On G List of Movie Reviews

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The Good Earth (1937)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 2/16

2/16: Talk about dated and silly.

Paul Muni is great in The Good Earth, but he's not the issue. It's the idea of him, as a Caucasian, pretending to be a Chinese. Why do that when there are over one billion Chinese people to pick from?

Paul Muni showcases many stereotypical traits that are unbelievable to see. By the way, no Chinese actors were ever cast, and the film wasn't shot on location in China. Luise Rainer won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Wow, I didn't know being a great silent actress in a talking movie with a knack of making beautiful faces was enough to merit the award.

Winning the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Karl Freund did an excellent job with the locust scenes which are, in fact, shots of a locust plague. That being said, the special effects are pretty good for the time.

All in all, The Good Earth shows why using Caucasians to play Asians is a bad idea.

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