Customer Reviews

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

5 star:		(83)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Betty Smith's heartfelt and timeless novel of a young girl's passage through her youth in the Brooklyn slums was transformed by director Elia Kazan into one of the most touching and deeply felt films ever made. It has that rare ability to break your heart one moment and make you smile the next. There is a tenderness here that has rarely been captured on film. Many point to Elia Kazan's flashier films, but it was this sentimental film that was his crowning achievement. There are moments in this film when even those who never cry at the movies will be moved to tears.

Peggy Ann Garner was so wonderful as the young and sensitive Francie, the Academy gave her an Oscar for Most Promising Juvenile Performer. James Dunn garnered an Oscar also as Francie's loving father, Johnny Nolan, a singing waiter with a gift for dreaming he passes on to Francie, who wants to be a writer. Francie's papa makes their hard life worth living and she worships him. He understands and adores her.

But when he isn't working, Johnny is usually drunk. Everyone in their poor neighborhood knows Johnny is a good man, however, and loves and respects him. He is the one who will find a way for Francie to attend the school she dreams of, even though it is far from their home. Francie's mother is the only one who doesn't seem to see how special Johnny is.

Dorothy McGuire gives another terrific performance as Francie's hard working mother, Katie, who tries desparately not to love her boy Neely more than Francie, and fails; tries desparately not to become bitter with the charming lad she married in her youth, but can't; and tries desparately not to let her heart grow cold and hard, and fails once more.

Francie and her family may live in poverty, but Kazan takes the time to show the joy that can be found in the small things in life. For Francie, her father represents happiness and living. Joan Blondell, as Katie's sister and Francie's aunt Sissy, with her free spirit and big heart, adds to Francie's joy in life. It is one of Blondell's finest roles.

It is Peggy Ann Garner's emotional performance, however, you will always remember. She brings a sweetness and sincerity to Francie that makes her unforgettable. Purchasing this film is an opportunity to own one of the true masterpieces in American cinema. It will touch your heart and remind you what Hollywood was once capable of, and make you wonder where it all went wrong.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a movie that will hit a lot of people in many ways. For me, it is a reminder of my strong willed mother, alcoholic father and free-spirited brother. I think, like Francie, I was my father's friend more than I was his son. I would listen to his stories, wait up for my parents when they had gone to a party to make sure they got home ok, listen to my mother raking my father for his drinking and cringing as dad just sat there.

The casting is outstanding and makes the movie work. Not just the major roles, but the smaller ones too are exceptionally casted. Put someone else in as the junkman and it might not work as well. Another person in the role of the doctor signing the death certificate may leave a different and lesser impression. Lloyn Nolan, Dorothy McGuire and James Dunn were all inspiried choices. Joan Blondell was a brilliant choice as Aunt Sissy, her of many husbands but still with a element of humanity that has stuck with her.

There are many memorable scenes but some have a deeper and lasting meaning. A young girl named Flossie is showing off her new dress to all passers by. After a few moments it is apparent that Flossie is not well. Later when we learn she has died, McGuire tells Dunn that she'll have to buried in potter's field. Dunn hits the right tone, as in a resolute voice he reminds his wife that her parents did the right thing while she was alive by getting her new dresses. Good for dad!

The other scene that hits me every time I see it, is the scene when after dad has died, Francie goes around and collects his shaving mug from the barber and puts it is a box under her bed. She still has a part of him!

Dad's posthumous graduation gift to Francie is one of the most moving scenes I've ever witnessed. Blondell outdoes herself as the supporting and careing adult sharing a little girls bottled up grief.

Where I live in Japan now, Annie Laurie is used as a song for an advertisement. When I hear the music and words, I don't think of the product but of the scene in the movie when Dunn learns they have inherited a piano from the previous room tenent and is playing and singing Annie Laurie. Pieces such as this stick in my mind.

Some will say that the movie doesn't include everything from the book and that is lacks the gritty poverty, that it is a rather stilted happy ending. They have a point but folks, get into the characters, feel what they are trying to project and you'll come away from the movie a better person for having seen it. If need be see it again and again.

Having never read the Betty Smith novel, I cannot state how true this 1945 film was to its original source; but I do think it makes for quality heartfelt entertainment. As Francine, Peggy Ann Garner plays her role with an amazing display of natural unaffected intelligence uncommon in child actors of her era; hers is a wonderfully tear-jerking performance. Dorothy McGuire is fine as Francine's long-suffering mother Katie (something about her seemed a bit too classy for her character at times, but nothing to wreck another excellent portrayal). As the illiterate, rather loose-loving - and intensely likeable - Aunt Cissy, Joan Blondell does justice to her role. Blondell later wrote that there was originally a scene where children were playing outside on the street and find a tin full of condoms; curious, they went to Cissy for explainations. Blondell claimed the scene in which she lovingly explained about life and love to the children was the best she ever did - naturally, it was deemed too distasteful for release! As Johnny, the alcoholic singing waiter father whom Francine adores, James Dunn won himself a deserved AA. A poignantly (and fairly realistic) study of a struggling family living in Brooklyn way back when.

