?

I will start by saying I am shocked that I prefer the movie to the novel. That does not mean it is a good film by any means; I just feel the portrayals are softer than in the novel. Wang Lung is more sympathetic. He seems torn by his choices instead of just coming across as selfish and entitled, as he often does in the film. I will say, while he is more likeable, he is also weak and appears childlike most of the time. 

Paul Muni as Wang Lung

Luise Rainer’s O-Lan appears to be there to be silent and gaze longingly at things. She speaks very little, and when she does, her German accent is front and center. It cannot be ignored. There is no one who would mistake this accent for Chinese. It is bad enough O-Lan’s actress is white, but now she has an anachronistic accent to boot. 

The story itself is similar to the novel. They do omit sections, but the major plot points are there. I do not take issue with the story itself so much as with the telling of it, so that might be why I prefer the film. Buck’s approach to the material was harsh and told from an interloper’s perspective. 

Tilly Losch as Lotus Flower

While this is also true of the film, it feels gentler. However, it is challenging to get past the 1930s acting style. Laughter that is pantomimed for the back of the house instead of film and other stylistic issues of early film. I can get past this, but it does take you out of the film.

My impressions of The Good Earth

I will say, while I am not a fan of Pearl S. Buck’s work, she had good intentions when this movie was filmed. She wanted a full Chinese cast, as did the producer, until he did not. He decided during production American audiences were not ready for an all-Asian cast. It is remarkable how producers are forever telling us, the audience, what we can handle.

Obviously, the casting does not work. It is impossible in 2026 to remove yourself from the fact that you are watching white people cosplay a culture. So I was not surprised when I found out this film swept the 1938 Academy Awards. 

• Best Actress - Luise Rainer

• Best Cinematography - Karl Freund

• Best Director - Sidney Franklin

• Best Film Editor - Basil Wrangell

• Best Picture

So like the Pulitzer after it, the movie was awards bait. Probably owing to its exoticism and novelty to the American movie audience. 

Lackluster as I found the film, some of the performances are well done. Keye Luke, as Wang Lung’s oldest son, has a great sequence at the end that showcases his talent. Ching Wah Lee, as Ching, has a minor role but is wonderful. While Wang Lung’s uncle is an abhorrent man, Walter Connolly and Soo Yung as his wife, have some funny exchanges that allow us a few moments of laughter in a very bleak movie. 

Original Movie Poster 

Overall, The Good Earth film is a more enjoyable experience than the novel; it is only two hours long, and you get out emotionally unscathed, which cannot be said for the novel. I would be interested to see if an all-Chinese cast could produce a memorable film in modern times. I feel there would need to be changes made and historical inaccuracies corrected, but the potential to create a beautiful film is there.

What did you think of this movie? Can you get past the casting of the film? Should we just let this story be and never remake the film? Drop me a comment. 

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

 

Pulitzer Prize Winner of 1938

I have been in many American Literature classes in my time between AP English in high school and my undergrad degree. The Good Earth has never been chosen as course material in any of my classes. This book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1938, and Pearl S. Buck was the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, mostly based on this work, so why is it not being taught?

Pearl S. Buck was brought to China when she was 5 months old with her missionary family. Unlike many of the other missionary and foreign children, her parents taught her to respect the land and its people. They did not view the Chinese people as “savages” but as equals. She was taught by English teachers but also learned the Chinese language with a Chinese teacher. She also was educated by the children in the village. 

When she became an adult, she decided to write about her experiences and the Chinese people. This was what led to the writing of The Good Earth. Buck’s well-meaning attempt to expose the West to Eastern culture. 

Buck on the set of The Big Wave in 1960

The Good Earth synopsis

The book opens on our main character, Wang Lung’s, wedding day. Wang Lung is a poor farmer who is now of marrying age. He is caring for an aging father who can no longer work. His father has negotiated a wife for Wang Lung with the lord's house. He will marry a kitchen slave named O-Lan. 

Before he leaves to pick up his wife, Wang Lung serves his father tea and bathes his whole body in hot water. His father lectures him on the excess of wasting tea and hot water, but Wang Lung dismisses him, as this is his wedding day, which is special. He speculated if she will deformed in some way. His father deems this unimportant, as he needs a partner and fellow worker, not a beauty.

