Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

vincentlynch-moonoi I want to begin by countering a few comments in other reviews: 1. That Gary Cooper is too old for the part. Really? Why? Mature people don't have a romantic life (and BTW, it's mentioned that he's been away a long time)? 49 is too old to become a businessman? In reality, it's more likely a mature man who has learned some lessons in life will see how to begin a business. And, he needs to be a son's age to Singleton (Donald Crisp). Nope. Age works fine here.2. That this film is inspired by "Gone With The Wind". Why? Because it takes place in the South (30-some years after the war)? Because in one line the Civil War is mentioned? This film could have just as easily taken place in New England where tobacco was also grown, and that would have had nothing to do with GWTW. Any film that has anything remotely to do with the Civil War is not related to GWTW. And later in the film it is 1900.3. One reviewer said "The Fountainhead" (Cooper's and Neal's previous film pairing) was unwatchable. Really? Yes, it failed at the box office. But critics have taken a new look at the film, and many have given it rather positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, that film gets an 83% rating, which is darned good.Let's face it...some of the negativity about this film is because it is about tobacco. Times have changed. When this film came out, smoking was quite popular, cigarette commercials were about to be the major sponsors of many television shows, and no one thought much of anything about smoking being dangerous to health.Are there problems with the plot here? I don't really think so. It's rather simple, really. A man whose father was defeated by the local big shot comes back and -- for several reasons -- goes up against the local (and now old) big shot. Not that uncommon a concept. He romances the old man's daughter, making the old man hate him even more. Rather logical, and sets up a second conflict for the main characters. Meanwhile he can't stay away from a not so upright woman in the town, but can't be serious about her, either. Pretty common behavior. And it all comes down to revenge upon revenge, a jilted lover, and suicide.Now in terms of the acting, let's start with Cooper. Cooper pretty much plays Cooper. Someone suggested Kirk Douglas could have played the role better. Actually, I agree. But then it would have been a very different movie, even if everything else had remained the same. Cooper does fine here, and Cooper does what Cooper always did.Lauren Bacall was fine here, also, and I say that as a person who is not a fan. Her role as a hard-as-nails madam turned wealthy stock holder is quite tasty. It's Patricia Neal that seemed quite out of place to me...until the end...when we see what her character is really all about.In terms of Jack Carson, he plays the best friend who can't get the girl. It works. Donald Crisp is perfect (wasn't he always?) as the old "major" from another era who is fighting the younger generation.Don't get me wrong. It's not a "great" film. Pretty standard, in fact. But good and dependable entertainment...providing you stop seeing things that aren't there. And frankly, to those who dislike the film, frankly I don't give...oops, back to GWTW.

Victoria Bergesen I was excited when I saw this film advertised on TCM. It has an incredible cast including Gary Cooper, Lauren Bacall, Patricia Neal, Phyllis George, Donald Crisp, Jack Carson. With Michael Curtiz as director this should be a stunner. The story and script are just awful. Neither Neal nor Bacall succeed as 19th-century southern heroines. They try to cover for Bacall's tough girl accent by saying she is from Pittsburgh. Even Gary Cooper, who often did period pieces struggles here.Obviously the adoration of tobacco and the quest for the cheap cigarette date this film, but many dated films have merit. The glorification of cigarettes here is so extreme that today it is humorous, but not enough to redeem this dismal production.

blanche-2 "Bright Leaf" is a 1950 Warner Brothers southern extravaganza starring Gary Cooper, Lauren Bacall, Patricia Neal, and Jack Carson.Gary Cooper is Brant Royle, who in 1894 returns to his southern town of Kingsmont, where his family was driven out of the tobacco market by Major Singleton (Donald Crisp). Royle has returned to get his revenge and reinstate the family name in the area. There are two women in his life: a madam, Sonia (Lauren Bacall) and Singleton's beautiful daughter Margaret (Patricia Neal).With the help of Sonia, Royle buys into a machine that actually rolls cigarettes, which drives down the cost of producing them. He eventually takes over nearly the entire tobacco industry. But Royle won't be happy until he has brought Major Singleton to his knees and marries Margaret. But in his determination to get what he wants, he loses even more.The moral of "Bright Leaf" is two-fold: Beware of what you want; and big talent won't really help a mediocre movie. The novel was probably inspired by "Gone with the Wind," but the quality of the story - in the film, at least - doesn't come close. There are two likable characters - Sonia and Carson's role of Chris. The rest of the main characters are odious.Patricia Neal and Gary Cooper were in the midst of their passionate affair, but the relationship between the characters they play is pretty frosty. Given their romance, perhaps the Bacall role would have been better for Neal. Bacall took this job to finish off her contract with Warners. She's good, but her character isn't really fleshed out. Cooper is a great presence, but he has a difficult job because the character is not sympathetic. Also, I suspect that at age 50, the character was supposed to be younger. Neal is beautiful, and her performance has some real bite.All in all, not up to the talents on screen.

Mikel3 Yes, this movie has some good actors and one of the best directors ever. However it still doesn't work for me. It drags (no cigarette pun intended) on and on. Finally I was left with the feeling I had just wasted a good hour and a half. Lauren Bacall is beautiful as always but seems out of place here. And it's hard to believe any sane man would shun her for Neal. Coop at 49 is way to old to be playing the young maverick he is supposed to be. Patricia Neal is young and wide eyed but not nearly as attractive as Bacall whom we are expected to believe is second best. The other actors are also good, but sadly they don't have much to work with. This film is predictable from the start. The ending is telegraphed well in advance and contains no surprises. It's one of those films where nobody gets the girl or the guy.I find it hard to believe it's been rated here as highly as it is. If you love Coop or any of the other fine actors in this there are countless better films to see them in.