The Good Earth
Special effects experts were unable to produce an authentic-looking locust plague. Just as they were about to abandon the scene, they received word that a real locust plague was taking place several states away. A camera crew was rushed to the scene to capture it on film.,(at around 2h 5 mins) Wang Lung is walking through the locust storm in his wheat field. He picks up a few men who have fallen down into the thick pile of locusts. In frustration, Wang shouts "I said save the wheat! Save it!" At this moment, a man dressed in 1937-era American clothing walks across the scene from left to right, at the top third of the screen. He is wearing a white hat and appears to be smoking a cigarette or cigar held in his left hand.,Wang Lung: [must sell his land to feed his family but the buyers take advantage of him] Thieves! Thieves! And well you know I must sell.
O-Lan: No! Not the land. We'll not sell the land. We'll keep it. We'll go south and when we return, we'll still have the land.
Uncle: But I've arranged it. I brought these men here. You MUST sell!
O-Lan: Is it your land? Did you buy it bit by bit? The land is our life... and it's better to go south... or die walking... than to give it to you for nothing.,Introduction played with opening credits: The soul of great nation is expressed in the life of its humblest people. In this simple story of a Chinese farmer may be found something of a the soul of China - its humility, its courage, its deep heritage from the past and its vast promise for the future.,Edited into Dragon Seed (1944),The Good Earth is a film about love, marriage, family, and the land that you live on. But more precisely its about faithfulness to those institutions and bedrocks of society as shown through O-Lan and her farming family in China.

A wonderful story by Pearl Buck, Great direction by Sidney Franklin and Victor Fleming [uncredited], very good acting headed by Paul Muni, great cinematography by Karl Freund, and special effects 20 years ahead of their time make this a classic.

However as good as those elements to this film are the reason The Good Earth is one of the 100 greatest films of all time is O-Lan. O-Lan, O-Faithful O-Lan. How you linger in my memory. One of my two favorite female character-performances in film history. The other is Scarlett O'Hara. Two peas in a pod? No, more like night and day. Both beautiful in their own way. It amazes me that these two character-performances came from films directed by Victor Fleming within two years of each other. Louise Rainer as O-Lan gives a performance as subtle and subdued as the character she plays. While Vivien Leighs performance is as perky and over the top as the character she plays. O-Lan is discreet and selfless. Scarlett is brash and self-absorbed. O-What a double feature Gone With the Wind and The Good Earth would make. O-Lan and Scarlett. Ying and Yang.

If you are a "liberated woman" than The Good Earth may not be for you. But as for me, O-Lan is the salt of the good earth.,