Wang Lung goes to the lord’s home and collects his wife. He indulges in buying them a treat on the way home. That night they have a small feast to celebrate their union. The next day Wang Lung is pleased to find O-Lan is a hard worker and takes care of them well. It is soon after that O-Lan is pregnant with their first child.

The child is a boy. After the child is born, there is a bountiful harvest, and the boy is seen as good luck. The family's luck continues when she gives birth to another boy. The luck continues in the harvest as well. During this time, Wang Lung is slowly purchasing more plots of land for his farm. 

O-Lan is expecting again quickly. Their third child is a girl, who is later found to have intellectual disabilities. Soon after the birth of their daughter, there is blight on the crops. Famine spreads through the village. The girl child is seen as the bad luck that brought the tragedy. When O-lan has a fourth child and it is a girl, she strangles her to remove the extra mouth to feed. A girl child is seen as a burden. 

During this time, Wang Lung’s uncle has spread a rumor that he is hoarding food. A mob enters their house looking for this food, which is not there. Next, he brings men to the house in an attempt to get Wang Lung to sell the land. O-Lan steps in and stops any sale of land. She negotiates the sale of the furniture in their house instead to fund their trip to the North, where there are rumors of survival in the big city of Nanking.

The family starts walking North and soon catches a train to Nanking. A stranger on the train explains to Wang Lung how to survive when they arrive. Between Wang Lung pulling a rickshaw during the day and the rest of the family begging, they get enough money to eat, but not enough to return home. The city starts to erupt in violence. Wang Lung and O-Lan seriously begin to discuss selling their daughter into slavery to return home. 

This does not happen, because a riot erupts in the city and the peasants invade the rich people's homes and steal. Wang Lang steals enough for them to return home comfortably. After this they return home to the South and find the lands fertile again. 

The Good Earth Peking by Elizabeth Keith

The family experiences seven years of unprecedented prosperity. Wang Lung adds more and more property, as the lord and lady are declining and need the money. He has people working his lands for him and does not need to toil incessantly. During this time, Wang Lung is smart. He saves his money and stores enough food for rough times. He even purchases the old lord's house and fancies himself a lord now. 

Floods strike, but Wang Lung’s family is safe. His house is above the flood line, and he has enough stores to survive and money to go on. During the downtime the flood causes, Wang Lung starts to feel restless and looks at this life. For the first time, he is judgmental of O-Lan. Her appearance is ugly, her unbound feet are too big, and Wang Lung feels he deserves better. 

The Good Earth illustration by Barron Storey

He starts taking trips to the city and visiting a “tea shop” and frequenting the company of a prostitute named Lotus Flower. He becomes enamored with her beauty and her bound feet. He soon adds her as his second wife. His family is not happy about the addition of a second wife. Lotus is selfish, lazy, and rude, but Wang Lung cannot see her flaws. 

It is soon found that she is carrying on with Wang Lung’s second son, and she leaves the home. O-Lan, who has been ill for years, passes away. It is only then that Wang Lung appreciates her dedication to him and the family. It is only then he sees her worth. O-Lan suffered in silence and gave everything to her family, only to be appreciated in death for her absence. 

Wang Lung lives the rest of his life, takes on another female, but never truly feels his life was fully worth it and accomplished. 

My impressions of The Good Earth

This will be difficult for me, as I truly believe all books have value, and I do not like to say this, but I hated this book. In a way, I have not hated a book in years. While I am aware this was written in 1937 and times are vastly different, I should not get so violently angry at a book. My disconnect comes from the descriptions of the book and what it supposedly accomplished. There are numerous quotes from authors and critics praising how well it describes peasant life in China and how it bridged a gap between the East and the West. If this book made Westerners feel like they could finally understand China, I am concerned. 

As I stated before, this book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1938, and I am shocked by that. It is not a requirement that you write likeable characters in your novel; however, it is preferable. There is only one redeeming character in the book.  It is the long-suffering O-Lan. Her parents sold her into slavery. Her “owners” married her off to a peasant family who depend on her for everything. 

