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• Great movie

  • G
  • 3/12/12

  For me, this was a great movie. In the past I have not been much of a Barbara Stanwyck fan but I really got sucked in by this film and her preformance. It describes the hopelessness we often find ourselves in but through perserverance and a willingness to take a chance we can work our way out. Didn't want it to end.

• Excellent film, with great performances.

  • Mel
  • 3/24/09

  I hadn't expected to watch this film, as the trailer didn't really excite me. But I caught it 10 minutes in, and found it very good, indeed. The story is well written, and well-acted. Some scenes are kind of rough, like the mentally-retarded man barking like a dog, and the pretty bold overtures from the oversexed neighbors toward the mail-order bride. But she handles everything in stride, and it is a pleasure to watch her in action. Her new husband is great to watch, also, with his stubborn ideas about both marriage and farming. One scene in particular was very moving, and shows great film direction. The scene of the new mother, who's been apparently abandoned by her husband, is sad beyond words. The newspaper article telling "neighbors are invited to call," is heart-wrenching, when Stanwyck's character discovers the new mother is lying on the floor with her newborn, as her frightened and crying daughter answers the door. But Stanwyck quickly takes charge, and gives the family hope. A great scene, and a great movie.

• Interesting little known pre-code film.

  • KB
  • 12/13/07

  This is an interesting film, not a classic - but certainly worth watching. I saw this on TCM - and there were significant problems in the digital broadcast - so I missed huge chunks of dialogue. Stanwyck plays a depressed and tired nightclub singer, Joan, trying to escape her gilded cage. She switches places with a hotel maid to become a mail order bride in N Dakota. Despite the shocking switch from posh hotel life to the cold and barren plains Joan's strength of character sees her through the tough transitions. She finds herself relishing this new life of tough work and tough people. The idea that a survivor of the city could adapt and thrive in a more rustic environment is believable and was a staple of 30's movies. George Brent was an odd choice - he's a little too vague until he gets a monologue about his seed. Joan was lucky she got an educated good looking fellow. Also, having been to a few Chivarees in my time - the party scene is believable, and the newlyweds were actually treated pretty gently during the Chivaree. The precode touches worth noting: mail order brides in the 30's, a pregnant woman abandoned by her husband, lecherous neighbors and corrupt bankers, and the new bride trying desperately to get her groom into the single bridal bed. The message of the movie for me: Its not your past that counts - but your current strength and capability. Remember, this is the 30's; the nobility of the common man and celebration of the rural life

• For Barbara Stanwyck Completists

  • PeteyParker
  • 12/13/07

  Ridiculous plot is only saved by an engaging performance by a young Barbara Stanwyck. Pre-Code means the characters discuss pre-marital sex.

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