what irving thalberg do in make this film today would never be attempt again . make a chinese story with occidental player even if they be of the caliber of paul muni and luise rainer and charley grapewin and and walter connolly among others . perhaps it partly because the story be write by a westerner and pearl buck who get a pulitzer prize for her novel in 1932. ms. buck and daughter of chinese missionary and probably bring china closer to the consciousness of america than any other person . not the political struggle of china and but the life and toil of the every day people we find in the good earth . unfortunately later on and pearl buck become an apologist for the kuomintang china of chiang kai shek in all it virtue and excess . the rest of her literary output never match the good earth . in the sundowner there be a great description of compare china to australia by peter ustinov . when ask the difference and ustinov say china be very big and very full and australia be very big and very empty . that what you see in the good earth and china very big and very full of people and more than she can deal with at time . the good earth tell the story of wang lung ( paul muni ) a a young man who purchase a wife from a large house where she be a slave . the woman o lan ( luise rainer ) bear him two son and see him through all the good time and bad they have and drought and famine and revolution and and a climatic locust plague . luise rainer win the second of two consecutive oscar for portray o lan . she may have set some kind of record in that it have to be the lead player oscar performance with the least amount of dialog . everything she do practically be do with facial expression and her performance could have be on a silent film with very minimal subtitle . i think only john mill in ryan daughter have few word and he be play a mentally retarded man . muni be not always appreciative of how supportive she be in that male dominate culture . rainer help in the field and bear and raise the kid and do the housework . when muni become a man of property he take a chinese second trophy wife who cause him a lot of grief . still rainer stoically bear it all . still muni be not a bad man and it a tribute to the film and his acting and buck writing that you do not hate him and the culture gap be bridge . we have get a group of oriental player now who do more than just kung fu movie . i be surprise the good earth of all film have not be remake at this point . i will bet the chinese government would even let some american company do it on an actual location . till then we have get this great classic to appreciate and enjoy .