She works in the house and the field. She bears Wang Lung's sons. Furthermore, she does everything expected of her. What does she get in return? A lifetime of servitude to a man who replaces her as soon as he deems himself too good for her and insults her appearance while she is dying.

Wang Lung is a fool, who will take advice from anyone if it suits his view of himself. The father and uncle come off as entitled, and Wang Lung feels obsequious in his kowtowing to them. What is supposed to show Westerners the strength of family bonds in China comes off as a weak man being taken advantage of time and again. 

This book feels like a well-meaning Westerner trying to explain to other Westerners what it's like in the “mystical Orient.” I do not believe that a non-Asian person cannot write a story about Asian culture. It has been done well in books like Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard, but I do not think this book accomplished the author’s set goal. .

In my reading about Pearl S. Buck, I saw she was a feminist and a human rights activist. I hope that she was able to portray these ideals better in other novels, because The Good Earth felt misogynistic in its portrayal of women in Chinese culture. I am not naive; I realize the social hierarchies in China at this time subjugate women. I just wish this novel did not speak of it so matter-of-factly that it feels like tacit approval from the author. 

Last year, I read Daughters of Shandong by Eve E. Chung. The book takes place during the Cultural Revolution, and a lot of the same topics are dealt with. Famine, poverty, and a woman's place in Chinese society. Not once did I seethe with anger while reading this. I think that an author who is in the culture and has 87 years of experience on what not to do truly makes the difference. I wanted to like this book; I just couldn’t.

The Green Knight (2021) dir. David Lowery

 

Finally, an Adaptation Released

In 2021, I remember seeing ads for The Green Knight, directed by David Lowery, and being extremely excited because of my love for the story it is inspired by. If I am being honest, I have been afraid to watch the film because I was so taken by the poem when I was younger, I did not want it to be ruined for me.

However, now that I am writing this blog and have reread Gawain, I feel it was time to watch it. I wish I could say that was the right choice, but I cannot. I thoroughly did not enjoy this film, for a multitude of reasons. The largest one being its complete disrespect of the source material.

I rated this film 1 ½ stars on Letterboxd and it is only that high due to Dev Patel’s performance. This film fails on so many levels; its ratings are skewed between critics and viewers. It has an 89% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes but only 50% from the Popcornmeter. The critics reviewed a film, possibly without the background of having read the poem. The audience, however, is clear. The low ratings are due to the poor adaptation of the story. 

Ralph Ineson as The Green Knight

I truly went into this film with high hopes. A24 has a good reputation as a company. I have only seen Ladybird, which I loved. I am aware they do get a lot of flak for style over substance, but they also seem to let the filmmakers choose their path, which is a good thing. Then, I watched The Green Knight, and I understand where this accusation comes from. I love artistic cinema. I love complicated symbolism and shots that may need time to interpret or contemplate.  I love a film that challenges me and makes me ponder its themes for weeks after. I think this is the kind of film Lowery was attempting to direct. Ultimately, I believe he failed. 

Where Does the Film Go Wrong?

The largest sore spot in this film for me is the changes made to the story. I truly do not understand what possessed Lowery, who is also the screenwriter, to make the choices he made. The addition of a love interest is questionable, but I can let that slide.

The bizarre choice to make Morgan le Fay Gawain’s mother, I just cannot understand. The entire theme of the story is changed from testing a knight’s chivalry as a game to a young man proving he is worthy of being a knight. Morgan le Fay did not create this test to assist Gawain but to test him. By making him Morgan Le Fay’s son, not only do we give him an upper hand, but it negates his own free will.

Sarita Choudhury as Morgan le Fay

In our poem, Gawain is just a human man and must make his own choices, and in the end, he is rewarded for his bravery. In this film, he is assisted at every turn by the green sash. The green sash is presented to him by his mother, which all but confirms its magic. In the poem, he does not receive this until the third day at the castle, and the magic is questionable. 

