Based on the 1940 story by William Faulkner, Horton Foote's screenplay captures the essence of Faulkner's vision of Deep South in the aftermath of the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Robert Duvall delivers an unforgettable performance as Jackson Fentry, a humble farmer leading a hardscrabble life with his father. While serving as a caretaker at a ramshackle saw mill, Fentry unexpectedly finds an exhausted, pregnant woman at his doorstep. After playing the role of good samaritan, Fentry begins to raise the infant child delivered in his makeshift living quarters. A priest arrives and marries the couple. Shortly thereafter, the woman dies, and Fentry devotes his heart and soul to the upbringing of the little boy.
The final portion of the film delivers an even greater emotional punch when the boy, named "Jackson Longstreet" after the Southern Civil war generals under whom Fentry's father served. The film's framing device is a murder trial of a man who eventually shot and murdered Jackson Longstreet. The dramatic tension of the ending comes from the selection of Fentry as one of the jurors in the trial.
The film brilliantly conveys the world of Faulkner with the unforgettable characters. Sudie Bond is magnificent as the midwife, and Olga Bellin is equally stunning as the pregnant woman seeking to flee from her reprobate husband. The stunning black-and-white cinematography is especially dynamic in the lighting effects, illuminating Bellin's face during her anguished death after childbirth. Above all, the film is worth viewing for Duvall, especially his vocal characterization. It is small wonder that writer Horton Foote and Duvall became virtual soul mates in later films.
Robert Duvall delivers an unforgettable performance as Jackson Fentry, a humble farmer leading a hardscrabble life with his father. While serving as a caretaker at a ramshackle saw mill, Fentry unexpectedly finds an exhausted, pregnant woman at his doorstep. After playing the role of good samaritan, Fentry begins to raise the infant child delivered in his makeshift living quarters. A priest arrives and marries the couple. Shortly thereafter, the woman dies, and Fentry devotes his heart and soul to the upbringing of the little boy.
The final portion of the film delivers an even greater emotional punch when the boy, named "Jackson Longstreet" after the Southern Civil war generals under whom Fentry's father served. The film's framing device is a murder trial of a man who eventually shot and murdered Jackson Longstreet. The dramatic tension of the ending comes from the selection of Fentry as one of the jurors in the trial.
The film brilliantly conveys the world of Faulkner with the unforgettable characters. Sudie Bond is magnificent as the midwife, and Olga Bellin is equally stunning as the pregnant woman seeking to flee from her reprobate husband. The stunning black-and-white cinematography is especially dynamic in the lighting effects, illuminating Bellin's face during her anguished death after childbirth. Above all, the film is worth viewing for Duvall, especially his vocal characterization. It is small wonder that writer Horton Foote and Duvall became virtual soul mates in later films.