Les déracinés

Beginning like 'The Wind' and ending as a more upbeat 'Grapes of Wrath', the original title sounds like a western, but it actually starts as a very contemporary tale of a pair of Austrian refugees arriving in America after fleeing the Anschluss.

Both the director and one of the scriptwriters - one of the Hollywood Ten, no less - were later blacklisted, so I hope they avoided discussing politics with John Wayne on the set.

An American drama; A story about a Viennese surgeon and his daughter, refugees in a small North Dakota town. When the winds of the Dust Bowl threaten they are led away from doom by a farmer leader to Oregon whence he falls in love with the daughter but their future together is complicated by her past. This film's first half is tightly scripted, a contempory tale of 1930s hardship and hostile environments, a celebration of the pioneer spirit. Then comes a theme about migration and scenes become shallow as the character stories fall away, then tension with anti-Nazi propaganda, then a love triangle. This busy progression gave the film an over-engineered feel and perhaps inevitably it led toward a mediocre end. It has good production design and it is photographed handsomely. The cast performed adequately well too. John Wayne has vigour in his part while Sigrid Gurie manages with her poorly written part, but they lacked chemistry.

As part of a program relocating European refugees, Viennese surgeon Charles Coburn is sent to Dust Bowl-stricken North Dakota where people are in desperate need of a doctor. Where's John Wayne figure into all this? He's the unelected leader of the town that falls for Coburn's daughter (Sigrid Gurie). This is an odd movie. A mixture of WW2 flag waver, social messager, and western (Duke leads the modern equivalent of a wagon train). The plot is also a bit of a mess. A short time after the doctor arrives in North Dakota, the decision is made to pack up all the townsfolk and move to Oregon. Why not just send Coburn and Gurie to Oregon first and explain that these people had to relocate there and need a doctor? I guess then we couldn't have had the scenes of Gurie insulting the poor townsfolk who have just given them a home. I kept expecting Duke to say "Go back and try your luck with the Nazis if you feel that way about it."

Coburn is likable but this isn't the kind of role he was best suited for. And the less said about his attempt at an accent, the better. John Wayne does fine but this is just another forgettable role made between John Ford films as his star was still on the rise. Sigrid Gurie is the latest in a string of tepid romantic interests for Duke that would continue throughout the 1940s. He was paired with many fine actresses, but the chemistry was often just not there. It's not a bad film, just not a good one. Kind of boring and more than a bit disappointing they didn't explore the Dust Bowl story longer.

I feel this movie doesn't get what it deserves. Was an excellent story line. Good acting. Its got everything. Farmers work hard to make it work while being hard hit by the drought and dust storms. Two refugees, a medical doctor and his 20?-year-old daughter arrive in the USA from Nazi-annexed Austria. They eventually are convinced...??? Its got it all. Much more happens and is very exciting. In a small North Dakota farm town. Love it. John Wayne is the man in this movie. This film is not well known and hasn't got the attention as his other films but to me it is one of his best and maybe his best Drama film in the 40's. Get this one you wont be disappointed.

This film fits into an odd gap - in John Wayne's career, into the tenor of the times, into the evolution of cinema. But it's highly entertaining, at times visually spectacular, and really a lot better than it has any right to be.

The depiction of the Dust Bowl is remarkably strong. There's grit and dust in every shot. Many of the scenes are painted in strong, noir-ish tones. Against this backdrop, we have a solid little story about an Austrian doctor and his daughter finding a new new home. It could have been mere Hollywood fluff, but it all rings quite true. The touch of propaganda you might expect in a wartime production is restrained and palatable, with a positive focus on emotions rather than a negative one on ideologies.

All this is abetted by strong performances from the three leads. John Wayne is only about a year along from his breakthrough role in Stagecoach, and proves himself capable of surprising depths. He's as likable here as he's ever been, but also more human. And much more of an acting talent than we might usually give him credit for. This is one of those overlooked Wayne entries, like Island in the Sky, or Hondo, where you can really see how he earned his star billing. Sigrid Gurie is a perfect match. She runs a gamut of emotions, yet remains always appealing.

It's true that the second part of the story does cover some of the same historical ground as The Grapes of Wrath. But the two films don't really overlap. We have here a happier outcome, and much more of a small-scale adventure-drama than an allegorical social commentary. Obviously, this film isn't on the same level artistically as John Ford's masterpiece. But it's also far better than the mere B-movie it might have been.

If you're a fan of John Wayne, or have any affection for the workmanlike dramas of Hollywood's golden era, this film is going to be a very welcome discovery.