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Touches You

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I tuned into this film on TCM expecting to see a familiar prairie epic about Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy fighting the heroic fight against the elements. What I got was a film about two flawed and vulnerable human beings who made a series of disastrously bad personal and parental decisions. Even though there was a lot of talk about Col. Brewton's (Tracy) attachment to the "grass"and being a cattleman, the story of the Brewton's failed marriage could have taken place in Baltimore. It was nice to see both Hepburn and Tracy acting in flawed ways and out of character. From the looks of it, Tracy was uncomfortable in the role. But Hepburn is the better actor here and her predicament is more poignant. It's an odd and interesting film that's well worth seeing.

"The Sea of Grass" is a most insightful, intelligent film. The heart of the conflict is basically that of hopeful homesteaders wanting to plant crops and raise their families on the new land--with the opposing side foretelling of the ruin of the land that was essentially "meant" for cattle grazing, not crop planting.It's a potent conflict, with both sides falling short on some important issues, and both sides eventually learning from one another. What cattle baron Spencer Tracey predicted would happen, comes to pass. Yet, the new land is very much going to be farmed by new pioneers. It's a fact of evolution, and nothing can stop it. Only conservation measures weren't adhered to, and farming preceded, at Judge Melvyn Douglas' assistance, without the necessary safeguards put into place.The script deftly weaves into this situation a touching human element, by way of Tracy's marriage to Katherine Hepburn. They come to symbolize the ideological conflict and the great toll it takes on their marriage and lives.Long considered an average to below average film in many quarters, it has increased in value over the years. The Dish Network rated it 3 1/2 out of 4 stars, and many viewers are finding enhanced value in it. Beautifully acted, directed, photographed and mounted, "The Sea of Grass" is finally coming into its own. True at 121 minutes, it could have been trimmed a bit, yet it is a film of which its director need not have held in low esteem.The rest of the cast--including Robert Walker and Phyllis Thaxter--all do commendable jobs. It's a notable piece of work that's growing in stature every year.

This movie is tough to love. Partly this is due to the setting of the film (nothing but grasslands as far as the eyes can see), but most of it is because the two main characters are so flawed and unlikable. In some ways this unlikability is good, as too often Hollywood films of the 30s and 40s present people in a "black/white" fashion and people who fall somewhere towards the middle are seldom seen. However, such "gray" characters are tough to bond with or care about, so I can understand why the film makers generally avoided this. Katherine Hepburn seems like a good character through much of the film, but midway through it, she shows a self-centeredness that make it tough to really see the tragedy in her life. Her initially living with the cruel and lawless Tracy is unforgivable, but her having an affair and then leaving her kids (one the bastard) with Tracy and not seeing them for almost 20 years make her very, very tough to like. Tracy, on the other hand, does stay to care for his kids--but in a very self-serving fashion. He is an emotionally constricted and yet over-indulgent father. As a human being, he's a lot worse--killing or nearly killing farmers because he saw the plains as his own personal property. The central message that eventually these farmers contributed to the destruction of the plains is lost--Tracy's not fighting against the farmers due to any love of nature or a desire to preserve the land. No, he's just a greedy rancher that will do ANYTHING to keep the land without fences.Despite the problems with the characters, the film is exquisitely filmed--with some of the more beautiful camera shots I've seen in a long time. This film is worth seeing, but not one I would recommend you rush to see.

"The Sea of Grass" showed up on cable recently and out of curiosity, we watched it, based on the great director at the helm, and the cast involved in it. Unfortunately, Elia Kazan wasn't up to the task of directing the Conrad Richter novel about the post pioneering days. In fact, this film sort of falls flat as neither Mr. Kazan, or its stars, show any semblance they were much interested in the project.One would imagine that to bring together Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn to play the leading roles would inspire the rest of the cast, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. The film is, by no means, a total failure, on the contrary, but there are no sparks in it to keep the viewer interested.As someone remarked in this forum, we don't get anything from the Colonel and Lutie in the way of love, from the start. For the romance they were living on the sly, the stars don't light up for the camera to give us a hint they are in love in real life. The only one that shows any spunk is Melvin Douglas, who as Brock, can't hide his love for Lutie. The supporting cast is good, with some excellent minor performances by Phyllis Thaxter, Edgar Buchanan, Ruth Nelson, James Bell, and the rest.Watch "The Sea of Grass" if there's nothing better playing at the same time.