You are in: Home > Sections and films > Michael Powell


Michael Powell  
 


Gone to Earth


Izenburua EEBBetan/US Title/Título en EEUU: The Wild Heart
BFI NFTVA-TIK DATORREN KOPIA/COPY FROM BFI NFTVA/COPIA PROCEDENTE DE BFI NFTVA

Hazel is a child of nature living on the Shropshire borders at the turn of the century, the daughter of a blind harpist and haunted by her dead mother's superstitions. Although she is drawn to the sadistic squire, Jack Redding, she agrees to marry the meek Reverend Marston, but the conflict between these two is too great and she eventually plunges to her death, while being hunted along with her beloved fox.

David Selznick had initially proposed Gone to Earth as a vehicle for Jennifer Jones, on the strength of his enthusiasm for The Red Shoes, but was so dissatisfied with the resulting film that he cut it extensively and hired Mamoulian to reshoot scenes in America for a version known as The Wild Heart. With a colour palette and symbolic style boldly carried over from the theatre world of The Red Shoes to the Shropshire countryside, Gone to Earth constantly threatens to topple into cliché or caricature. What prevents this is the extraordinary energy and conviction of Jennifer Jones's performance - midway between her two great roles in Vidor's Duel in the Sun (1947) and Ruby Gentry (1952).
Ian Christie (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger: Arrows of Desire)

 

 


YEAR
  1950
PRODUCTION
  Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
London Films/The Archers/Vanguard Productions
DIRECTOR
  Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
SCREENPLAY
  Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
PHOTOGRAPHY
  Christopher Challis
MUSIC
  Brian Easdale
EDITION
  Reginald Mills
CAST
  Jennifer Jones (Hazel Woodus), David Farrar (Jack Redding), Cyril Cusack (Edward Marston), Sybil Thorndike (Mrs. Marston)
RUNNING TIME
  110 m.

 
Back
 

 


ASSOCIATE INSTITUTIONS


OFFICIAL SPONSOR




TECHNOLOGICAL BACK-UP

COLLABORATOR

OTHER SPONSORS