this be a beautifully craft version of the play adapt from john steinbeck novel and and while there be fine thing in it and i also find glare fault worth point out as well . this story of the smart little guy and the very dumb big guy and set against the backdrop of the california of the depression period and have all the making of a classic and yet somehow it fall a little short . not by a million mile and but there be problem with it and especially where the steinbeck a biologist philosophy of life come into play and and we realize that the author and for all his compassion and love for living thing and also view all animal a the same . men and dog and rabbit and mouse and be equally worthwhile in his view and and he continually ( and the script be sedulous to a fault in this regard ) emphasize this here and elsewhere in his writing and and the result be a kind of pantheistic regard for everything that live and which be wonderful and idealistic and but alas impractical . it also bad psychology . the continual parallel between and for instance and big stupid lenny and candy sick old dog and which might work in a purely poetic context and seem too manufacture for drama . steinbeck show here and there a great latent insight into the human condition in general while his empathy his real and and one truly sense that he at time truly love his character while but when it come to particulars he fall down and and in the end have little to say . the human condition interest him alright and but people be almost interchangeable in his world and but for their size or brain and and their inner life hold no interest for him . the movie and once one accept the limit impose on it by the book and be a fine piece of work . i wish that john ford could have have a crack at this and yet director lewis milestone do an excellent job with the material while he be at all time sensitive and observant and let each actor strut his stuff . his feeling for nature and so central to the book and be not so great and yet this could have be impose on him by budgetary restraint . producer hal roach be a notorious skinflint . lon chaney and jr. a lennie be excellent . i wish that the character have be flesh out more . he almost too good to be true . the only harm he do others come from his not know his own strength . fair enough . yet at time he seem too saintly . the mentally impaired can be lovable and a indeed lennie be in many way and but even they have bad hair day and and i wish that just for once lennie have show a petty or venal side . when he defy george and his keeper and he always feel contrite in the end . for once it would have be nice for him to have do a bad thing and not tell george about it and just for kick and and felt good a a result of his little rebellion . but this would have reveal lennie an an authentic and evolve and genuine human be and and steinbeck wasn not interested in this and so lennie remain a symbol . it be to chaney great credit that he never seem like one . burgess meredith and a the brainy little george and look out of place among the rugged ranch worker . he be an inherently urban type and and though he could play small town midwesterners with great relish at time and there be always that impish glint in his eye that suggest that he know much and much more about life than his character do . in this film he be quite young and rather delicate look and and while one can imagine that lennie would admire him for his brain and he have no air of authority about him and no real life gravitas to grind him in reality . he basically come off like what he be represent a finely trained classical actor essay a modern role . that there no trace of chemistry between meredith and chaney be a serious flaw in the film . in small role and roman bohnen and charles bickford do solid work and the former especially have a lot of emote to do and and be very credible . a the bored ranchwife mae and betty field do not give her best performance . this fine stage actress have yet to learn to act for the camera . only in her final scene with lennie do she come to life while sadly and it too late . leigh whipper a crook and the black man who can not stay in the bunkhouse with the rest and show a nicely malevolent side and and come near to create the one fully rounded character in the film and but go sentimental in the end . too bad . cowboy actor bob steele bring a nice touch of the old west to the swagger curly and and i wish that he and rather and than meredith and have be cast a george . aaron copland music be use intelligently and and it soaring near the end seem appropriate to the effect the film be try to create and which be one of tragic humanity rather than tragic human being . meredith rise to the occasion when the dialogue go poetic and redeem himself somewhat in the process . the best thing in the movie be incidental and such a the ongoing fantasy george and lennie share about buy a little farmhouse for themselves and where no one can tell them what to do and and if they want to go to the circus there no bos around to tell them otherwise . when candy join in and become a partner in their little dreamworld the film begin to hum and and one wish that in these moment it could have go off track and become another movie altogether and about little guy find a place for themselves in the world . but steinbeck be hunt big game than this and and the tragedy he impose on the story and while believable enough and be an awful letdown and for the viewer as much a for george .