Of Human Hearts (1938)

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Absolutely the worst movie.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

First off I love most Jimmy Stewart movies Its a wonderful life,Harvey,The Man that shot Liberty Valance just to name a few. I first saw this movie on a classic channel but only got to watch the first 45 minutes or so and I had to leave. I didn't even catch the title so it took me awhile to run it down going through IMDb. Like one of the other reviewers said its whats wrong with America today. Do yourself a favor and watch this Movie excellent story keeps your attention all the way through.I just wish they made more movies like this today,The Guy that plays President Lincoln was excellent. I managed to find it only on VUDU which is Wal Marts PPV service, searched Amazon its only on VHS I sure hope somebody transfers this to DVD and some other old Titles I've been searching to find.

By the end of this "sudser", I was howling. Come on, folks, this is one ridiculous drama. I suppose that the first 30 minutes can be tolerated, but when Stewart keeps writing his mother to send him more money, I couldn't wait to see what item she was going to sacrifice next. The ring....the family horse...the whatever. I could easily picture an SNL sketch going bonkers with the concept.And the Lincoln interlude....WHAT??!! Let's stop EVERYTHING, and have ABRAHAM LINCOLN give the selfish main character a lecture on how to treat one's mother???? Definitely, a lesser Jimmy Stewart film. Sure, Bondi performs her standard role with the usual flourish, as do the other main stars, but the script is NOT to be believed.

i had read a lot about the film and recently got the chance to see it on TCM .BELULAH BONDI is really good and essays the role of a mother to perfection.the father's role is strange and scenes of corporal punishment avoidable.the old custom of giving the beating on the ass seems homosexual and incestuous today.he seems too strict and less practical.the father and son fight is quite interesting.the son on his part is insensitive and self centered and doesn't care for his mother's feelings which is evident from the scene where he throws away harper's magazines which his mother had subscribed for by selling two silver spoons.while his mother lives in poverty he squanders money on uniforms.the film is quite good.

I'm surprised when people talk about BAD movies made by GOOD actors this one never seems to be discussed. Clark Gable did the sappy Parnell, John Wayne did The Conquerer and Jet Pilot, and Humphrey Bogart did Swing Your Lady. So how did Jimmy Stewart get away with his participation in this stinker? I would say it is WORSE than at least Parnell and Swing Your Lady.So why is it so bad? Because it is irredeemably sappy from start to finish. No, wait. By the finish its sappiness goes off the Richter Scale when President Lincoln takes time out of his busy schedule to chide the impulsive Stewart into remembering how he broke his poor mother's heart!!! This is an even worse cameo by Lincoln than in the Shirley Temple flick, THE LITTLEST REBEL (1935)! So who else was wasted in this boring saccharine-fest? Beulah Bondi (who I generally like in movies) and Walter Huston (who has made many great films such as Dodsworth and Treasure of the Sierra Madre and some crappy ones such as Duel in the Sun and The North Star) were also tortured by starring in this picture. With Stewart and Bondi you understand that at this point neither were stars so I guess they had no choice but to be in this mess. But Walter Huston?! He'd just finished the greatest performance of his life in Dodsworth--don't you think he could have done ANYTHING to get out making this bomb?! FYI--Interesting trivia time! Walter Huston apparently starred in other terrible flicks, including the insipid movie Abraham Lincoln (1930). In fact, he played the lead in this movie destined for The 50 Worst Films book. This, combined with the Lincoln segment in Of Human Hearts proves that, other than John Wilkes Booth, no human being hated our 16th president more than Walter Huston!FYI Again--If you LIKE the sort of schmaltziness you see in this film, then try GRAND OLD GIRL--another old film that is just embarrassingly saccharine.