Greenes Please don't spend money on this.

Ensofter Overrated and overhyped

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

mark.waltz This second talkie version of The beautiful story by Gene Stratton Porter is slightly altered from the previous version, "A Girl of the Limberlost", but several elements remain that tie the two together. Laurie is a lovely country girl, both sweet and intelligent, brought up by a stern and seemingly hateful aunt (Marjorie Main) who promises her to a wealthy but brutish garment (Edward Pawley) who is killed right before their wedding, putting Parker's pal on trial. It us up to rising attorney Eric Linden to prove his innocence and during the trial, secrets and true emotions are revealed which change a lot of lives.Main's character, a cold-hearted mother in the original, has been made Parker's aunt and is obviously a reverse snob, against book learning and big city folk, such as the wealthy but kindly Betty Blythe who befriends Parker and becomes her mentor. Sarah Padden and George Cleveland offer comfort to Parker who turns to them for solace over Main's brutality. This is a simple story of human failings and the ability to forgive and atone. In several of Main's scenes, it is obvious that she is hiding her true emotions so it is easy to forgive her in her crueler moments. Parker is a sweet heroine, with Blythe excellent as the woman who helps her without question every chance she gets. Touching yet not maudlin, this is worth a look, and not a carbon copy of its predecessor.

drednm Having seen and loved THE KEEPER OF THE BEES, I was happy to find another filmed version of a Gene Stratton-Porter story.This story centers of a young girl named Laurie (Jean Parker), raised in the limberlost (timbered swamp land in Indiana) by her bitter aunt (Marjorie Main). It seems Laurie's mother married the man the aunt wanted for herself.Laurie is a dreamy young lady who collects butterflies, reads books, and dreams of going to the city. One day she means a city lady lost in the swamp (Betty Blythe) and they become friends. She also meets a young man (Eric Linden) who has just graduated from law school.The local thug is also the area's richest man (Edward Pawley) who has his eye on Laurie since his wife is dead. He persuades the aunt to let him marry the girl by promising her money and clearing the mortgage debt on her shack. But Laurie has seen him beat a poor orphan boy he took in to work around his place. And she has fallen for the young lawyer.The aunt prevails by telling Laurie that her parents were never married and that the mother killed herself. She'll tell everyone if she doesn't marry the old man.At the joyless wedding, the townspeople stand around like statues because they are appalled the aunt has forced the girl into marriage with the brute. But the orphan boy changes everything when he threatens to shoot the old man.This is a low budget film from Monogram studio with lots of outside filming. Parker and Linden are excellent as the young couple. Former silent star, Betty Blythe, is warm as the caring lady. Pawley is appropriately snarky as the brute. Also good are Hollis Jewell as the orphan and George Cleveland and Sarah Padden as the store owners. But it's Marjorie Main as the grim aunt who turns in a great performance. There's not a whisper of humor in her Aunt Nora.Very enjoyable film with a good story and a solid cast.

Red-Barracuda A young girl Laurie lives a life of misery with her cruel aunt in a small swamp village. The wealthiest man in the area makes a pact with the aunt so that he can take the girl's hand in marriage. This man is a drunken bully and old enough to be her father, so this is a pretty horrendous turn of events. Laurie has to rely on a few good souls to help her escape from this dreadful fate.Romance of the Limberlost is a very enjoyable melodrama. Its success is down to a simple but engaging story with good characterisation and a likable heroine. You really care for her predicament and this is ultimately what makes the film work. It's a feel-good romance at the end of the day. It also has a sweet scene in the forest where Laurie interacts with a selection of wild animals. It's a slightly surreal moment that adds a nice touch of the fantastic to proceedings.This is a very obscure film but it really shouldn't be. It's one of the better poverty row dramas that I have seen and is very accessible. It deserves a wider audience.

Leslie Howard Adams Laurie (Jean Parker)lives in the Limberlost (swampy timberland found in the American south)with her Aunt Nora (Marjorie Main), who hates the girl because her mother married the man Nora had loved. Laurie's existence is much the same as a bonded servant and she gets no encouragement from her aunt as she tries to overcome her environment by studying. Laurie's only friends are the birds and animals of the forest, and a young boy named Chris (Hollis Jewell), a bound boy to Corson (Edward Pawley), a drunken, coarse bully who is the wealthiest man in the community. Laurie meets and falls in love with Wayne (Eric Linden)whose ambition is to become a lawyer.In the meantime, Corson, a widower, decides he wants to marry again and bargains with Nora to get Laurie as his bride. He promises to support Nora for the rest of her life in style and wealth. Laurie agrees to the forced marriage because Nora threatens to involve her dead mother in a scandal. Chris, secretly in love with Laurie, threatens to kill Corson before he will let him marry Laurie.On the night before the wedding, Chris follows Corson to the barn, with a gun, but the bully disarms him with a whip. Accidentally, Corson falls onto the gun which he has seized from Chris, and is killed.Chris is charged with murder, and Wayne agrees to defend him.