A Man's Castle

1933

1h 10m

Romance

List

71%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

77%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

In this Depression-era drama, the gruff and homeless Bill (Spencer Tracy) decides to help out the beautiful, destitute Trina (Loretta Young). Trina falls for Bill, and they set up house together in a shantytown, but he longs to get out of New York City and hit the open road. When Trina discovers she's pregnant, Bill plans to rob a toy store with a shifty drifter named Bragg (Arthur Hohl) in order to leave her with money. But will the scheme pan out?

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Richard Brody

New Yorker

Filming the streetwise action and the colorful, caustic language from Jo Swerling's script, the director, Frank Borzage, finds sanctified tenderness in the poignant absurdities and grubby brutalities of gutter-level striving.

Feb 6, 2017

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Variety Staff

Variety

Some of the wisecracks Tracy is called upon to read are of the roughest, most inconsiderate kind.

Mar 26, 2009

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Mordaunt Hall

New York Times

Even though Frank Borzage in his direction of Man's Castle... gives an occasional fleeting reminder of his successful silent film, "Seventh Heaven," the story is by no means as plausible or as poetic as that memorable old work.

Mar 3, 2007

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Helen Brown Norden

Vanity Fair

Bathetic and fantastic as the story may seem, it finds redemption in Mr. Borzage's at times inspired direction and in the genuinely fine and understanding performances of Spencer Tracy, as Bill, and Loretta Young, as Trina.

Jun 11, 2019

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Michael E. Grost

Classic Film and Television

Haunting, magical romance set in the Depression.

Aug 5, 2013

Full Review

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

Frank Borzage's vision of lower depths and heightened feelings

Nov 16, 2010

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Audience Member

The best romance movie ever made!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

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Audience Member

Frank Borzage's romantic drama, set during the Depression, benefits greatly from good performances by Tracy and Young.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Audience Member

An online friend who is probably one of the biggest cinephiles I know ranked this as her #1 film of all time. I wouldn't go that far personally. But it's certainly a very good movie. This was made in 1933 during the Great Depression and a lot of mainstream Hollywood films would make movies focusing on rich people or musical fantasies or about the past. This one actually made a film about its present and its protagonists are poor people. It's a simple story about a con man/hoodlum/two-bit hustler who meets and falls in love (though he tries to deny it) with a young lady. Spencer Tracy and Loretta Young both give marvelous performances and the film balances the comic and tragic elements expertly. It's far from my all-time favorite but it is still a highly recommend film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

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Audience Member

great look at the depression era in this early rom-com (well kinda).

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

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Audience Member

Melodrama trabajado con maestría, con la consciencia de la importancia que tiene una elaboración de personajes redonda y humanista. Eso y la gran actuación de Spencer Tracy. / Melodrama wrought masterfully, with the awareness of how important is a rounded and humanist character elaboration. That and Spencer Tracy's great performance.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

walter m

[font=Century Gothic]"Man's Castle" starts with Bill(Spencer Tracy), dapper in a tuxedo, feeding pigeons in Central Park next to Trina(Loretta Young) who has not eaten in two days, so he does the sensible thing and suggests a restaurant. At the end of the meal, he announces that contrary to appearances he does not have any money and somehow bluffs their way out of there without being arrested.(The tuxedo is for one of the odd jobs he is constantly working.) In reality, he lives in a shantytown by the East River, changing locations at least once a month and preferring to sleep under the open sky. Upon his return, he introduces Trina to his various neighbors before inviting her to stay.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Man's Castle" is an entertaining romance that has less to do with the economic circumstances of the Great Depression, then with the idea of domesticity which has a novel spin put on it at the end. Domesticity is the one thing Bill fears which is ironic since he is being slowly drawn into it with his relationship with Trina.(Bill may talk tough but he is actually soft at heart.) But after a while, she is only shown cleaning house, hanging curtains or cooking.[/font]

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Frank Borzage

Director

Spencer Tracy

Bill

Loretta Young

Trina

Glenda Farrell

Fay La Rue

Walter Connolly

Ira

Arthur Hohl

Bragg

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Synopsis

In this Depression-era drama, the gruff and homeless Bill (Spencer Tracy) decides to help out the beautiful, destitute Trina (Loretta Young). Trina falls for Bill, and they set up house together in a shantytown, but he longs to get out of New York City and hit the open road. When Trina discovers she's pregnant, Bill plans to rob a toy store with a shifty drifter named Bragg (Arthur Hohl) in order to leave her with money. But will the scheme pan out?

Director: Frank Borzage
Screenwriter: Jo Swerling
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Genre: Romance
Original Language: English
Runtime: 1h 10m