Customer Reviews

Ah, Wilderness! [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Director Clarence Brown's adaptation of the Eugene O'Neill play is a smooth telling of a somewhat slight story of youthful indiscretion in a turn-of-the-century New England town on the July 4 Independence Day.
The material is said to be unusual for O'Neill, far more sentimental than his later darker and more emotional work. In her capsule review in the 5001 Nights at the Movies, Pauline Kael compares it to Booth Tarkington's world, and also MGM's Andy Hardy series, which allowed for a musical remake in 1948 Summer Holliday, which starred Mickey Rooney who has a small part here. The tone is set by the use of the song Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me), with Brown's establishment of the pre-war reactionary period convincing.
The film is subtitled A Comedy of Reflection, though the humour is small scale, on the level of school recital goofs, firecrackers, and a drunk relative at mealtime. As the boy who has graduated high school and plans to go to college, Eric Linden has a silent movie matinee look which works for his character, considered by his family as an anarchist because of his ideas of "new freedom", apparently influenced by reading such progressive works as the plays of George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray. This is the millieu of people outraged by women smoking and drinking, so when Linden meets a "chorus girl" at a saloon, we hear talk of "whited sepulchres" and ruined reputation. The fact that the "chorus girl" is an older woman somehow adds to her powers of corruption.
Possibly because the narrative is so domestic, Brown has no trouble in de-emphasising the theatrical source. We're never conscious of listening to a play. However he has trouble with the acting, notably Lionel Barrymore as Linden's father, and Wallace Beery as his uncle. Although Barrymore could never be accused of subtlety, he isn't as awful as Beery, whose ham ruins the extended meal sequence where he is meant to be drunk. We are given the idea that Linden's radicalism is inherited from Beery, though Linden doesn't stoop to slipping a woman alcohol, one who has rejeted his marriage proposal because of his drinking.
It's interesting to compare this film to Vincente Minnelli's 1944 Meet Me in St Louis, which approximated the same period, and where Minnelli was congratulated for his acting ensemble. Brown achieves the same effect, 10 years earlier.

This movie was based on a very popular book by Eugene O[Neill. It is a story about a turn-of-the century New England family, and has a top-notch cast. Today's generation probably won't recognize the "stars," since Mickey Rooney was a very young child at the time. Family values were important, and the father was "head of the house." It's simple and sweet, and there is a hilarious scene at the dinner table that still makes me laugh. Highly recommended for classic collectors.

Ah! Wilderness is basically a film about a family in the early part of the 20th Century. Eric Linden plays the eldest child named Richard. He has just graduated and is filled with all sorts of ideas he has gleaned from books, but although he believes himself to be a worldly man, he is still very innocent. His father (Lionel Barrymore) tries to lead him in the right direction, but he has the rest of the family to worry about too. His brother (Wallace Beery) is a drunk who is in love with the cook (Aline MacMahone). He has two young and energetic children besides Richard (Mickey Rooney and Bonita Granville) to take care of.

Many things happen in this film, but nothing stands out as the central most important event. It is simply the story of a family during a short period of time. It is enjoyable because of the great cast and the personalities they create through the characters.

Watch this movie via DVR service and it is a good one I would give it a 3.5 star rating and would give it a 4 star except it was a little Corny in some parts and title alone was a mismatch. You think it has to do with being out in wilds of forest but in reality it is about the heart an wildness of it.

This is a wonderfully innocent film. The story is such a delight, of course, and it was such fun to refamiliarlize myself with O'neil's play. Even beter, it's a delight to have this along with my most-loved Broadway Musical, "Take Me Along" on which it was based. A great gift for literature and musical lovers. JLFL, N.C.

AH, WILDERNESS! itself is a wonderfully funny piece of Americana, with sterling performances by Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, Aline MacMahon, Cecelia Parker, Bonita Granville and of course Mickey Rooney. Classic scenes: the high school talent-free show; our naive hero's truncated valedictorian speech; later, his first encounter with alcohol and a fast woman; the neighborhood boys' raucous display of patriotism on the 4th of July; and last, literally, but not least, the movie's sweet front porch denouement. I think, as a film, it wears its years more lightly than any other adaptation of O'Neill. Clarence Brown was true craftsman who could do just about anything (hence his continued undervaluation by most auteurist critics). He was Greta Garbo's favorite director, by the way.

Five stars, then, for the movie itself, which is as fine in its own way, and as moving, as Frank Capra's IT"S A WONDERFUL LIFE.

As for the product itself--one star is generous.

A major studio like Warner Brothers has absolutely no business issuing its product on DVD-Rs, a highly problematic format with little quality control. This format often has glitches, often freezes and seems to deteriorate quickly with time. Not only that, but if--like many movie lovers, myself included--you have a DVD/VCR combo player/recorder, then you can expect this product not to play in your machine at all (or even on your computer). Note that even standard DVD players often won't play DVD-Rs, even when their specs say that they can.

AH, WILDERNESS! itself is a wonderfully funny piece of Americana, with sterling performances by Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, Aline MacMahon, Cecelia Parker, Bonita Granville and of course Mickey Rooney. Classic scenes: the high school talent-free show; our naive hero's truncated valedictorian speech; later, his first encounter with alcohol and a fast woman; the neighborhood boys' raucous display of patriotism on the 4th of July; and last, literally, but not least, the movie's sweet front porch denouement. I think, as a film, it wears its years more lightly than any other adaptation of O'Neill. Clarence Brown was true craftsman who could do just about anything (hence his continued undervaluation by most auteurist critics). He was Greta Garbo's favorite director, by the way.

Five stars, then, for the movie itself, which is as fine in its own way, and as moving, as Frank Capra's IT"S A WONDERFUL LIFE.

As for the product itself--one star is generous.

A major studio like Warner Brothers has absolutely no business issuing its product on DVD-Rs, a highly problematic format with little quality control. This format often has glitches, often freezes and seems to deteriorate quickly with time (at least in my experience). Not only that, but if--like many movie lovers, myself included--you have a DVD/VCR combo player/recorder, then you can expect this product not to play in your machine at all (or on your computer). And then Warner Brothers has the chutzpah to charge more for these products than their standard issues! (I'd bet a nickel that these films have not been restored in any way).

And if, "Film Lover," you really want to continue this high-toned discussion about morality in a fair-minded way, you'd have to note that Warner Brothers gives online sellers an unfair advantage over Ma-and-Pa establishments by not making their product available to brick-and-mortar stores.