Henry Hathaway’s 1941 version of this oft-filmed adaptation of Harold Bell Wright’s 1907 novel is an early Technicolor production that truly looks sublime in this Blu-ray presentation. Set in the Ozarks, the film stars John Wayne as rugged Matt, raised by a family of moonshiners following the disappearance of his father and death of his mother. Shadowed by a sense of rootlessness and lack of family honor, Matt carries a chip on his shoulder, is fiercely protective of his mother's memory, and doesn’t feel as though he can wed the lovely Sammy (Betty Field) despite their obvious love for one another. When Matt’s brittle, angry aunt and doddering uncle sell the parcel of land his mother lived on to a stranger named Mr. Howitt (Harry Carey), Matt is furious and tries to chase the outsider away. But Howitt proves a gentle presence in the community, with some medical knowledge and peacemaking skills. However, the truth about his full identity takes a while to reveal.
The film is not only gorgeous to look at but fascinating in many ways. Dialogue often has an idiosyncratic flair, some kind of Ozark mountain-speak peculiar to a community far removed from the rest of the world. Several scenes prove highly memorable, especially one in which a blind matriarch (Marjorie Main) returns from sight-restoring medical treatment and sees her family and neighbors for the first time—feeling as if she has seen everyone’s souls, for better and worse. Betty Field is a striking presence, somehow always garbed in pretty dresses, and her character resembles a forest creature, skittering rapidly from one vantage point to another. There are moments when the light in this film has a polished gloss to it that is extraordinary. Strongly recommended.