"The Sea of Grass" is a most insightful, intelligent film. The heart of the conflict is basically that of hopeful homesteaders wanting to plant crops and raise their families on the new land--with the opposing side foretelling of the ruin of the land that was essentially "meant" for cattle grazing, not crop planting.
It's a potent conflict, with both sides falling short on some important issues, and both sides eventually learning from one another. What cattle baron Spencer Tracey predicted would happen, comes to pass. Yet, the new land is very much going to be farmed by new pioneers. It's a fact of evolution, and nothing can stop it. Only conservation measures weren't adhered to, and farming preceded, at Judge Melvyn Douglas' assistance, without the necessary safeguards put into place.
The script deftly weaves into this situation a touching human element, by way of Tracy's marriage to Katherine Hepburn. They come to symbolize the ideological conflict and the great toll it takes on their marriage and lives.
Long considered an average to below average film in many quarters, it has increased in value over the years. The Dish Network rated it 3 1/2 out of 4 stars, and many viewers are finding enhanced value in it. Beautifully acted, directed, photographed and mounted, "The Sea of Grass" is finally coming into its own. True at 121 minutes, it could have been trimmed a bit, yet it is a film of which its director need not have held in low esteem.
The rest of the cast--including Robert Walker and Phyllis Thaxter--all do commendable jobs. It's a notable piece of work that's growing in stature every year.
It's a potent conflict, with both sides falling short on some important issues, and both sides eventually learning from one another. What cattle baron Spencer Tracey predicted would happen, comes to pass. Yet, the new land is very much going to be farmed by new pioneers. It's a fact of evolution, and nothing can stop it. Only conservation measures weren't adhered to, and farming preceded, at Judge Melvyn Douglas' assistance, without the necessary safeguards put into place.
The script deftly weaves into this situation a touching human element, by way of Tracy's marriage to Katherine Hepburn. They come to symbolize the ideological conflict and the great toll it takes on their marriage and lives.
Long considered an average to below average film in many quarters, it has increased in value over the years. The Dish Network rated it 3 1/2 out of 4 stars, and many viewers are finding enhanced value in it. Beautifully acted, directed, photographed and mounted, "The Sea of Grass" is finally coming into its own. True at 121 minutes, it could have been trimmed a bit, yet it is a film of which its director need not have held in low esteem.
The rest of the cast--including Robert Walker and Phyllis Thaxter--all do commendable jobs. It's a notable piece of work that's growing in stature every year.