The Southerner (1945) {DVD Review}

Reviewed by Jason Lockard

During World War II, Jean Renoir fled Nazi-occupied France for America and tried his hand at making Hollywood films. Most agree the best of his films was The Southerner. Now the great folks at Alpha Video are giving all of us a chance to add this great film on DVD to our collections with their new release.

The film follows the life and times of a poor rural family, The Tuckers. Lead by father Sam Tucker (Zachary Scott) who is a Texan cotton picker. He dreams of owning his own farm and creating a better life for his family. Sam begins to work a neglected plot of land, but many problems arise, making it almost impossible for the Tuckers to get ahead. Will they ever get ahead? You'll have to see the film to find out! 

The screenplay is based on the 1941 novel Hold Autumn in your hand by George Sessions Perry, it is a beautifully written piece of cinema. The acting is superb. The direction by Jean Renoir is masterful! No wonder the film won National Board of Review Award for Best Director, Venice Film Festival Best Feature Film. And was nominated for Oscars in Best Director, Jean Renoir; Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Werner Janseen; Best Sound, Recording Jack Whitney.


The film is presented in full screen format. There is some imperfection in the picture. But the audio and video quality is not bad for a 1945 film.There is no bonus features, but for me to have a copy of this film on DVD is more than enough for me to call this a buy.

So if you love good human dramas as much as I do, The Southerner is one you must add to your collection. Head over to Oldies.com and pick up your copy today.



Moral Rating: nothing offensive
Audience: families
Genre: drama
Length: 92 minutes
DVD Released: 2018
DVD Rating: B