A Tree Grows In Brooklyn

Starring: Dorothy McGuire, James Dunn Dvd Release: 21st March, 2005 Number Of Discs: 1 Format: PAL, Region 0 Encoding

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Betty Smiths heartfelt & timeless novel of a young girls passage through her youth in the Brooklyn slums was transformed by director Elia Kazan into one of the most touching & deeply felt films ever made. It has that rare ability to break your heart one moment & make you smile the next. There is a tenderness here that has rarely been captured on film. Many point to Elia Kazans flashier films, but it was this sentimental film that was his crowning achievement. There are moments in this film when even those who never cry at the movies will be moved to tears.

Peggy Ann Garner was so wonderful as the young & sensitive Francie, the Academy gave her an Oscar for Most Promising Juvenile Performer. James Dunn garnered an Oscar also as Francies loving father, Johnny Nolan, a singing waiter with a gift for dreaming he passes on to Francie, who wants to be a writer. Francies papa makes their hard life worth living & she worships him. He understands & adores her.

But when he isnt working, Johnny is usually drunk. Everyone in their poor neighborhood knows Johnny is a good man, however, & loves & respects him. He is the one who will find a way for Francie to attend the school she dreams of, even though it is far from their home. Francies mother is the only one who doesnt seem to see how special Johnny is.

Dorothy McGuire gives another terrific performance as Francies hard working mother, Katie, who tries desparately not to love her boy Neely more than Francie, & fails; tries desparately not to become bitter with the charming lad she married in her youth, but cant; & tries desparately not to let her heart grow cold & hard, & fails once more.

Francie & her family may live in poverty, but Kazan takes the time to show the joy that can be found in the small things in life. For Francie, her father represents happiness & living. Joan Blondell, as Katies sister & Francies aunt Sissy, with her free spirit & big heart, adds to Francies joy in life. It is one of Blondells finest roles.

It is Peggy Ann Garners emotional performance, however, you will always remember. She brings a sweetness & sincerity to Francie that makes her unforgettable. Purchasing this film is an opportunity to own one of the true masterpieces in American cinema. It will touch your heart & remind you what Hollywood was once capable of, & make you wonder where it all went wrong.

Dorothy Hackett McGuire was an American actress. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, she began her career on the stage. Her first film was Claudia, in which she played the character she had originated on Broadway, that of a child bride who almost destroys her marriage through her selfishness. By 1943, at the age of 27, she was already playing mother roles, in such movies as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1947 for Gentlemans Agreement. She appeared in such other movies as Three Coins in the Fountain, Friendly Persuasion, Old Yeller, Swiss Family Robinson, Summer Magic & The Greatest Story Ever Told. McGuire has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6933 Hollywood Blvd. Posters Of Old Yeller

Editors Choice: Flight Of The Doves, Swiss Family Robinson, Old Yeller, Three Coins In The Fountain, Gentlemans Agreement, The Spiral Staircase, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, View DVDology

James Howard Dunn was an American film actor. Born in New York, New York, Dunn started his entertainment career in vaudeville before progressing to films in the early 1930s. He made a strong first impression with his early roles, Bad Girl & three Shirley Temple films, Baby Take a Bow, Stand Up & Cheer & Bright Eyes. The roles that followed did nothing to further his career & during the late 1930s his prospects were further diminished by a battle with alcoholism. In 1945 his performance in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His success was shortlived & by the beginning of the 1950s, he was unemployed, bankrupt & once again depending on alcohol. He appeared in the sitcom Its A Great Life from 1954 until 1956. He was married to the actress Frances Gifford from 1938 until 1942. He died as a result of complications following stomach surgery in Santa Monica, California. James Dunn has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to motion pictures at 6555 Hollywood Boulevard & television at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard.

Editors Choice: Hearts In Bondage, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, View DVDology

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