The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1936)

Just perfect...

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The film, shot mostly outdoors, starts out a bit dated. (Sylvia Sydney and family come across slightly comic...) But then...one gets caught up in the real agony of these fictionalized Hatfield and McCoy families... They've feuded and murdered each others...for years. Beulah Bondi (the mom) is the visual barometer of this murderous situation. She, almost like an inner city mom of a teen male, expects the bullet which will take out her beloved family member (young Henry Fonda). SPOILER: Spanky McFarland is the charming little boy who is the center of attention...and his later death sparks the agonizing actions of the main characters.Recommended: Suitable for family viewing...for any film buffs of old time quality color movies---and for schools/homeschools where they wish to discuss a quality film about unforgiveness, unresolved hate, and the damage it does to later generations.

I bought a video of this film on Amazon.com after reading the 1908 novel by John Fox Jr. and enjoying it very much. I waited 4 whole months for Amazon to locate a copy and ship it to me. Then I settled down to watch it and almost fell asleep. I was disappointed after all that wait.Sylvia Sidney and Fred MacMurray were terribly miscast as the leads June and Jack, Fred more so than Sylvia. Henry Fonda was very good as Dave, although his lines were hokey. The script was not true to the book at all; that was the main problem. All the protective tenderness the lead male Jack felt for the girl June, so beautifully portrayed in the novel, was totally missing in Fred MacMurray's performance. And then to top it off they had little Spanky from the Our Gang series in it as the little brother of June, his chubby face and coy demeanor were distractions from the main action of the story. The songs that were sung were annoying too; had no place in the story. It would have been better if they had spent money on a better musical soundtrack without characters singing all the time, especially in dramatic scenes. What were they thinking? (no doubt, of sheet music sales). Some outdoor scenes were beautiful filmed in color but that alone cannot hold the viewer's interest in the movie. Even the significance and symbolism of the Pine Tree in June and Jack's relationship wasn't portrayed in the film as it should have been.Anyway, my advice here is to skip the film and just read the book and enjoy it. Since this story is in the public domain it could really be updated today and make a nice film. Maybe someday some studio or independent filmmaker will consider it. There were 4 silent versions and an animated version made prior to this film, so obviously the story is a classic one that can be enjoyed by new generations, if told well and with sensitivity and faithfulness to the book by John Fox.

I saw this movie when I was 15 years old and never forgot it; I now have a copy of it and watch it often and enjoy it as much as when it first came out in 1936.

The Trail of the Lonesome Pine is a beautiful tear-jerker.The characters are simple and honest. The setting is in hill-billy country. The simple folk there are trying to prevent a railroad running through their area and upsetting their way of life. To add to their stress is a continual family feud. In this movie we see the best and the worst in people. The acting is top-notch. A handkerchief is a must for this movie.