Customer Reviews

Tobacco Road

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The saga of rural southerners trying to stay on the land continues unabated since industrialization. Tobacco Road is a wonderful illustration of this struggle, and has many subplots that only a mature viewer would appreciate. Jeeter Lester was a complicated person - he was willing to steal from his own family, but we admire his steely determination to save the farm. Idleness had acclimated him to leisure, and laziness now marked his days. And desperation had acclimated him to dishonesty as a way to get along. The Lesters were brutal, and they were brutalized. They were sinners and saints. If it weren't for Charley Grapewin's upbeat performance, the movie would have taken on the aura of a dark comedy at best, if not an outright tragedy. Which is exactly what the story was - a tragedy wrapped in the cloak of a comedy. It has often been said that the line between tragedy and comedy is the finest thread. I think Ford does a good job of keeping the cloak of comedy on, with occasional glimpses of the "inside" story. Then ending is perfect, for it leaves the laughing child viewer with an assumed happy ending, thinking that it all worked out and they lived happily ever after. But the mature viewer knows that the ending is sad, because the benevolence of the wealthy friend only prolongs the inevitable. I recommend this movie for both the amusement seeker and the serious thinker.

One of the top 10 movies ever made. Another magnificent piece of art by John Ford. The South never looked as poetic, realistic, as here. You will cry as much as you laugh out loud. The respect for the old folk, the love for the soil, the humbleness of common people, the care and devotion to the land, to the people who toil the land, is depicted with artistic perfection.

I couldn't even blink watching the masterful art of John Ford. I even thought how banal, ridiculous are other so-called great classics compared to this one film. Welles, Hitchcock, Cukor, Wyler... everyone shrinks to the atom level when you compare their films to this gorgeous and heartwrenching film.

And then the script so wonderful, is like listening to poetry; and the faces (oh, Lord, the faces!). How he achieved those expressions in the camera is only miraculous. And, of course, the choir songs, the gospel chants... It's the final touch, Mr. Ford's signature. I hadn't seen this movie in years. Now I think it may be the best film ever.

Other than the cover and the print, this is the original movie with original sound track in English. I bought it for my Dad for Father's Day. We watched it together and laughed a lot. It was my first time seeing this movie and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you are looking for the original "Tobacco Road" you've found it. This is it. Even though the writing on the cover is not in English the movie is. Got to love it. This movie just never gets old.

It is a truly definitive historical look at the "Dust Bowl" era of an elderly couple & their home. Not a family type movie.. It was sort of black balled by the government because it reflected the negative benefits of public assistance to farmers.

I have a feeling this movie was the basis for the Beverly Hillbillies, Tv Series. There was an Ellie May barefoot young daughter, character with the name Ellie May, that the father wanted to marry off. There was a strong, dumb Jethro-type character. Even a Granny-type character. Except they live on an old Run-down family owned Tobacco Plantation, that no longer has any crop. The actors are all really great. It is a fun movie, with a solemn feel to it. That is an indication of good Directing, and acting. Something that no longer exsists in Hollywood. This movie belongs in every movie collectors collection. More comedy than drama, but enough balance of each to keep you glued to your movie seat. It WAS a difficult movie to find. I originally bought a fuzzy bootlegged copy of this in DVD online from a trading site a year ago, then Amazon came out with it, and I immediately upgraded. Get this movie. You WILL enjoy it.

Also available in the big Ford at Fox set. Worth a look for Ford fans, for those of us who get caught up in Ford's ever shifting view of humanity.

Amazon was just about the only place to get this classic. The film was great. I'll look to Amazon first for hard-to-get-films in the future.

I saw this movie a long - long time ago and never forgot it. It's a really good thought provoking film with a lot of funny stuff in it. Even though it is a foreign made DVD it works well.

This is a family pleaser. Our family watches this over and over. Always seeing new and different things we missed the first time. No bad language just good old fashioned fun. A must for a family movie night.