I've seen well over 4,000 movies (3,245 since I started keeping a list, and at least 100 a year before that), and of them all, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn stands out in my memory as the single most effective in terms of the performances of the actors affecting the viewer.

It's a simple story about a poor family, a timeless story that will ring true to millions of families around the world, similar in type to movies like I Remember Mama, The Human Comedy, and Our Vines Have Tender Grapes, but more serious, and in my opinion even more insightful than those fine films. And it's certainly one of the top five tear-jerkers of all time, up there with films like All Mine to Give, On Borrowed Time, Old Yeller, and Bridge to Terabithia. But it's pleasant to watch, even joyful at times, even if you anticipate the sad part.

Every actor in the film rose to the occasion, bringing the character's of Betty Smith's novel to life with fidelity and veracity, depth and breadth, in several cases giving the best performance of a lifetime. That's certainly the truth in the cases of Peggy Ann Garner as young Francie and James Dunn as her lovable, lovable, and lovable - and alcoholic - lovable father Johnny Nolan, both recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with Oscars for their roles in this movie, for best juvenile performer, and best supporting actor, respectively. But also I think Dorothy McGuire as Francie's mother Katie, Joan Blondell as Aunt Sissy, and Lloyd Nolan as Officer McShane each gave their finest performances ever here. (Funny little coincidence of names: Nolan played Mike Shane in several movies, here he plays McShane in a movie full of Nolans.)

There's not much point in detailing the plot here; you should certainly see it for yourself, and it's a shame it's not on DVD yet, as of this writing. Suffice it to say one parent is an irresponsible dreamer, the other a hard provider, both giving love in different ways, and young Francie must learn to retain the best from each. If you've read the book by Betty Smith, this film is very faithful except they left out one incident that would have been considered inappropriate in a film in the 1940s, when young Francie was approached by a molester. The film works perfectly without that.

Another favorite character actor has a small role: James Gleason (Here Comes Mr. Jordan, The Bishop's Wife, Suddenly), as one of Johnny's friends.

Hollywood was horrible to poor Peggy Ann Garner, but it provided her with at least one vehicle for the rage and inner torment that eventually destroyed her. As Francie Nolan in Elia Kazan's first film A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN, she comes close to tearing up the screen as a young girl trapped in class anxiety with foolish hopes and dreams that get shattered on a regular basis. If you think Margaret O'Brien shows childhood neurosis in the Halloween scene of MEET ME IN ST LOUIS, she's a cold fish compared to the tears shed by Garner in nearly every act of A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN. The wrenching performances Kazan later eked out of Brando, Dean, Clift are here foreshadowed by a child's desperate search for a better way of life.

After the film was released, Peggy Ann was briefly famous and valued, but her grip on reality was never very strong, and she was deeply hurt when prettier, less talented girls were picked for the parts she really wanted, and her life became a vale of tears. Knowing this, it's especially difficult to watch A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN knowing her few smiles, and her joy in the company of her father when sober, are but rare occlusions on a life based in misery.

Like many who have taken the time to write about A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN I too would love to have this title available on DVD. Fox had scheduled it for release and then pulled it. Why? I believe the reason is that they sub-leased this title for release in Europe and thus can not release it until the lease runs out. They are not interested in putting it out in just a Region 1 version, so will hold off until all rights revert back to them. Too bad as this is one that I would dearly like not only to have, but to share with others.

It's easy to see why critics and the public are torn about Elia Kazan. On one hand he "named names" during the McCarthy era, on the other hand his body of work is so distinguished that even his detractors must give the devil his due.

How to make a story about a little girl growing up poor in Brooklyn with her little brother, lovable, feckless, alcoholic daddy and her desperately conscientious but humorless mother, without resorting to bathos? It's a tightrope I don't think Capra could manage. Imagining Margaret O'Brien as the little girl makes me cringe. Instead, Kazan chose Peggy Ann Garner, who doesn't hit a false note. Same with James Dunn, who won an Oscar for his "daddy." And Dorothy McGuire, as the mother, succeeds in the difficult job of gaining sympathy for an unsympathetic character.

The ending is bitter-sweet and without melodrama, so that what hits you at the end is not the climax but the totality of the story. Whatever one might think about Elia Kazan the "rat," one cannot deny that this man is one of the great film artists and that "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" is one of his quiet masterpieces.

