| Product Summary | | Publisher: Image | | Format: DVD | | UPC: 00014381457124 | | Buy.com Sku: 40104946 | | Item#: V2R43H | | Category Keywords: Classic Farms | | Rating: NR |
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Features: DVD, Black & White, Mono Audio
Set in the bucolic salinas valley of california in the 1930's, paints a bold, vivid picture of life in the depression era and tells the tragic tale of george and lenny, two itinerant farm hands searching for a safe haven from the cruelties of the world.
"Chaney gives the best performance of his career..." Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
Editor's Note
Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney, Jr. star as cousins George Milton and Lennie Small in director Lewis Milestone's adaptation of the Steinbeck classic. Itinerant workers in Depression-era California, they dream of saving enough to buy a ranch. But this seems unlikely, since they are constantly being fired due to the feeblemindedness of the mountainous Lennie. Soon after hiring on at a new ranch, they must confront the pugnacious Curly (Bob Steele), while trying to deal with his flirtatious wife, Mae (Betty Field).
Plot Summary
Director Lewis Milestone, at one time an itinerant worker himself, conveys a profound sense of the loneliness in the wide open spaces of the West in this moving adaptation of the Steinbeck classic. Starring Burgess Meredith as George Milton and Lon Chaney, Jr. as his mentally-challenged, powerfully-built cousin, Lennie Small, the film follows the fortunes of the two wandering workers in Depression-era California. Although they're invariably fired from any job they get due to Lennie's limitations, George refuses to abandon his cousin, and they dream of saving enough money to one day buy a ranch, where Lennie will tend the rabbits. The two are hired on at the ranch of Jackson (Oscar O'Shea) and quickly find themselves at odds with his son Curly (Bob Steele), while his vacuous, flirtatious wife, Mae (Betty Field), teases the uncomprehending Lennie, enjoying her power over this behemoth. George, fearing the worst, warns Lennie to avoid her. Later, Lennie, who's unable to gauge his strength, accidentally kills a pet rabbit. Mae tries to console him by allowing him to stroke her hair, an offer which leads to tragedy. This extremely compelling film is one of Milestone's best, with Chaney giving the performance of his career, and Copland once again providing a score which powerfully evokes the West.
| Features | Features A Pristine New Film-To-Video Transfer From Original 35mm Nitrate Elements |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Image |
| Release Date: 11/25/2008 |
| Running Time: 106 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1939 | | Catalog ID: 4571-CO | | UPC: 00014381457124 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: B&W |
Aspect Ratio | | 4:3 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1940) | | | Aaron Copland, Nominee, Best Music, Original Score | | | Lewis Milestone, Nominee, Best Picture |
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| | Professional Reviews | Sight and Sound
"Milestone's adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel stands alongside Ford's THE GRAPES OF WRATH as one of Hollywood's most poignant evocations of the Depression era." 02/01/2008 p.95 |
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