Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Megamind To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

LobotomousMonk An ironic theme runs through this first American Renoir film - Fear Nature! Obviously, Zanuck and 20thC. Fox could have cared less about what Renoir had developed in his oeuvre up to that point. What mattered to them was that he had a reputation. Of course, in effect Zanuck could have found out Wayne Gretzky was a great athlete and so handed him a baseball bat requesting grand slam homeruns. Despite the troubles with the ignorant Hollywood producers, Renoir managed to direct a film and tell a story that is endearing and enduring. He also purveyed as much of his stylistic grace as was possible under the conditions (but it wasn't much). Great depth of field is utilized but conformed to a Hollywood brand of specularity - the gaze of the Other! Overall, Renoir has his hands tied as shot-reverse-shot systems, one-shot closeups, plan americain shot scales and decoupage classique continuity dominate. Even rear projection is used for the sky! When the camera isn't sneaking through the swamp representing the gaze of the other, the story is allowed to be told fluidly. Brutality versus chastity, God versus nature, redemption versus utilitarianism all have something strongly connected to Renoir's oeuvre. Brutality/Chastity in Swamp Water plays out at the bar and in Renoir's silent films like La Fille. God/Nature is continuously at play with Renoir especially in his inclusion of tropes like the river and the Pan character while in Swamp Water prayer can miraculously heal snake bites. Redemption/Utilitarianism was at the center of La Chienne, M. Lange, Bas Fonds and Marseillaise while in Swamp Water it is appropriated for familial relationships where one father uses his reputation to protect his kin and another father must redeem his reputation to do the same. Are these big ideas and themes dumbed-down then in Swamp Water? I believe that they are at the service of an audience that promotes film as escapist first and foremost. Therefore, the themes are played out with depth, but require some bushwhacking and personal exploration to access those deeper meanings. This film gets a lift from great acting (thank Renoir for that). Polyvocal systems from films like Illusion are replaced in Swamp by polytonal systems of Ben who speaks one way with the tom-girl (big papa), another with the blondie (suave romantic) and another with his father (whipping boy). This polytonal form contributes to added psychological identification. The rear projection was surely enjoyed by Zanuck while he was making love to his blow-up doll and munching on a Big Mac. The ascetic based answers provided for issues of freedom and justice are quaint for a contemporary viewer. Another inversion from Renoir's French work to Swamp Water is in its politics of justice where crime of necessity (M. Lange) is domesticated into crimes of opportunity while the revolutionary spirit of agitation disrupting order is status quoed into agitation ordering disruption. It might seem that this film is common, corny or campy... but Swamp Water somehow makes it out alive (like its characters from the swamps). For a North American viewer, the direction of Renoir leads to a fluid and clear telling of a story that has inherent appeal from the New World value system and is perhaps relayed better through the Frenchman than through a Hollywood director.

Martin Teller Being an early role for Dana Andrews, he gets 4th billing despite unequivocally being the center of the film. I've looked at some reviews on IMDb and his performance seems to be universally praised. I have to disagree... the character is somewhat dim, but Andrews doesn't play it that way. Perhaps he can't mask the intelligence behind his eyes, or maybe it's the way he seems to keep losing his phony Georgia accent, or maybe I'm just used to him in noir roles, but he never felt right to me. Of the top three actors, both Walter Huston and Anne Baxter are good but underutilized. Linda Darnell was initially slated for the Baxter role, and I think her smouldering sensuality might have given the character some edge -- though I'm not sure if she could have pulled off the earthiness. Surprisingly, it's Walter Brennan who I wanted to see more of. Usually the annoying old coot sidekick, here he displays a range and depth that shows off his abilities. It's a character we don't get to see nearly enough, but one with a complex morality. In the final moments of the film, we're not sure how to feel about his particular brand of justice. As for the story (Andrews is a trapper who discovers accused murderer Brennan hiding out in the swamp), it has a few speedbumps but for the most part it's pretty engaging. One does long for more of those scenes with Andrews and Brennan, and I didn't care quite as much about Andrews in town. The photography is a bit uneven... the swamp scenes are gorgeous and a few other shots stand out, but a lot of it seems flat. Overall, though, I was quite taken with this film.

Alex da Silva Walter Brennan (Tom Keefer) has been on the run and made a life for himself in the Georgia swamplands after being wrongly accused of murder. Dana Andrews (Ben) comes across him when he goes looking for his dog and an alliance is formed. However, the townsfolk soon discover that Brennan is still alive as Andrews lets a few things slip to his girlfriend Virginia Gilmore (Mabel). It's up to Andrews to prove that Brennan is innocent and re-introduce him into society.The film starts well as we find ourselves in the swamplands being directed by Jean Renoir with layers of depth to every shot. It's a great beginning, it's just a shame that the beginning section of the film couldn't have been maintained all the way through. We needed to spend more time in the swamp. The story in the town takes up the majority of time of the film.....and it shouldn't...Almost everyone has an accent in this film which is a hindrance at times. Talk properly! Walter Huston as Andrews' father (Thursday) and Virginia Gilmore were the best of the cast and I think we needed more from these characters. Gilmore was gloriously spiteful and bitchy and Huston was broody and just ready to erupt, but sadly never got the chance to really let go at someone. The cast all do well but the story seemed to come to an end rather quickly. It would have been more effective to build more tension and see a confrontation between Brennan and the townsfolk.There's a good scene where Brennan gets bitten in the face by a snake and we have a touching moment as Andrews prepares to bury him. The film needed more swamp action.

GManfred Went an' bought me this here DVD but 'taint as good as I hoped, ah reckon. Yep, might oughta got stuck for a wad o'money.To tell you the truth, I don't know what I was thinking but I thought that IMDb's (over)rating of this picture would foretell some lively entertainment. I don't know why I thought a movie about backwoods country folk would be either lively or entertaining and I should have gone with my first instinct. It had an impressive cast, a renown director and a screenplay by Dudley Nichols - what more could you ask for.Well, for one thing, a more compelling story. Apparently, not an awful lot happens in that neck of the woods. There was a fist fight, some arguing among the locals and a country dance. Oh, and John Carradine tried to hit on Walter Huston's wife. Most of the story is devoted to a character study between Dana Andrews, a passable actor, and Walter Brennan, a better one. Brennan is the nominal star of the picture as a fugitive from justice, but no one pursues him or even looks for him. But Huston, America's best film actor, is severely underutilized. To watch him was the main reason I bought the movie. It seems to have been filmed mostly on a soundstage with a couple of outdoor shots thrown in and has the feel of a filmed stageplay.Well, ya cain't win 'em all. And I ain't recommendin' this pitcher to ya ennaways because it ain't interestin'. And that's a natchrel fact.