There are also sweeping changes made when Gawain arrives at the castle. The lord’s part is diminished in favor of focusing on the exchanges between the lady and Gawain. The deal that is so central to the poem, the three days of exchanges, is not properly played out. We mostly spend time with the lady and Gawain, where she is far more sexually aggressive than chivalric code would allow.

Gawain’s sash had been stolen from him on his journey. The lady presents it to him, but the manner in which it is given is anachronous to the time period of the movie and left me feeling a bit gross. I would also like to address the way the kiss between the men progressed. I am not sure what the purpose of the change was; perhaps the director found it symbolic, but it is not canon to the story. 

Alicia Vikander as Lady Bertila

Which brings us to the third act of this film. I liked it a lot better when I saw it first in The Last Temptation of Christ. This story did not need a fifteen-minute sequence pondering, What if Gawain was a coward and a horrible person?. I felt myself get legitimately angry when he ran on the third blow. Making it all a vision does not end the changes. We also do not see him receive a blow at all. It is also not revealed who the knight is or why Gawain does not die. I will also not dignify the end where his head falls off at all. 

My impressions of The Green Knight

It is plain I did not enjoy this movie on a story level, but what about the acting and directing? The saving grace of this film is Dev Patel. Save the fifteen-minute, bizarre dream sequence; Gawain is played with a subtlety and grace that I would expect from the character. Gawain is brave and chivalrous, but also young.  He would have problems controlling his emotions and processing the things happening to him. Patel shows this development mostly through his expressions, which is beautiful. The story is told on his face, so it's a good thing it is done well.

The direction of the film is uneven. There are shots in the film that are breathtaking, but I can see where letting the artist roam free can create issues. It is obvious to me that the director is drawn to color saturation and long shots for atmosphere. While this can be effective, it can also get distracting and annoying. A large portion of the film is shot darkly. I had issues determining the action on the screen. Other times the color saturation was so high it was distracting. The scene before Gawain goes to the Green Chapel was so yellow, I was concerned about my television. 

Dev Patel as Sir Gawain (Oh ,so yellow!)

Overall, I did not enjoy this film, which was a great disappointment, as this had never been put to film before and I had high hopes. My recommendation is to stick with the poem. I would rather struggle with difficult language but take away the correct meaning. This film did not portray the original moral of this story.  I am not sure the director even knows what it is.

What did you think of this movie? Were you able to get past the sweeping changes? Was it a new story for you so it was enjoyable? I would like to know. Drop me a comment.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

 

 

Classic Arthurian Tale

I first read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in my first year of undergrad. I was beginning an English Literature degree, and it was a book in my World Literature 100 class. I cannot remember anything else from that class except the Greek classics, but Gawain stuck with me. I loved it, which surprised me as a person who reads mostly experimental and genre novels. I did not expect to enjoy it, but I loved it.

 I had never been a huge fan of Arthurian legends and thought they might be a bit too cheesy for me. Chivalric code and romance seemed archaic and misogynistic to my 19-year-old self. Arthurian legend, by reputation, is very formal and antiquated in our modern age. The early Middle Ages, which was King Arthur’s time period, are often seen as a low point in the culture in Europe. Arthurian tales, however, were extremely popular at the time and ushered in a great literary movement. Arthurian tales focus on morality, romance, chivalry, & magic. Most of them concern themselves with Arthur, Lancelot, & Guinevere, while the main character of this poem is Gawain, Arthur’s youngest nephew.

 The author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is unknown. They are referred to as the “Gawain Poet” or, sometimes, “The Pearl Poet” regarding another work. There is much scholarship on their identity. The research is out there if it interests you. Honestly, their identity is not critical in the large scheme of things. The work is already a classic and centuries old. I will leave it to the scholars.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written in Middle English. Any former English major who had to read The Canterbury Tales in Middle English (I still have my Riverside Chaucer 20 years later as a badge) will tell you it takes time, effort, and a lot of reading aloud to understand Middle English. For this reason, Gawain is usually translated to Modern English. I decided to choose two translations for this post. J.R.R. Tolkien’s verse translation and Jamie Weston’s prose translation were created for easy understanding by modern readers.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight synopsis

This poem is a simple tale, but it has stood the test of time because it possesses lessons that persist to this day. Our story begins in King Arthur’s court on New Year's Day. The king and his Knights of the Round Table are celebrating the new year when Arthur asks for a good story. Upon his request, an unarmored knight enters the room, completely green, with a green horse and a large axe. The unknown knight puts forth a challenge. He will offer a blow to his head from any knight, providing they come to meet him in one year’s time and accept the same blow. 

