Zachary Scott
Sam Tucker
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Synopsis
A cotton worker moves his family onto a neglected tenant farm, determined to grow a crop of his own. Poor shelter, scarce water and a hostile neighbour make independence a daily struggle rather than a simple promise. Jean Renoir's drama follows the practical labour and family bonds on which their hopes depend.
Cast
DirectorsJean Renoir
Inspirations
George Sessions Perry's Hold Autumn in Your Hand supplied the source for Jean Renoir's account of a tenant-farming family. The film belongs to Renoir's American period and places the work of survival at the centre of its drama.
Behind the scenes
Although the story is set in Texas, much of it was filmed in California. Water released from Friant Dam helped create the flood sequence, joining location filmmaking to a carefully organised large-scale effect.
Sources and availability
The synopsis and editorial text were written for this collection. The references below were cross-checked to identify the film and its copy; each editorial section identifies its reference.
Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.
The reference concerns the original work. Restorations, colorization, translations and other territories may have different conditions. This site uses the player enabled by the channel.
Availability checked on September 10, 2026.
Photograph credit
Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.
- Zachary Scott — New York Sunday News · Public domain
- Betty Field — Cine Mundial · Public domain
- J. Carrol Naish — CBS Radio · Public domain
- Beulah Bondi — NBC Television · Public domain
