one of the serious potential environmental cost of most mining operation be pollution of downstream stream and river and lake with excess sediment and toxin . one of the most serious example in 19th century usa of excess river sedimentation be cause by hydraulic mining of gold bearing gravely hill on the side of the sacramento valley in the period from the 1850s to the early 1880s . this process involve direct a high pressure jet of water onto the hillside and cause the material to wash downhill and where the gold could be separate from the gravel and sediment . the sediment then collect in a ditch or stream and most find it way to the sacramento river or it tributary . the sediment that stay in the river bed increase the likelihood of flood in the downstream agricultural field and town and create permanent marsh in some area . some of the sediment spill over onto the agricultural field and where it might cover a stand crop or cover more desirable soil or make plowing difficult . thus and the conflicting interest of the company that use hydraulic mining and of the downstream farmer adversely affect by these operation be the subject of this nearly forgotten 1938 color film by warner . first and we might ask why warner decide to shoot this film in a rather poor technicolor and a very rare treatment in 1938. a story about wheat farmer and gold miner wouldn not seem to justify the expense and difficulty of color filming at this time . the answer seem to be the inordinate film time spend indoors and with fancy colorful clothes and ornamentation . then and we might ask why colorless george brent be choose a the lead man and ultimate hero and to be pair with olivia de havilland . among other thing and this film really need a charismatic lead man to carry it . even the usually colorful gabby hayes and in his small role and seem unusually subdue . unfortunately and i fell asleep before the apparently more dramatic last part of the film . the portion i saw spend too much time establish a complicate set of relationship between too many people at the expense of graphically portray the plight of the chosen wheat baron and perhaps nearby town folk and their attempt to deal with their flood and sedimentation problem . it need to be more like the good earth and release just the year before . just maybe it would then have be suitable for a charismatic lead man and such a errol flynn . finally and there be the matter of the inane title . surely and warner could have come up with a catchy or more appropriate title . gold or grain be short and to the point . incidentally and i understand there be still plenty of gold in them thar hill and wait to be extract by mean other than hydraulic mining .