So Big! (1932)

Selina lived well until her father Simeon died. Her aunts sold the estate and put her in a boarding school. As an adult she wants to be a teacher in farming country. She falls in love with ... See full summary »

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Edna Ferber (novel), J. Grubb Alexander (adaptation),

Stars:

Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, Dickie Moore

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Barbara Stanwyck	...	Selina Peake De Jong
George Brent	...	Roelf Pool
Dickie Moore	...	Dirk De Jong (younger)
Bette Davis	...	Miss Dallas O'Mara
Mae Madison	...	Julie Hempel
Hardie Albright	...	Dirk De Jong
Alan Hale	...	Klass Poole
Earle Foxe	...	Pervus De Jong
Robert Warwick	...	Simeon Peake, Gambler
Dorothy Peterson	...	Maartje Pool
Noel Francis	...	Mabel, a 'Fancy Woman'
Dick Winslow	...	Roelf, age 12
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
André Cheron	...	The General (scenes deleted)
Guy Kibbee	...	August Hemple (scenes deleted)
Martha Mattox	...	Maiden Aunt (scenes deleted)

Storyline

Selina lived well until her father Simeon died. Her aunts sold the estate and put her in a boarding school. As an adult she wants to be a teacher in farming country. She falls in love with and marries Pervus, a Dutch farmer she has been tutoring. When he dies her hopes lie with their son Dirk, who disappoints her by giving up architecture for stock brokerage. Her new hope is Roelfe, the son of her former boardinghouse keeper and a sculptor. Dirk falls in love with Dallas O'Mara, whom Selina hopes will be the inspiration for her son's salvation.

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Plot Keywords:

sculptor | teacher | farmer | artist | church | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 April 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lille mor

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of Barbara Stanwyck's favorites of her own film.

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Quotes

Miss Dallas O'Mara: You know, you seem like much too nice a fellow to sit behind a desk, pushing buttons.
Dirk De Jong: I haven't been a high-powered executive for long. I used to be an architect.
Miss Dallas O'Mara: Why did you give it up?
Dirk De Jong: Oh, nothing in it...
Miss Dallas O'Mara: What do you mean, "Nothing in it"?
Dirk De Jong: No money!
Miss Dallas O'Mara: Who cares!... Gee, I'd rather plan the back door of a beautiful building, than sell all the bonds ever engraved.

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Connections

Referenced in Have You Got Any Castles? (1938)

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Soundtracks

"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"
(uncredited)
Text by Martin Luther, Translated by Frederick H. Hedge
Played and sung in church

User Reviews

Beautiful cabbages

Edna Ferber's novel of the same title has been brought to the screen in several remakes. This 1932 film, directed by William Wellman, is a curiosity piece in that two of the best screen actresses of their generation appear in the same cast. Although it's clear this was a Barbara Stanwyck vehicle, Bette Davis is seen in a small role.

"So Big", adapted for the screen by J. Grubb Alexander, in this version, is a rather intimate picture where some of the epic aspects of the novel doesn't come into play. It's basically a story of riches into rags back to riches, as Selina Peake, its heroine, sees her fortune change from the high times to almost poverty when her dear father is fatally shot.

Selina is clearly a survivor. She projects a larger than life shadow over everything in the story. Her arrival at High Prairie under conditions she has never seen, makes her stronger. Selina sees beauty in the land that is going to serve as her home. She is a clever woman who inspires others, especially young Roelf Pool, the young boy who seems to be doomed to stay in the land of his ancestors, to strive for greatness.

Barbara Stanwyck makes the most out of Selina. She gives a controlled performance in sharp contrast with other characters she played in the movies. Bette Davis and George Brent, only appears shortly in the film. Alan Hale, Dickie Moore and Hardin Albright are seen in smaller roles.

"So Big" shows a slice of life in America at the beginning of the last century, a world, that alas, is gone forever.