Originally submitted at WB Shop
An endearing and quietly rhapsodic slice of Americana about a single year among the Norwegian immigrants in a Wisconsin farm town, Our Vines Have Tender Grapes enthralled 1945 audiences and critics with its timeless joys. Told from the viewpoint of little Selma (Margaret O’Brien), the film explores...
Against Type: Edward G. Robinson Shines!
Pros: Classic, Original, High Production Value, Wholesome
Best Uses: Adult Viewers, Younger Viewers
Describe Yourself: Movie Buff
Like some of his contemporaries (James Cagney,Humphrey Bogart) Edward G. Robinson was often pigeonholed as a tough guy or a hoodlum. However, once he had a chance to break out of those roles, he really ran with the chance.
"Our Vines Have Tender Grapes" was Robinson's chance. The story is set in a small Wisconsin farming community in the 1940's. Robinson plays Martinius Jacobson, a Norwegian farmer with a young daugher, Selma (played by Margaret O'Brien) and a wife (played by a young Agnes Moorehead, long before "Bewitched").
First time viewers will be struck by the relative lack of "plot" in this movie. Rather than an overarching plot, this movie is more of a slice of life, showing Martinius, his wife, Selma and a neighbor child and other people in the community as they live their lives in Benson Junction.
Perhaps the most striking feature of the film is the gentle, loving and, yes, tender relationship between Martinius and Selma. Selma's changing world, and the beginning of her growth from a small girl to a young woman, provides the viewer with a number of touching moments and memorable scenes.
I have always been struck by the Hollywood studios' apparent fearlessness in telling stories that would never make it past the front gate, for better or for worse, in today's studio culture. "Our Vines Have Tender Grapes" is one of those movies. A simple, sweet story to watch on a weekend afternoon.
Robinson, O'Brien and Moorehead
Tags: Production still
(legalese)
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