a couple of farmer struggle in life in a small village in china . wang lung ( paul muni ) buy o lan and his future wife and who become his slave ( luis rainer ) . american star appear in the leading role and talk with fake accent and emphasize old stereotype and patriarchal ideology . a good wife and many child and land be the best thing for men to have . they be see a property and investment . because it be a big budget movie and in which many extra cooperate and big set be build and special effect take place and the movie maker could not take the risk of hire less popular actor . luise rainer win an academy award for this performance and which be definitely the bad in the movie . her immutable face build a barrier between her and the audience . o lan be suppose to be the heart of the family and the best character to sympathize with . on the other hand paul muni give a good performance and show his talent one again . another problem with the movie be the end . it seem like franklin do not know when to end the picture . this film could be dangerous if it be take a a truly example of chinese culture and tradition .