Romance of the Limberlost (1938)

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

This second talkie version of The beautiful story by Gene Stratton Porter is slightly altered from the previous version, "A Girl of the Limberlost", but several elements remain that tie the two together. Laurie is a lovely country girl, both sweet and intelligent, brought up by a stern and seemingly hateful aunt (Marjorie Main) who promises her to a wealthy but brutish garment (Edward Pawley) who is killed right before their wedding, putting Parker's pal on trial. It us up to rising attorney Eric Linden to prove his innocence and during the trial, secrets and true emotions are revealed which change a lot of lives.Main's character, a cold-hearted mother in the original, has been made Parker's aunt and is obviously a reverse snob, against book learning and big city folk, such as the wealthy but kindly Betty Blythe who befriends Parker and becomes her mentor. Sarah Padden and George Cleveland offer comfort to Parker who turns to them for solace over Main's brutality. This is a simple story of human failings and the ability to forgive and atone. In several of Main's scenes, it is obvious that she is hiding her true emotions so it is easy to forgive her in her crueler moments. Parker is a sweet heroine, with Blythe excellent as the woman who helps her without question every chance she gets. Touching yet not maudlin, this is worth a look, and not a carbon copy of its predecessor.

Having seen and loved THE KEEPER OF THE BEES, I was happy to find another filmed version of a Gene Stratton-Porter story.This story centers of a young girl named Laurie (Jean Parker), raised in the limberlost (timbered swamp land in Indiana) by her bitter aunt (Marjorie Main). It seems Laurie's mother married the man the aunt wanted for herself.Laurie is a dreamy young lady who collects butterflies, reads books, and dreams of going to the city. One day she means a city lady lost in the swamp (Betty Blythe) and they become friends. She also meets a young man (Eric Linden) who has just graduated from law school.The local thug is also the area's richest man (Edward Pawley) who has his eye on Laurie since his wife is dead. He persuades the aunt to let him marry the girl by promising her money and clearing the mortgage debt on her shack. But Laurie has seen him beat a poor orphan boy he took in to work around his place. And she has fallen for the young lawyer.The aunt prevails by telling Laurie that her parents were never married and that the mother killed herself. She'll tell everyone if she doesn't marry the old man.At the joyless wedding, the townspeople stand around like statues because they are appalled the aunt has forced the girl into marriage with the brute. But the orphan boy changes everything when he threatens to shoot the old man.This is a low budget film from Monogram studio with lots of outside filming. Parker and Linden are excellent as the young couple. Former silent star, Betty Blythe, is warm as the caring lady. Pawley is appropriately snarky as the brute. Also good are Hollis Jewell as the orphan and George Cleveland and Sarah Padden as the store owners. But it's Marjorie Main as the grim aunt who turns in a great performance. There's not a whisper of humor in her Aunt Nora.Very enjoyable film with a good story and a solid cast.

Laurie (Jean Parker)lives in the Limberlost (swampy timberland found in the American south)with her Aunt Nora (Marjorie Main), who hates the girl because her mother married the man Nora had loved. Laurie's existence is much the same as a bonded servant and she gets no encouragement from her aunt as she tries to overcome her environment by studying. Laurie's only friends are the birds and animals of the forest, and a young boy named Chris (Hollis Jewell), a bound boy to Corson (Edward Pawley), a drunken, coarse bully who is the wealthiest man in the community. Laurie meets and falls in love with Wayne (Eric Linden)whose ambition is to become a lawyer.In the meantime, Corson, a widower, decides he wants to marry again and bargains with Nora to get Laurie as his bride. He promises to support Nora for the rest of her life in style and wealth. Laurie agrees to the forced marriage because Nora threatens to involve her dead mother in a scandal. Chris, secretly in love with Laurie, threatens to kill Corson before he will let him marry Laurie.On the night before the wedding, Chris follows Corson to the barn, with a gun, but the bully disarms him with a whip. Accidentally, Corson falls onto the gun which he has seized from Chris, and is killed.Chris is charged with murder, and Wayne agrees to defend him.

"Romance of the Limberlost", according to an article in a magazine review of very old Hollywood forgotten films was said to be "a lost film". I searched among my old 30's films for about 20 minutes and was surprised to find it. I thought I had it but I hadn't seen it for many years.Romance is a campestral tale that takes place in "The Limberlost" a swamp-like area in 1905.However, one never sees anything that even suggest a swamp.It is rather a rural setting, where Jean Parker(Laurie) is an innocent young girl who would rather commune with nature and her friends than work for her aunt,(in what is apparently a white slavery nightmare.)Marjorie Main plays the evil aunt who blackmails her niece with scandalous lies.There is a murder that brings a young boy to trial, his only friend and advocate is Jean Parker who entreats the help of a young lawyer (Eric Linden).This is not your average 1930's story and certainly nothing that one sees today.For that reason it is refreshing, and in its innocence concerning youth and wildlife-it is beautiful and extremely rare.