MartinHafer OUR DAILY BREAD is an interesting curio--a historical oddity--but nothing more. I was really surprised when I saw that it currently has a very respectable IMDb score of 7.1 despite being a rather silly and difficult to watch film.The film begins with a poor couple who are living in the city. Unfortunately, he's out of work and without much drive and they are about to lose their apartment. So they move to the country to try to make a go of it on a dilapidated old farm (which you ASSUME they owned but it turns out they didn't). Once there, they realize the going will be very tough, as they know nothing about farming and the place is in pretty bad shape. Then, luckily, a real farmer and his family just happen to have their car breakdown outside the property and they decide to pool their resources and work together. Realizing the power of multiple hands to run the farm, they decide to invite practically anyone to come there and form a collective society--sort of a small utopia.From a historical viewpoint, this is a very interesting film because it shows the desperation of the Depression--something rarely seen in films of the era. In fact, despite a huge number of people out of work, Hollywood often featured films about rich folks and exotic places--not out of work homeless people. Aside from the later and much more famous film, THE GRAPES OF WRATH, this is one of the few films to really deal with poverty and a sense of disgust with the American capitalistic system. In fact, the film has very strong enlightened socialist/communist themes running throughout. Considering people were hungry, these sentiments are understandable--but also very strange when seen by many viewers today.Now had this film been well made, then it would have had more than just a historical oddity. However, unfortunately, the film is occasionally very silly--both for it's wide-eyed idealism (some hope is great, but this was like Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland putting on a Broadway quality show in their uncle's barn) and some really silly plot elements. The worst plot element involved a very slutty and cheap looking "dame" who arrives on the farm. While she seems nothing like any of the collective workers and is totally uncommitted to doing ANYTHING positive (looking like a gangster's moll twenty years and 50 pounds past her prime), she is welcomed in and proceeds to naturally destroy everything. This was silly and impossible to believe--and she seemed like a plot device and not a real person. Why would the farmer leave his lovely wife for such an unpleasant person?! It would be like Michael Douglas dropping Catherine Zeta-Jones for Phyllis Diller!! While this is a bad movie, I still do recommend it for the curious as well as history and economics teachers. It is fascinating and gives a side to American life few today would realize existed--a life of poverty and desperation.By the way, I am NOT against doing films about poverty or collectives. After all, one of my very favorite Italian films was MIRACLE IN MILAN--a truly wonderful film. My problem with OUR DAILY BREAD was with the awful and heavy-handed writing. Despite being a noble effort, it was just bad.

HallmarkMovieBuff This Depression-era film attempts to depict how working together can overcome hard times, but leading man Tom Keene's gee-whiz performance, and the needless subplot which has Barbara Pepper's Sally attempting to distract him from his mission, tend to derail the effort.Karen Morley is the star here. Her fine performance as Mary (weren't most good girls in movies of this era named "Mary"?), the faithful and enduring wife, keeps both the mission and the movie on track with her constancy and support.Also notable are John Qualen in his oft-portrayed "Swedish farmer" role, and Addison Richards as the shady character who becomes the commune's enforcer, but who makes a sacrifice for the common good.As one of the features of the film involves following a large field of corn from seedlings to stalks, one can but wonder how Hollywood got Nature to cooperate in the production by providing the right conditions at the proper times to advance the story toward the climax.Despite the flaws in acting and script, one has to admit that the ending is thrilling as the men work together and literally throw down their bodies to save the day. Still, if you want to watch a really good film on a similar subject, go see "The Good Earth," made three years later.

mstomaso King Vidor's Our Daily Bread, served up the basic ingredients of a good life to the audiences of the Great Depression - people for whom all hope seemed lost. * Land* Water* Hard work* Ingenuity* Community and * A positive attitude. Kate Morley is charming and lovely as Mary - the steadfast wife of John Sims (Tom Keene). Tom is a man with good ideas and bad luck. Somewhat mercurial, however, Tom is easily discouraged by his frustrations in trying to find a job. One night an uncle comes to dine at Tom and Mary's apartment and offers Tom and Mary a farm which he can no longer pay for. From this new start, the young couple learns how to farm, how to lead, and what the meaning of community is. While the film is not overtly political, it carries an important political and ethical message - never lose sight of the basics. This message is as important for today's top-heavy economy as it was in the 1930s. Particularly inspirational to me was the character of Mary Sims. Assertive when she needed to be, Mary formed the backbone of her family and, by extension, her entire community. Character actors Addison Richards and John Qualen are also memorable as major benefactors of the farm. Keene is not the best leading man of his time, but, in general, the film is well-acted. The characters are interesting, well-written, and fairly consistent. The cinematography and choreography of the work scenes are excellent - they really make you want to work!Recommended!

ccthemovieman-1 Boy, is this film interpreted differently, depending on which critic is discussing it. Overall, however, most of them - including me - like this movie and find it interesting.Today's critics like to use this film as a boost for socialistic or Commununstic causes, but that's baloney. One could easily do the opposite and use this film as an analogy to the early Christians, too - people who banded together pooling their talents and possessions for the good of the whole group.This was a simply of story of America during the Great Depression with a bunch of people out of work, so they try to make a living by turning themselves into farmers and making a go of it together.Tom Keane and Karen Morley star in here, playing husband-and-wife. Morely played a very upbeat, sweet lady who was joy to watch. Keane's acting was strange. At times it bordered on raw amateurism. He also looked, with the wild expressions, as if he were back doing a silent film.The rest of the cast was solid, from the Swedish farmer to the tough guy who turned himself in to the police to help the rest of the group. Overall, a good film and worth watching, whatever your politics.