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      Of Human Hearts

      Released Feb 11, 1938 1h 40m Drama List
      Reviews 54% Audience Score 100+ Ratings When preacher Ethan Wilkins (Walter Huston) relocates to a small, hardscrabble town on the Ohio River, he's surprised by the poor treatment he gets from the locals, but bears it quietly. His son, Jason (James Stewart), however, hates the town. Against his father's wishes, he aspires to be a doctor, and demands that his mother (Beulah Bondi) sell off her few possessions to pay for his education. When the Civil War breaks out, he finds success as a surgeon, but is estranged from his family. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Mar 28 Buy Now

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      Critics Reviews

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      Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Though largely forgotten today, this film has one of Jimmy Stewart's better early performances. Rated: B Jul 10, 2023 Full Review Ann Ross Maclean's Magazine Of Human Hearts starts off extremely well... But once the son grows up and goes off to the Civil War, the story falls apart disastrously. Oct 11, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member Antebellum, or pre-Civil War America, is seldom dealt with in movies. In the studio age it was largely ignored. Of Human Hearts is an exception. Set in frontier Ohio it concerns the rebellious son of a decent but inflexible minister who seeks to be a doctor and learn about the world. He get more than he bargained for after the guns fire on Fort Sumter, and the film traces his life from uneasy boyhood to uncomfortable manhood. James Stewart excels in an early lead role; and as his father Walter Huston is suitably starchy and forbidding. The backlot recreation of early small town America is wonderfully realized by director Clarence Brown and Company. There are some splendid supporting performances by, among other, Beulah Bondi, Charlie Grapewin, and especially Charles Coburn, as the village doctor who likes to drink and who becomes Stewart's mentor. As an historical footnote it's worth mentioning that the film was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the late thirties, and is an atypical product for them, as they were poaching, as it were, on movie territory that one associates with the more folsky Fox studios of the time, and did a rather good job at it, too. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review steve d Stewart makes it watchable but it is nothing great. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member good slice of Americana Clarence brown style Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a great movie. The sentiment is at a perfect level. May be much for some and not enough for others. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member The acting is good but the sentiment is laid on a little thick. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Of Human Hearts (1938) -- [5.5] -- Torn on this one. Love Walter Huston, Jimmy Stewart, Charles Coburn, and beautiful riverside setting. But don't care much for the "Father Knows Best," Forrest Gumpiness of the thematic resolution. John Carradine makes a cameo appearance under pretty convincing makeup as Abraham Lincoln -- the scene's dumb, but the makeup's good. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Of Human Hearts

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis When preacher Ethan Wilkins (Walter Huston) relocates to a small, hardscrabble town on the Ohio River, he's surprised by the poor treatment he gets from the locals, but bears it quietly. His son, Jason (James Stewart), however, hates the town. Against his father's wishes, he aspires to be a doctor, and demands that his mother (Beulah Bondi) sell off her few possessions to pay for his education. When the Civil War breaks out, he finds success as a surgeon, but is estranged from his family.
      Director
      Clarence Brown
      Distributor
      Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
      Production Co
      Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Feb 11, 1938, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Sep 1, 2009
      Runtime
      1h 40m
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