When no knight steps forward, Arthur is ready to accept the challenge when Sir Gawain, Arthur’s youngest nephew, accepts the challenge. Gawain strikes the blow to the Green Knight's neck and lops off his head, but the knight does not die. He leans over, picks up his head, and prepares to leave. As he leaves, he purposely shows his head to Guinevere and reminds Gawain of his promise to find him in a year’s time. 

A year passes, and Gawain sets off on his journey to meet the Green Knight. There is a description of him suiting up his armor that is extremely detailed. There are allusions to battles on his journey, though no great detail is given. On Christmas morning, he happens upon a castle where he decides to stay the night. The residents of the castle are Lord Bertilak, his lady, and an old woman who appears to be held in high esteem. They dine, and when Gawain inquires about the Green Chapel he seeks, he is told by Bertilak that it is a mere 2 miles down the road, and he invites Gawain to stay until the New Year. Gawain, relieved at this news, accepts.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by William McLaren

The Bertilak of the castle speaks with Gawain the next day. He lets him know that he hunts all day, but he will have the company of his wife. Bertilak proposes an “exchange of winnings” at the end of each day. He will give him his hunt, and he will exchange what he received that day. On day one, Gawain spends the day with the lady, who is obsequious with her compliments and is romantically aggressive. Gawain placates her advances with a single kiss. When Bertilak returns from his hunt, he presents Gawain with a deer. Gawain gives Bertilak one kiss but does not reveal where it came from. 

On day two, the lady becomes more insistent on Gawain’s affection. Gawain accepts two kisses from her. When Bertilak returns, he gives Gawain a boar, and Gawain kisses him twice. On day three, the lady is aggressive to the point Gawain becomes very uncomfortable. She tries to give him her gold ring, which Gawain refuses. She insists he take her green and gold girdle, as it is magic and will protect him. He accepts this and three kisses. When Bertilak returns that night, he gives Gawain a fox, and Gawain returns three kisses but does not give him the girdle. 

The next day Gawain sets out to meet his fate with the girdle around his waist. He reaches a cavern where the Green Chapel is supposed to be. Soon he spots the Green Knight and knows the two things are the same. He approaches the knight and tells him he has come to accept his fate. Gawain, being the chivalrous knight that he is, presents his neck to the knight. The Green Knight feigns the first two attempts, and on his third attempt, merely nicks his neck enough to draw a small amount of blood.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Giclee Print by Peter Diamond Illustrations

The Green Knight is revealed to be Bertilak, assisted by the magic of Morgan le Fay, the old woman from the castle. The entire challenge was her idea. She wanted to show the knights of the round table were not so virtuous, and she wanted to mess with Guinevere. 

Gawain, however, had shown himself to be virtuous, so he did not hurt him. Gawain, hearing this, confesses he hid the girdle, which was against the agreement. Bertilak laughs and says this is the reason for the small nick. At this, Gawain departs and returns home a hero. In his honor all the knights begin to wear a green and gold sash. 

My impressions of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

I did enjoy my re-read of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. I do not think it had quite the same impact on me as my first read-through. While I did still give it four stars in Fable, the rating may be affected by reading it as prose as well as a poem. The beauty of this poem is its alliteration. It is beautiful to read. The audiobook of the Tolkien translation has a great narrator that makes the language dance, spin, and truly shine through. My love of this tale is as much about the use of the language as the story it tells. While I would agree that translating the verse to prose makes it more “readable,” it also removes a lot of the magic the verse gives us. As a lover of language, I do feel there is some joy that does not translate without the alliteration. However, if you have a reluctant reader who loves the time period, it is a great option. What do you think? Do you have a favorite translation? Are there any other Arthurian legends I should read? Please let me know.