Customer Reviews

The Green Promise

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

 

 

This RKO family film is available from several lesser DVD outfits that are linked here. The largest of them, ALPHA VIDEO offers bargain priced, often hard-to-find vintage movies that are ideal for those willing to skip DVD extras. Their transfers show no evidence of restoration, so quality varies from one title to the next, with "fair to good" being the average.


THE GREEN PROMISE is a pleasant-enough if unsurprising story that's highlighted by the acting of a very young Natalie Wood. Like the studio's TYCOON (1947) before it, this one climaxes with a storm and flood scene.

Here, an inept farmer (Brennan) clears the small stand of trees overlooking a fault line, thus putting his 80 acres in danger of being ruined by flood and tons of soil that may topple down the hill with the first big rain. Mr. Marshall is warned of this possibility by County Agent David Barkley (Paige, also this film's producer) but impatiently ignores him. David's expressed interest in Marshall's eldest daughter Deborah (Chapman) further annoys the old man. For a while, the dutiful daughter defers to his wish that she not get involved with Barkley. In other ways however Deborah shows great inner strength and determination.

The other children (in descending order) are teenaged 'Phinny' (Donaldson), a reliable and obedient son, Abigail (Marshall), the adolescent who tries to curry favor with Poppa by tattling on her siblings, and pig-tailed Susan (Wood), an irrepressible child with dreams of independence via the raising of her own flock of sheep. Although fourth billed, young Miss Wood to a great extent carries this story as Susan, with the budding romance between David and Deborah secondary. Abigail is around just long enough to prove a sneaky informer, while Phinny barely has time to establish his innate nobility.

Brennan is injured by a falling tree early in the story and is little seen until after the disaster he himself orchestrates. Mr. Marshall humbly accepts responsibility for the inevitable mudslide and asks his kids' forgiveness. This 'eating crow' transition seems too extreme for a set-in-his-ways geezer but it makes for a warm and fuzzy ending. Besides this new-found family harmony, young Susan joins the 4-H Club and buys her two purebred lambs while Deborah and David are now openly in love. Whether Abigail outgrows the whistleblowing act or Phinny finds his own autonomy are left unresolved.


Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 imdb viewer poll rating.

(6.0) The Green Promise (1947) - Marguerite Chapman/Walter Brennan/Robert Paige/Natalie Wood/Ted Donaldson/Connie Marshall/Robert Ellis/Irving Bacon/Milburn Stone

It's A great old classic Movie,And as I've said before?I just love Walter Brennan,and I'm yet to fault anything that he has appeared in

If you have followed Natalie Wood's history you would see why this movie caused her to fear water and the bracelet she always wore on her wrist from an injury she received from the water scene in this movie. she almost drown and because her Mother was so intent on her finishing the movie she didn't take her to the doctor in which her arm grew with a large bulge on the wrist. In the movie's end you will see her rub her arm. Such a wonderful actress and such a tragic end to her life.

I ordered this movie to show to a 4-H group. It is a terrible copy of a so-so movie.

Review of the movie: An old movie starring a young Natalie Wood about a father raising his daughters on the farm by himself. The constant bickering between the father and eldest daughter gets old fast and I found this movie extremely slow and boring. Only the scenes with Natalie Wood and the other children with the animals was interesting.

Review of the dvd copy: This dvd looks like it was copied onto vhs tape from an old analog tv recieving its signal from an antenna, then transfered to dvd. The quality is worse than anything I have seen in at least 15 years and I'm talking about vhs, not dvd. It is the worst dvd I have ever seen! When I opened the packaging on the dvd case I noticed a horrible smell. I realized it was some kind of toxic smelling plastic used to make the dvd case(probably made in China!) Within a few minutes I had a horrible headache and was having trouble breathing! I immediately sent it back for a refund. Please don't buy this dvd, I'm positive that the case has toxins in it!

This is truely a wonderful family movie. Walter Brennan plays the part of a father raising four children, but has his own ideas about how to run a farm. Natalie Wood is one of his daughters and joins the 4H club.