Absolutely. Many of my favorite parts of the movie are those those that don’t really serve the strict plot at all, such as the medicine show or when Dean Stockwell and his friend are riding in the back of the hay wagon. In many ways it reminds me of another one of my favorite films, Meet Me in St. Louis, in that it is episodic and nostalgic, suffused with the warm glow of remembrance.hearthesilence wrote: ↑Sat Apr 03, 2021 12:03 pmIt's been growing on me a lot too, and I wouldn't hesitate to call it one of Tourneur's greatest films, rivaled only by a few others. I think I've posted about it here before, especially after I caught it projected. I already had Warner Archive's DVD-R, but I was really happy to catch it on what may have been a brand new film print. Every time I see it there's something else to discover - for example, at one point, it sunk in that the film really understood what people did in their free time in those days. (The novel it came from was based on the author's own memories and experiences as a child from that era, so that probably helped.) Most of what I do in my free time wouldn't be possible then or in that setting - it can really be a beautiful portrait of rural life before the modern era. But as you mentioned, there's definitely an ugliness, and I think Tourneur subtly never forgets this. It's possible it's not intentional or he isn't completely aware of it, but even in the happy ending, the racial divide is clearly still there. Josiah may have shamed the men (the KKK) out of lynching Uncle Famous, but as much as it's a relief to see him in the window at the end, it tells you something that a devout, God-fearing man like Uncle Famous isn't in the church with them on that Sunday morning, but walking in the opposite direction.
Yet Stars in My Crown unlike many nostalgic movies, especially westerns, doesn’t paper over the darker side of the past and presents it in all its ugliness when appropriate, nor does it offer some great final victory over prejudice. As you say, Famous may have been saved, but he’s still segregated, while the klan hoods go back into storage until next time.
