The Great Man's Lady

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Steve D Melodramatic but well made. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/27/23 Full Review Audience Member good epic historical drama Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Like in 'Cimarron', McCrea and Stanwyck start out for the west in the 1840s in search of opportunity and like in 'Cimarron' the woman is being taken from a life of ease and comfort to become a pioneer. The film shows how very useful she was to him--Stanwyck is excellent here, and apparently this was one of her favorite film roles, and deservedly so... The story of a great bigamist and his lady!! Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member epic though a bit rambling historical drama Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review walter m With the dedication of a statue in honor of the late great Ethan Hoyt(Joel McCrea) happening in the city which bears his name, reporters from all over rush to the home of Hannah Sempler(Barbara Stanwyck), rumored to have once been married to him, to get her opinion and answers to all of their questions. But without giving any meaningful responses, she chases them away. However, one young woman(Katharine Stevens) remains, desperately wanting to write a biography about Hoyt. Hannah brusquely tells her to come back in a hundred years when they are both old women but reconsiders, taking pity on her to start her story when she was a young woman in Philadelphia in 1848 when she runs away with Hoyt to avoid being married to Mr. Cadwallader(Lloyd Corrigan). Aided by excellent performances, especially Brian Donlevy in support, "The Great Man's Lady" is a very entertaining and touching tribute to those pioneers who thought big in building this country from the ground up and sacrificed much along the way. While smartly advocating for privacy and the public need not know every detail, the movie takes the Great Man Theory down a notch by commenting blithely that they could not have done it alone, as dreamers always need a partner to ground them to reality in order for them to fully succeed.(It does not hurt if she can handle a hunting rifle, like Hannah can.) And it is not just feminism that puts this movie far ahead of its time, as it is filmed innovatively with a stunning opening sequence that begins with a shot of the house before panning wider to reveal the city that has risen up around it. Sound familiar? Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Great Man's Lady

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