Come and Get It (1936)

[randy_byers]

West Seattle's own Frances Farmer stars as both a mother and her daughter in this movie set in 1887 and 1907 and based on an Edna Ferber novel. Directed by Howard Hawks (with help from William Wyler and Richard Rosson), cinematography by Gregg Toland and Rudolph Maté, music by Alfred Newman, and a cast with Edward Arnold, Joel McCrea, and Walter Brennan (who won an Oscar for his role) as well as Farmer -- this is a lot of talent thrown at a strange story that mixes elements of passive-aggressive anti-capitalist (New Deal?) populism and family melodrama. Perhaps a predecessor to Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons? It deserves to have more written about it, but I'll just say that it was much more than I was expecting when I put it in my Netflix queue because I've always been curious about Farmer. This is apparently widely considered her best film role, and she makes a strong impression, even in this rare shadowy shot.