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 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.