★ 7 / 10
Priest" (Charles Winninger) is a Kentucky judge who
CinemaSerf
"Priest" (Charles Winninger) is a Kentucky judge who is coming up for re-election and it's going to be a tough challenge. The town is divided roughly along the…
"Priest" (Charles Winninger) is a Kentucky judge who is coming up for re-election and it's going to be a tough challenge. The town is divided roughly along the lines of an old Civil war mentality, congenially enough amongst the white folks but still consigning the black population to their traditional societal sub-strata. The judge's chances of winning become distinctly precarious when he intervenes in one case where a lawless bunch are apt to lynch a young man for an alleged crime against a white girl. Their evidence seems predicated solely on the racket caused by their bloodhounds and this is a man of principal who requires the rule of law to be upheld. His beliefs cause him yet further problems as a tragedy befalls the community that causes him, yet again, to take a stance that isn't going to win him many supporters either. Along the way, we delve a little into the history of the townsfolk during the war and the whole thing is underpinned with a geniality that Winninger delivers well. It emphasises the value of community, but only when community values and enforces it's own standards. Shame and, to a degree, contrition, are used quite successfully here to illustrate those points - but it's all presented in a light-hearted fashion. Can he win the vote, though?
Read full review
★ 8 / 10
Holds True To Regnant Ford Themes.
rsoonsa
When discussing this enriched remake of his 1934 film featuring Will Rogers, director John Ford, not one to speak with crossed fingers, is quoted by Peter…
When discussing this enriched remake of his 1934 film featuring Will Rogers, director John Ford, not one to speak with crossed fingers, is quoted by Peter Bogdanovich: " 'The Sun Shines Bright' is my favorite picture - I love it. And it's true to life, it happened. Irvin Cobb got everything he wrote from real life, and that's the best of his Judge Priest stories." Three Cobb stories: "The Sun Shines Bright", "The Man From Massac", and "The Lord Provides", form the basis of a Laurence Stallings screenplay set in 1905 Fairfield, Kentucky, where incumbent magistrate William Priest (Charles Winninger in a rare starring turn) faces a close election against Yankee prosecutor Horace Maydew (Milburn Stone), while traces from a good many of Ford's customary themes are in place, including his relish for lost causes, Christian based parables, and the significance of closely-knit communities. When 20th Century Fox destroyed expurgated negatives from his initial Judge Priest effort, Ford decided to re-film it, and this unabashedly sentimental essay displays remarkable artistry from this highly visual director, as evil is mastered by simple good nature, even without the "director's cut" that restores over ten minutes of important footage, and is not widely available. Ford employs many of his favourite stock company players including two, Stepin Fetchit and (for the last time in a Ford picture) his brother Francis, who had been cast in the 1934 production, and all perform with enthusiasm, Winninger earning acting honours for his full-blooded performance, and viewers will appreciate the magnificent funeral procession and service scenes along with others where Ford's brother-in-law, assistant director Wingate Smith, utilizes his outstanding control of extras, a superlative element in a film that benefits from many such, and from which was reproduced a large print that was placed over the head of Ford's bed until his death.
Read full review
•••
The original,with Will Rogers (google the name if you wish) was so superb, this remake cannot compare. Both directed by that Ford.