Le blé est vert

The Corn is Green is one of my favorite movies and for the longest time I never knew the title of it. Bette Davis is wonderful as the teacher who unleashes the genius of Morgan Evans, a Welsh mining town's prodigy. There are so many obstacles that Morgan must overcome, and to see him do this is wonderful. Every time I watch it I am still amazed at Bessie's devilishness and I just love the actress's voice! It is so interesting. Everything in this film makes me feel all good inside and no movie collection is complete without it. The Corn is Green deserves five stars, two thumbs up, and a perfect ten. Everyone should watch this movie. It gives you a new perspective on the world, and even on the life of people at one time in history. I truly love The Corn is Green and if I had not seen it, I would not be who I am today.

This was a late-night tv surprise. The Corn is Green is a highly engaging drama. Bette Davis is good as the well-intentioned, well-meaning but not always successful social engineer and pioneer in adult education, set in a rural Welsh mining town. A surprisingly 'modern' film for its release date with regard to its frankness about out-of-wedlock pregnancy. There was a good deal of Welsh language banter and phrases peppered throughout the film, despite the story's bias against Welsh in preference for the male lead receiving a 'proper' education in English. The film cannot be faulted for its expression of negative attitudes toward the indigenous language of Wales since minority languages were viewed as a detriment to progress in the modern world at the time. We know better now, but much damage has been done to the likes of the people depicted in the Welsh mining town of the Corn is Green, surrounded by a larger culture bent on their assimilation. This is an entertaining and near-tragic story which made me think.

By now, Bette Davis was having her pick of the type of movies she wanted to make and was known to sacrifice looks for parts that were meaty and difficult. Playing Lily Moffatt must have been a breeze for her, because it allowed her to eliminate all of her grandiose trademark gestures, act in a more paused, restrained way, and let the character's own energy flow out of her and thus dictate how it wanted to convey itself on screen.

Acting against newcomer John Dall she comes off as an equal instead of the experiences actress she by then was: she allows Dall to express himself quite strongly, although at times his Welsh accent wavers in and out. It's too bad, however, that despite this strong debut, Oscar nominated for Supporting Actor, which was followed by ROPE and GUN CRAZY, Dall practically had nothing to hold onto when it came to movies and disappeared for the majority of the Fifties, returning only for SPARTACUS and a smattering of other films.

It's too bad, but one of the many stories of brief careers that make their mark in one or more movies. Speaking of which, Joan Lorring was another actress who took her role and ran with it. For her acting she was awarded, like Dall, a Supporting Actress nomination, but was little seen after 1948. If it weren't for this footnote in her career she'd be all but a forgotten supporting actress; she manages to eclipse Davis in two scenes in the movie, and her exit is also memorable.

Davis probably didn't get a nomination because by now it seemed she could phone in her emotions and play this kind of role in her sleep. Even so, it's a very good role, very understated, not very well remembered (except by her hardcore fans), and the last hit she would have because from 1946 on her movies would start losing money and be of varying quality, that is, until her great comeback as Margo Channing in ALL ABOUT EVE.

I profess that I have a love for good films about teaching. This one stars Bette Davis as Lilly Moffatt, a spinster schoolteacher, whose desires for elevating the minds of young people who are destined to a life of coal mining in a Welsh community, becomes focused on the promising talents of Morgan Evans, a young man who shows a spark of superior intellect.

Miss Davis is well suited to her role, a woman of restrained passions. While watching her, there are moments when I sense similarities with the acting style of Meryl Streep.

The rest of the cast is quite good. John Dall, in his film debut, plays Mr. Evans. It is an inspired performance that earned an Academy Award nomination.

Based upon a true story, TCIG invites comparisons to "My Fair Lady" and, especially, "Spencer's Mountain" in regard to the central story about molding a young mind.

I have one criticism. The singing vocals are so strong that they are distracting. A small group of young, work-weary miners should not sound like the men's chorus at the Met, for example.

Miss Moffatt might be seen by some as selfless in her dedication to higher principles. She denies herself of so much in her pursuit of education. But hers is a selfish campaign for transformation-of a man, a town, perhaps a country. She trades something of lesser value for something of greater value, so she does not sacrifice, even in her final dramatic decision. And it is her pursuit of a greater purpose that gives her story nobility. And the pleasure she finds in her achievements can only be seen as justifiable and virtuous.

Bette Davis offers an interesting, more restrained performance than usual as Miss Moffat, the schoolteacher determined to help a brilliant student (John Dall) reach his full potential. Although handsomely photographed, the film has the look of a photographed stage play with its studio-bound outdoor sets--but the performances are all so vibrant that they become more important than any other ingredient.

John Dall is excellent in what was his first major role, as is Joan Lorring as Bessie (the girl who takes his mind off his studies). Nigel Bruce, Mildred Dunnock and Rosalind Ivan create fully rounded performances under Irving Rapper's sensitive direction. But it is Davis, of course, who holds the spotlight with one of her most tasteful performances--intelligent and yet full of feeling and emotion.

As I said earlier, all of it shows its stage origins and the singing of the Welsh miners is a bit too perfect for reality--but the film is both entertaining and thought-provoking, dealing as it does with some serious issues. Ahead of its time, in its out-of-wedlock theme.