The Farmer's Daughter

1947 "A Gal with Cultivating Ways!"
7.2| 1h37m| NR| en
Details

After leaving her family's farm to study nursing in the city, a young woman finds herself on an unexpected path towards politics.

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

All Prime Video Movies and TV Shows. Cancel anytime. Watch Now

Trailers & Clips

Reviews

Karry Best movie of this year hands down!
Onlinewsma Absolutely Brilliant!
Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.
Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.
blanche-2 Loretta Young and Joseph Cotten star in The Farmer's Daughter, a 1947 film also starring Ethel Barrymore and Charles Bickford.Young, in a role originally intended for Ingrid Bergman, won an Oscar for her portrayal of Katie Holstrom, a young woman who lives on a farm with her family. She saves her money and goes off to the big city to become a nurse. Unfortunately, thanks to taking a ride from someone who once worked for her family, she ends up loaning him her money and he won't pay her back. So she takes a temporary job as a second maid in the house of a Congressman (Cotten) until she can save enough for school.It turns out that Katie is pretty outspoken when it comes to politics and, not only that, knows her stuff. When a congressman dies, Katie goes to a rally for the replacement that the party has put forward and embarrasses him with her questions. Political leaders from the other side are impressed and want her to run against him.It's always fascinating to me, and a little sad, that films with political themes, no matter how old they are, always seem timely. I guess that's where the term "politics as usual" comes from, though no one adds "for the last hundred years." In this film, 100$ American is described by Finley, the party's candidate, as "white, not foreign born, of the right religion." Now tell me that couldn't be a scene today. The search for dirt is in this film, as is all the back office manuevering.Loretta Young as a blond is every bit as beautiful as she was as a brunette, and she is a delight as the efficient, intelligent Katie. One can easily see how Joseph Cotten could fall for her. Ethel Barrymore, as Cotten's mother and the widow of a political great, does a wonderful job, strong-willed, clever, and no-nonsense. Charles Bickford, as the family's butler and friend is excellent as tough taskmaster who is nevertheless very impressed with his new charge.This is a very warm film with a terrific cast that will give you some chuckles and make you realize that the more things change, the more they remain the same - in politics. In movies - well, that's another matter.
PudgyPandaMan I love the premise of this movie - not only is a woman running for Congress, but she's the daughter of an immigrant, and on top of it, she is currently employed as a maid! Talk about aspirations and dreaming big! Not too bad considering women just won the right to vote in 1920 and this movie was released in 1947. "Women's participation in national political life remained low long after the right to vote was gained in 1920. No more than two women served in the Senate at any time until 1994, and fewer than a dozen were Congressional Representatives until 1955. Current representation is 16 senators and 67 representatives, around 15% of the United States Congress." (Wikipedia - History of Women in The U.S.) And here we are some 60+ years since this movie and we have a woman running for President!But I think this film was ahead of its time showing a woman running for Congress in the 40's. I'm sure it must have raised a few eyebrows in spite of its success and awards. I'm sure there were detractors in its day that dismissed the premise as foolishness or pure Hollywood fantasy. Either way, it is a great movie that stands the test of time and is just as relevant today (especially being an election year).Happy viewing!
krorie This one's a winner all the way, not a silly comedy but a wry comment on American politics then, before, and since with some humor sprinkled in every now and then. Too bad there aren't more like Katrin Holstrom and Glenn Morley on Capitol Hill. Strange this movie based on a play and directed by a man noted more for stage direction than for film direction should play like a movie should play and not be just another stage play on celluloid. Also the romantic attraction between Katrin and Glenn seems natural with no saccharine added.Talk about a cynical approach to mass political rallies to introduce new candidates for popular vote: Joseph Clancy (Charles Bickford) seeing that Katrin Holstrom (Loretta Young) is confused about what is happening before her eyes remarks that the crowd will approve thunderously of anything said aloud. He proceeds to stand up and yell "Fish for Sale" and the entire auditorium roars with unequivocal approval.And what acting down to the minutest part. Loretta Young deservedly won best actress. Charles Bickford was nominated and should have won best supporting actor. He stands tall above them all and competition is heavy in this flick. You have to be on your toes to out act the likes of Ethel Barrymore and Joseph Cotten, two of the finest acting talents ever, but Loretta Young and Charles Bickford succeed in doing just that.This is one of those pictures that Hollywood used to make that is fun from start to finish with surprising twists and turns from time to time. Though all comes out well in the finish, getting there is worth the journey. Plus this happy ending fits and is not just tacked on for custom and tradition. This little film actually speaks more appropriately for what is good in America than movies with more ballyhoo such as "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington."
rlawrence44 Loretta Young and Joseph Cotten's talented work in this genre of Hollywood leftism. An apt display of its' penchant for the disdain of capitalism, and the glorification of the common working man, there are scenes with script reminiscent of the writings of Karl Marx. It's typical portrayal of populism is typical of the thinking of the Hollywood left that was and still is prevalent to this day. See this film as a set-piece for the views of the era, and its' communist leanings. Young is an attractive and idealistic immigrant, albeit with leftist leanings who sees an establishment corrupt because it doen't guarantee a living wage to all,even as she agrees that one should be responsible for ones own security. It falsely portrays a political machine that allows sinister establishment characters to prey on the public, while idealistic candidate Katie only wants the best for the common man,who has been duped by the establishment.Pure Eugene Debbs propaganda. Cotten is among that establishment, that as a matter of birth, he has been incorporated into the capitalist rip-off, but comes to realize the error of his ways in an epiphany of love of the innocent Katie. Young plays Katie,a wise and sweet maid servant turned political" do gooder" candidate. All and all, a totally implausible script, but wonderfully Hollywood, and totally conformed to the political left leanings of the elite who rule Hollywood, then and now.