L'étang tragique

Jean Renoir made some near masterpiece movies, it's one of them, "Swamp Water" has an incredible bright photography on black & white, could it be an adventure, crime or drama, which genre it belong maybe all them, the two Walters are really fantastic performances, mainly Brennan in southern hard accent, the story is quite compelling, each characters had an equal opportunity to expose their skills duly, but was a great chance for Dana Andrews establish as a promising upcoming star, but Brennan stolen the picture for an almost unbeatable dramatic acting, even in others movies as funny characters indeed he wasn't never overcome, a fine casting supplied so many defined moments, Renoir print his fingerprint in this unusual picture!!! Resume: First watch: 2006 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 9

I viewed this film when it was released in 1941. At the time, I was six years old. The fact that it made a lasting impression on me is evidenced by the fact I still remember it vividly 66 years later. The Okefenokee Swamp setting, complete with snakes, alligators and quicksand, provided a dark backdrop that served the plot well. It also gave this young boy a view of a part of American culture that I didn't know existed at the time. Thinking of it today, I would call it a classic "innocent man" storyline with twists. Walter Brennan, Dana Andrews and Ann Baxter gave memorable performances and the chilling conclusion, tame by today's standards, is still remembered. As I remember, it received mediocre reviews. I do not remember a TV release and believe that it could have been a cult classic if more people had seen it. If it was available on DVD today I would purchase it.

This is a beautiful, sometimes extremely delicate, often very eerie film of love and death in the nearly primordial Florida Everglades. Both the director (Renoir) and the cinematographer have created a mystical feeling surrounding the setting, and it's a perfect match for the moral complexity Renoir draws from the characterizations. It is not an easy American film; it's morally challenging. Dana Andrews is perfect casting in this way; he is anything but a transparent presence on screen. Anne Baxter too, has an unspoken pain about her that's ideal. And Walter Brennan is just, as always, wonderful.

Only viewed this movie once,when as an eleven year old , it first opened. I still recall the scene where Julie scurried away through the barn to hide from Andrews. Clawing like a black cat (with her raven hair matted as if it were a Brillo Pad.) I instantly fell head over heels in love with that gruff looking girl. The fight scene , the cottonmouth attack still looms large in my memory. I'm 76 now, but would love to see it twenty more times and hark back to those innocent days, when a nickle candy bar could be bought for five cents . Excellent movie (Also loved The Southerner)

Having seen almost all Renoir's works, I was eager to see this one, the master's first film of his american stint. If you have seen Renoir's The River (1951), one of his loveliest masterpieces, the feeling cames to you, when you are watching this 1941 movie, that you are seeing just a preparatory exercise for that later piece of art. Just listen Walter Brennan's lines when he first meet Dana Andrews about how the death of an individual begets new life elsewhere. Sometimes also in the movie I had the resemblance of watching a John Ford movie, specially in the town scenes, more obvious in the ball scenes, the guy with the girl chatting, the dancers background, and suddenly a huge thug coming out, and the fight therefore. More hints about this: the writer is Dudley Nichols, a Ford habitual collaborator, and among the cast, John Carradine and Ward Bond, also from Ford's troup. Anyway, it's a Renoir. Watch it (it's short and pleasant, and hide two or three great moments.)