Hollywood couldn't have put together a less Chinese cast if it tried: Katharine Hepburn, Walter Huston, Aline MacMahon, Henry Travers, Robert Bice, and Akim Tamiroff headed up the cast in another adaptation of a Pearl S. Buck novel. Agnes Moorehead tried to put on a Chinese accent, and Turhan Bey relied on his dark looks to convince audiences he's Chinese, even though he was really Austrian. Besides that, everyone else acted like they were in some movie set in Vermont-with the exception of Akim, who spoke in his normal Russian accent.
Since Katharine Hepburn is the lead, it's to be expected that this film will have a feminist message, with the underlying theme of obeying one's husband. Walter Huston is the patriarch, and he and Aline worry about the younger generation. Kate longs to read, which is taboo at that time, and she speaks her mind in public, often embarrassing her husband. But, since it's Kate, she's going to continue to be herself, with the understanding that when it comes right down to it, she'll stand by her man anyway-remember Spencer Tracy, folks.
The first hour really drags, and you might even turn it off as I did. I turned it back on the next day, to support the cast, and then the plot picked up a bit. Japanese soldiers invade the village, and Kate and Turhan try to lead an underground resistance. Still, even though the audience is forced to watch as terrible things happen to the family, it doesn't elevate the film to "classic" status. Dragon Seed is not another The Good Earth. Yes, a Chinese family deals with soldiers, farming, and family, but it's not nearly as dramatic as Buck's earlier story. If you're looking for that, keep looking or just rent The Good Earth a second time and endure Louise Rainer's singular expression. Whatever you do, even if you're ridiculously excited to hear Lionel Barrymore narrate a film, don't feel you have to rent this one. What is Lionel doing narrating a Chinese movie anyway?
Since Katharine Hepburn is the lead, it's to be expected that this film will have a feminist message, with the underlying theme of obeying one's husband. Walter Huston is the patriarch, and he and Aline worry about the younger generation. Kate longs to read, which is taboo at that time, and she speaks her mind in public, often embarrassing her husband. But, since it's Kate, she's going to continue to be herself, with the understanding that when it comes right down to it, she'll stand by her man anyway-remember Spencer Tracy, folks.
The first hour really drags, and you might even turn it off as I did. I turned it back on the next day, to support the cast, and then the plot picked up a bit. Japanese soldiers invade the village, and Kate and Turhan try to lead an underground resistance. Still, even though the audience is forced to watch as terrible things happen to the family, it doesn't elevate the film to "classic" status. Dragon Seed is not another The Good Earth. Yes, a Chinese family deals with soldiers, farming, and family, but it's not nearly as dramatic as Buck's earlier story. If you're looking for that, keep looking or just rent The Good Earth a second time and endure Louise Rainer's singular expression. Whatever you do, even if you're ridiculously excited to hear Lionel Barrymore narrate a film, don't feel you have to rent this one. What is Lionel doing narrating a Chinese movie anyway?