after see the southerner for the first time and i have a number of reactionsnegative . 1 ) the title be a desperate marketing ploy by united artist to find an audience for a film that must have be a severe marketing challenge . the film ( and the novel and hold autumn in your hand and by george session perry and on which the movie be base ) actually be set in texas and which be not the same place a alabama or north carolina while but the southerner have a chauvinistic appeal that must have attract some regional viewer . ( 2 ) i recall a critic remark about a late legendary film ( in an entirely different way ) and heavens gate to paraphrase represent in hollywood and the poor be more virtuous than the rich because theyre more photogenic . ( 3 ) the conclusion of the film be quite as artificial a the tack on end of john ford the grape of wrath ( 1941 ) and but without ma joad conviction . where be jane darwell when you need her . ( 4 ) a couple of hispanic ( texas and right . ) but not a single african american in this south . somewhere and jesse helm be smile . the southerner be widely praise when it come out in 1945 ( and continue to earn admirer ) because it be so different from hollywood traditional portrayal of the south and play on the liberal and proletarian sympathy of certain audience and critic . hollywood have try to address the plight of southern cotton cropper before ( michael curtiz cabin in the cotton and 1932 and and ford tobacco road and 1941 ) but the southerner do so without drown in cabin sociological balance or ford force humor . the earnestness of the film be a large part of it appeal . the reputation of jean renoir also be responsible for the high mark this film receive . renoir have make a southern film earlier swamp water and in 1941 and perhaps he find the region interesting . no doubt he find the human drama of the tucker family a fitting subject and but the result do not show any special insight to time and place . ( renoir apparently rewrote hugo butler original script and from perry novel and and two southern bear writer and william faulkner and nunnally johnson and apparently have some input into the screenplay as well . ) my big problem with the film be simply that the people be too pretty and the story too pat . i do not know that joel mccrea or any hollywood lead man of that era would have be more appropriate than zachary scott in the role of sam tucker and but scott and the entire cast be just not convince . one can not get over the impression that these be well mean actor rather than real people . j. carrol naish and usually a very convincing actor and come close to nail his character and but play the s. o. b. be usually easy than portray the s. o. e. ( salt of the earth ) . beulah bondi and norman lloyd be waste caricature . in the end and the southerner fail to convince because the filmmaker fail to deal with the real dilemma of the family whose cotton crop have be destroy by a flood . i want to know how these people be go to survive the loss of a year hard work . these people be in real trouble . instead and we get an inspirational keep on keepin on message that mute the tragedy of this family loss . it rather insult and really and to both the audience and to the real cropper who have to deal with such a precarious existence and year in and year out . i do not know that there ever be a film that effectively deal with this aspect of american life and culture and but if you really want to know about the people that the southerner purport to portray and make the time to read james agee classic rumination and let u now praise famous men and which include the move photograph by walker evans . addendum represent june 19 and 2009 represent i have recently read hold autumn in your hand and on which the southerner be base and and the book only reinforce my view that the film be hollywood proletarian schmaltz well meaning and but a slick and sanitized portrayal of this culture . the book itself end a bit abruptly and with a happy end that only a little less contrive than the film . if you be interested in this aspect of american culture and however and it a decent and quick read while and there a good movie to be make from hold autumn in your hand .