Rückkehr aus der Fremde

The Stranger's Return is an interesting pre-code film to watch, because although it deals with shocking subjects for the time period (like divorce and adultery), the film comes off relatively tame today. Louise Storr (Miriam Hopkins) has just divorced her husband and for a bit of a holiday and a way to get back to her roots, she revisits the family farm. Her grandfather (Lionel Barrymore) takes her back with open arms and shows her how wonderful a rural life can be, even for a city girl. Despite his age, he is a very active sort and continues to parade around his independence amid snobby onlookers. He even introduces his grand daughter to their neighbor Guy Crane (Franchot Tone), a married man who turns out to be the perfect diversion for the girl.

This movie is all about gossip and loyalty and finding a place to belong, but it is presented casually so as not to be mistaken for anything but entertainment. It features pleasing performances from some of the big names of the era, namely Barrymore who carries the film.

A King Vidor Metro production, but it sure smells like 20th Century Fox, with its rural setting, leisurely pacing, and prosaic dialog--it's even based on a novel by, and co-screenwritten by, Phil Stong, who wrote 20th's "State Fair." Lionel Barrymore, wearing a fake beard that wouldn't fool an eight-year-old, is the patriarch of a successful Iowa farm, a Civil War vet (just barely--at 85, he'd have been 17 in 1865) saddled with a troublesome family he lives with, including a wonderful Beulah Bondi, as a calculating shrew. Granddaughter Miriam Hopkins, a divorcée, comes to visit from New York and falls in love with both the farm and married neighbor Franchot Tone, while hired hand Stu Erwin drinks and provides the modest comic relief. The writing's less than first-rate- -scenes just end, and there's more detail to the workings of farm life than necessary--but it's a quiet, touching character study, and Hopkins, often given to histrionics elsewhere, is restrained and appealing. The characters' dilemmas feel real, and the bittersweet ending resonates.

Miriam Hopkins couldn't get more likable than she is in The Stranger's Return. She's just delightful as a city girl who visits her grandfather's farm. Eighty-five-year-old Lionel Barrymore (only fifty-five at the time) is the head of the family, much to the chagrin of his children and in-laws. Beulah Bondi, Grant Mitchell, and Aileen Carlyle are all anxiously awaiting his demise so they can inherit the farm. When Miriam breezes in, they're wary of her, especially since she gets along so well with Lionel.

What I love about this movie is it's not the typical "city slicker" movie. It's funny but not silly, and it doesn't make fun of anyone. Yes, Stuart Erwin is the constantly drunk farm hand, but he doesn't harm anyone and only likes a good time. Yes, Beulah is mean-spirited, but she's not stereotypical. And Miriam truly learns to love her grandfather and his way of life. She's not looking for escapism or a brief thrill. She listens to his wisdom and applies it to her own life, taking the time to think about the consequences of her actions.

Which leads her to Franchot Tone. He owns the neighboring farm. He's handsome, kind, funny, intelligent enough to have been offered a teaching position, responsible enough to turn it down and run his family farm, and genuinely has a good heart. How can you help falling in love with a man like that? Oh, there is one more thing about Franchot: he's married. Chances are you've never heard of this movie, but if you can find a copy, watch it. It's very good. It's not stylized like some old flicks, and it's very true to life.

MGM usually made glossy films about society swells, but this one is a picturesque film about rural America set in the - at that time - present day. 85 year old Grandpa Storr (Lionel Barrymore) learns that his granddaughter by his eldest child, Louise (Miriam Hopkins) is coming to the farm for a visit from New York City. Although the two have never met before, they quickly connect. Storr has two of his children living with him - his milquetoast attorney son (Grant Mitchell) and his wife, and his controlling daughter Beatrice (Beulah Bondi).

Louise meets and falls in love with Grandpa Storr's married neighbor, Guy Crane (Franchot Tone). Guy went away to college and was changed by that experience, but went ahead and married his childhood sweetheart Nettie, mainly because they had already planned it. But Guy still has an interest in the bigger things in life such as art and literature - this is where he and Louise connect - while Nettie has never been off the farm. Nettie is a true friend to Louise, and this is what makes the whole situation more complicated, because neither Guy nor Louise could ever see themselves hurting the guileless Nettie.

And then, suddenly, Grandpa Storr becomes senile, believing that the Civil War is still going on, and his daughter Beatrice is itching to commit him so she can take over his farm and his funds.

The film never states WHERE it is located, but I would guess Pennsylvania, especially if Grandpa Storr has actual memories of Civil War battles occurring nearby. This is a very good understated performance by Hopkins, who so often played overwrought characters and women living on the edge of society. Beulah Bondi is terrific as a greedy shrew who keeps reminding Louise that she is a "scandal" because of her attention to Guy and the fact that she is separated from her husband. Stuart Erwin is the faithful but often drunken hired hand.

This film really excels at showing the rural lifestyle in the early 20th century - the dances, the harvesting, the neighbors helping each other out, the big dinners, and the beautiful countryside, exquisitely directed by King Vidor. For some reason - maybe rights problems - this is seldom shown on Turner Classic Movies in spite of being an MGM property. I highly recommend it if you ever get a chance to see it. Do note that there is about a minute missing from the end of some prints. It was common for precode era films to be rereleased with some scenes cut, but the scene missing is really nothing that would have been objected to by the censors.

"A Stranger's Return" from 1933 stars Miriam Hopkins, Lionel Barrymore, and Franchot Tone, and is directed by King Vidor.

Hopkins plays Louise Storr, a divorcée who leaves the big city, New York, and comes to visit her grandfather's (Lionel Barrymore) farm to get back to her roots. She doesn't intend to stay.

Grandpa Storr is thrilled to see her and wants her to stay. She meets his neighbor (Tone), an educated man with a wife and child, and there's an instant attraction. Like her, he loves theater and they relate on a different level from him and his wife. They realize they're in love.

Other people aren't really interested in having Louise stick around. And abruptly, Grandpa starts acting demented, and there's a move afoot to have him committed.

Funny and touching, this precode touches on two no-nos later on, divorce and adultery, but of course it's nothing today. Lionel Barrymore is hilarious as Grandpa, and he and Tone have wonderful banter as friends who pretend to be enemies. *Come over at 7 for dinner," Guy says "It will give me time to count the silverware and hide the valuables." "Why?" Grandpa asks. "Afraid I'll recognize my own stuff?" Both of them give charming performances.

Miriam Hopkins is at her most beautiful here, giving a lyrical performance as Louise. Such a wonderful actress - by her acting, we see the character's backstory of hurt due to her divorce. She's a gentle woman, capable of deep love. Hopkins had a long and prolific Broadway career and brought her training to film, playing a variety of roles. One of my favorites is her as the aunt in "The Heiress."

Catch this when it's on TCM.