American Cinematographer - May 1990 - 42

and his father. Betty Field's part in
life goes well beneath the surface.

bringing Mae to

Perfectly realized for the screen is a se¬
quence of close-ups in the barn when Mae and
Lennie - each lost in their own reveries and pay¬
ing no attention to the other - tell one another
about their hopes for the future. The murder which
follows is depicted with less on-screen brutality than
is shown in the play, concentrating instead on
Lennie's terrified face. These and Meredith's final

retelling of Lennie's favorite story are the most
forceful dramatic highlights.
Despite the tragedy that dominates the pic¬
ture, it is curiously uplifting. There are numerous
instances of fun and comradeship. Bickford's por¬
trayal of Slim - a prime example of Steinbeck's gift
for creating nobility out of common clay-sets forth
the presence of reason and understanding in a hard
George tells Lennie
-again -about

tries to console him and

the rabbits.

hand on her hair, so he can see how soft it is, then
becomes upset because he's mussing it. Both are
terrified. When Mae screams, Lennie puts his hand
over her mouth and in an instant she is dead.
Lennie runs to the river bend. By the time a

they are talking about
their dreams for the future. Mae places Lennie's
soon

posse has been formed George already has stolen
Carlson's pistol and hurried to the rendezvous. He
calms Lennie's fears and tells him to look across the
river and he will tell him about their farm so clearly
that he will be able to see it. At the moment when
Lennie cries jubilantly that he can see the farm and
the rabbits, George kills him. The posse arrives and

everybody congratulates George for bringing the
justice. Only Slim realizes the truth.
Of Mice and Men, which was released on

murderer to

New Year's Eve, 1939, was the first Steinbeck story
to reach the screen; The Grapes of Wrath followed on

March 15. Both are masterpieces, which can hardly
be said of subsequent adaptations of Steinbeck
works.
The few censor-demanded compromises
made in adapting Of Mice and Men are more than

world. Even the mildest viewer can derive sadistic
satisfaction from watching the hated Curley flail
about while Lennie squashes his hand to a pulp. As
for Lennie, however dangerous and even frighten¬

ing, he is developed by Chaney with such sensitiv¬
ity as to be one of the best-loved of all movie char¬
acters

-

a

remarkable feat.

Probably the most extraordinary thing
about Of Mice and Men is that after half a century it
retains its strength, even in the face of massive
parody. Chuck Jones' Of Fox and Hounds (1940) and
Tex Avery's Lonesome Lennie (1947) are the best of
the many animated cartoons inspired by Lennie and
George. Even Chaney did a reluctant but hilarious
send-up of Lennie in the Bob Hope-Dorothy
Lamour comedy, My Favorite Brunette (1947).
Yet, once we get into the heart of Of Mice
and Men, it becomes easy to laugh with Lennie but
hard to laugh at him. The ambience is so authentic,
the characters so real, the performances so true, the
photography so understanding, the music so sear¬
ing that only the most flint-hearted can fail to shed
a tear at the moment of Lennie's
triumphant decla¬
ration that he

can see

the rabbits at last.

A

compensated for by intrinsic values peculiar to the
film medium. There are many scenes not possible
to achieve on the stage: exteriors of big skies, of sun
and shade on rolling hills, of men and machines

working in the barley fields, and of a big steam
locomotive pulling an interminable train. The tell¬
ing moves and selective compositions of the cam¬
era, the intimacy of close-ups and of whispered
dialogue add to the drama.

direction, Nicolai Remisoff; interior decorations, W. L. Stevens;
sound

recording, William Randall; wardrobe supervision; Harry

Black; assistant director, Nate Watt; make-up artist, Ernie Young;

Also, certain characterizations are better
or play, most notably that of

property master, Joe MacDonald; still photographer, Tom Evans.
Running time, 106 minutes. Released December 30. 1939. Initial re¬

Curley's wife. A nameless menace originally, she
was
given a name in the picture along with more

prints in Sepiatone.
George, Burgess Meredith; Mae, Betty Field; Lennie, Lon
Chaney Jr.; Slim, Charles Bickford; Candy, Roman Bohnen (cour¬
tesy of Group Theatre of New York); Curley, Bob Steele; Whit, Noah
Beery Jr.; Jackson, Oscar O'Shea; Carlson, Granville Bates; Crooks,
Leigh Whipper; Girls, Barbara Pepper, Henriette Kay, Helen

than either book

understandable motivations. Here she represents
trouble, but is not in herself villainous, merely a

lonely and not-too-bright small-town girl with
rhinestone dreams. She is not
not be

40

Hal Roach presents Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck;
through United Artists; produced and directed by Lewis
Milestone; screen play by Eugene Solow; from the stage play pro¬
duced by Sam H. Harris and staged by George S. Kaufman; associ¬
ate producer, Frank Ross; director of photography, Norbert Brodine,
ASC; photographic effects, Roy Seawright; musical score by Aaron
Copland; conducted by Irvin Talbot; film editor, Bert Jordan; art

released

so

low-browed

as

to

appalled at the noisy table manners of Curley

American

Cinematographer

lease

Lind; Aunt Clara, Leona Roberts; Bus Driver, Eddie Dunn; Sheriff,
Howard

Mitchell; Hand, John Beach; Old Hand, Silver Tip Baker;

Dog, Rex.

May 1990
American Cinematographer - May 1990

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