A real tear-jerker. The first time I watched this movie, I was about 18 years old. I stumbled upon it by chance, and probably would not have given it a second thought had I come across it in the tv listings. Lucky for me, it was playing on tv instead of some other trash that I was going to watch... and something made me stay tuned. I never expected what was to come... one of the most heartwarming... intriguing... and thought-provoking movies of all-time. For two hours, we ARE Francie Nolan... living the life of a young girl coming of age... in a tiny apartment with her family... dealing with poverty... trying to find herself... and trying desperately to hold on to her dreams... It is truly a masterpiece, a one-of-a-kind original!

I was going to get on here and sing the praises of Peggy Ann Garner, but once I began reading the earlier comments further praise seemed unnecessary. I will mention that her earlier portrayal of young Jane Eyre is also quite extraordinary and showcases her skills almost as well as "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". Garner should remind contemporary film watchers a lot of Evan Rachel Wood, especially the way they bring a confident ferocity to their portrayals that is an extreme rarity in talented young actors.

Francie Nolan (Garner) is an imaginative but practical girl who lives with parents and younger brother in a Brooklyn tenement. She worships her father, Johnny (James Dunn), a dreamer with a drinking problem, who works as a singing waiter. She respects but increasingly resents her no nonsense mother, Katie (Dorothy McGuire), who is saddled with managing the family's precarious finances.

Fans of Betty Smith's book may take issue with the adaptation's failure to prominently feature the literal title character (i.e. the tree). The tree is a metaphor like the flowers in "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-moon Marigolds" and the trees in the film adaptation of "Speak".

But such is the nature of adaptations, which must pick and choose a limited number of story elements and communicate them as efficiently as possible. For example, watch early in the film for the two brief appearances of the sick little girl (Flossie Gaddis played by Susan Lester) who lives in a neighboring apartment. Flossie first appears to show off her new silk dress to Katie who is annoyed that Flossie's parents wasted money on such a frivolity, money that should have been saved so the child did not end up in a pauper's grave. But when Flossie shows it to Johnny, he immediately picks up on the parents' wisdom and instinctively makes comments that leave Flossie beaming with joy (while Katie scowls from the top of the stairs). The point being that this little micro story of about 50 seconds screen time communicates about 50 pages worth of narrative regarding the wildly divergent attitudes of the two adult Nolans.

Along these same lines is a later scene that begins and ends with Katie asking Francie for the time, emphasizing the passage of only two minutes. Sandwiched within this short interval are a host of revelations for Francie that dramatically change her world and her view of her mother's actions.

But "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" is more than just a retelling of the ant and the grasshopper story, with a sympathetic nod to the grasshopper. It is about finding a balance between enjoying each day and living for the uncertain future. Young Francie, figuratively the title character, can be expected to grow up with a nice mix of her mother's discipline/ practicality and her father's zest and imagination. That we buy into this happy ending is a testimonial to Garner's skill in convincing us that Francine has acquired this degree of multi- dimensionality.

"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" is more complex than it first appears. The Nolans are an interesting family, with a lot of love for each other but a history of unfulfilled promises and recriminations that make it hard for them to accept tenderness from each other.

A lot of distance has grown up between mother and father and between mother and daughter. Even communication is complicated as Francie is often too round-about for her mother, who wants things more direct after years of marriage to the unreliable Johnny.

All in all this is an extraordinary film, a deserving contender for anyone's all time top ten list. Although most of the praise is for Dunn (Oscar) and Garner (Special Oscar), McGuire handles a difficult role quite well and even succeeds in evoking sympathy for a character who is very hard to like.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

This is my all-time favorite film which explains why there is nothing negative I can say about it, only the way its star was treated and the absence of a DVD of this (although it was recently released in Europe, but it's not available in North America, which is a crime).

GOOD NEWS: 1 - This one of the greatest acting jobs by a child in the HISTORY of motion pictures. Peggy Ann Garner, as "Francie," was incredible. The adults may get top billing but Garner is the show here, start to finish. She is a real pro, not just with her lines but with her facial expressions. If this young girl doesn't bring a tear or two to your eyes, then get some counseling!! She was so impressive that she was given a special Academy Award for her performance: 2 - It''s a powerful story which is a big reason the book, by Betty Smith, has been a best-seller for almost 60 years. 3 - One of Hollywood's more likable guys, James Dunn, is perfect as Francie's father and who could criticize anything Dorothy McGuire did in this film? 4 - Joan Blondell also was a great choice to play the sassy Aunt Sissy. 5 - Ted Nolan is very funny as Francie's younger brother. Notice the kid is eating in almost every scene. He adds needed humor to the movie. He hardly gets a notice when people discuss this film, and that's unfortunate.

BAD NEWS: 1 - Hollywood ignored Garner's acting talent shortly after this film and ruined what could have been a tremendous acting career. 2 - Fox Studio Classics announced that this was finally going to be out on DVD on Feb. 22, 2005, and then yanked the disc at the last minute with no explanation. So, we are still waiting to see a better print of this in the United States, although the VHS versions are decent.