Man's Castle (1933) User Reviews

A delightful forgotten classic.

[mark.waltz · 8/10 · 31 August 2001]

Although this rarely seen film is not available on video, and has not been shown on cable that I am aware of, it is a classic which deserves the light of day. Spencer Tracy, before his MGM years and major stardom, was teamed with Loretta Young, one of the major stars of the early 30's, and sparks were united.

Tracy is a rough and tough shanty town character who takes in down on her luck Young. Slightly mistreating her, Tracy is on the verge of leaving her when she drops a bombshell that will change their lives. Also around are Marjorie Rambeau as a drunken neighbor with a heart of gold (and giving a very sensitive performance), Glenda Farrell as a singer who turns Tracy's head, and Walter Connelly as another neighbor who becomes a father-like figure to the two.

The camera work and settings are rough and gritty, almost like a Warner Brothers film. However, this was made at Columbia, then a second-rate "B" studio which was most known at the time for its string of films directed by Frank Capra (usually starring Barbara Stanwyck). It is short and sweet (66 minutes according to Leonard Maltin), and very moving. I agree with Maltin's comment that Tracy's character was a bit much to take at times, but it is evident that he hides many facets behind his hard exterior. The story is very close to the play "Lilliom" (Tracy finding spiritual guidance after a failed payroll robbery), and ironically Tracy's character's name is Bill, changed to Billy for the musical "Carousel".

Young, never one of my favorites, was at her best in the early 30's before she became too "lady-like". Even though her character is sweet and vulnerable, she is far more realistic than she got in her more esteemed years after winning the Oscar for "The Farmer's Daughter". Farrell is fine in her few scenes, but has little to do. It's a shame that this very talented lady never rose above the line of secondary roles or leads in "B" features. If "A Man's Castle" makes its way onto cable (or with some miracle, home video), I highly recommend it to film students and historians.

"No female has to starve in a town like this."

[Irie212 · 8/10 · 26 September 2009]

As other reviewers have noted, this is an unjustly neglected Depression-era film. Directed by Frank Borzage (two Oscars) and written by Jo Swerling (Leave Her to Heaven, The Westerner, Lifeboat, etc.), it is a tough-minded, well-structured and -realized move about denizens of a New York City shantytown. They're grifters, beggars, and women forced into prostitution, but they're a community of people both good and bad, with loyalties as complex as any group's.

Perhaps primary among this movie's many admirable qualities is the contrast between Spencer Tracy's character, Bill, and Loretta Young's Trina. He tough-talking, physically aggressive, and evidently fearless-- but Bill is not the character who gives this film its steely sense of survival. While he blusters, Trina actually hangs tough (if that term can be applied to a character so ladylike). Her devotion to him is obvious, and complete. When she becomes pregnant, she says she will raise it herself if he wants to leave. Such is the dignity of Loretta Young's performance (at age 20) as a very simple, even simple-minded character, that she seems neither weak or dependent, but rather a woman who recognizes happiness when she finds it, and love, and who has learned the hard way that it's worth holding on to because it doesn't come around often, and what's rare is precious.

Damn, Loretta was good when she really tried

[marcslope · 7/10 · 3 September 2008]

I generally find Loretta Young hard to take, too concerned with her looks and too ladylike in all the wrong ways. But in this lyrical Frank Borzage romance, and even though she's playing a low-self-esteem patsy who puts up with entirely too much bullying from paramour Spencer Tracy, she's direct and honest and irresistible. It's an odd little movie, played mostly in a one-room shack in a Hooverville, unusually up-front about the Depression yet romantic and idealized. Tracy, playing a blustery, hard-to-take "regular guy" who would be an awful chauvinist and bully by today's standards, softens his character's hard edge and almost makes him appealing. There's good supporting work from Marjorie Rambeau and Glenda Farrell (who never got as far as she should have), and Jo Swerling's screenplay is modest and efficient. But the real heroes are Borzage, who always liked to dramatize true love in lyrical close-up, and Young. You sort of want to slap her and tell her character to wise up, she's too good for this guy, but she's so dewy and persuasive, you contentedly watch their story play out to a satisfying conclusion.

A Borzage Classic (spoiler!)

[Kalaman · 30 April 2004]

"Man's Castle" is one of the most important American films of the 1930s. As Andrew Sarris has noted, it's one of the few films that was able to capture the emotional nuances of the Depression. Borzage's sweet, ethereal love story concerns a tough-guy Bill (Spencer Tracy) and penniless girl Trina (Loretta Young) who are incurably optimistic lovers. They setup house together in a squalid shanty town. Their romance transcends, in Borzage's spiritual vision, the Depression and worst possible squalor. Borzage typically championed the proletariat no better than in this film with the tease of material success at the very beginning of the film with Tracy's self-indulgent character and then challenge to the audience to accept a different set of circumstances. What impressed me the most about "Man's Castle" was Loretta Young. She actually became that character Trina. Her devotion and innocence are heartbreaking. Not to mention she carries Bill's unborn baby, and it would be a crime if he doesn't return the love she expresses to him. Bill loves Trina but he does it in a tough or bullying manner that almost becomes annoying. One of the most moving moments in the film occurs when he buys her a stove that she always wanted to get. She couldn't believe it and falls down on his knees and cries. Bill cannot help but moved by what he did. Despite his tough mannerisms, he ultimately succumbs to Trina's fragility, as they ride the freight train at the end, transcending the Depression and its harshness.

An engaging serious and thoughtful drama

[1930s_Time_Machine · 7/10 · 16 December 2022]

This is a curious but wonderfully acted love story. The protagonists are not your typical love-struck young romantic couple but complicated broken people just about surviving the poverty of living in one of the Hooverville shanty towns of 1932's New York. There's not a lot of humour in this drama but that doesn't make it at all miserable and depressing. It's not like a badly written naïve play where happiness blooms in the face of adversity - it's more thoughtful than that but is nevertheless quite uplifting.

Spencer Tracy's character, Bill is the absolute opposite of a romantic hero. He is such a well written character played so well by Spencer Tracy that we really don't really know what he is like, who he is or what he's done. We would however love to find out who is really there behind that façade or how he got like that. On the surface he seems to be an unpleasant battle-scared shell of a man incapable of expressing any emotion, feelings or even sense of being part of society.

Loretta Young's 'Trina' could not be more different. She is from a different place to Bill, she is from a world that disappeared when Wall Street crashed three years ago and is a complete stranger to the world Bill seems so comfortable in. She longs for love and longs for the impossible dream of a happy life in this upside down world. Loretta Young's almost impossible prettiness adds to the tragedy and pathos of her character who seems so lost, so unable to cope with the life she now has to live. Bill is her lifeline and she's not going to let go. She throws herself into the fantasy of happiness with him despite being treated like his slave, despite the constant emotional cruelty and despite Bill having a fling with the local show-girl. If this story were written today, she would be the archetypical battered, mentally and physically abused wife, not leaving her abusive husband because she knows deep down that he loves her.

This has the feel of being a really good drama that you'd pay good money to watch live in a cramped theatre. It's a mature and surprisingly subtle look at how love - if indeed it is love, can happen in the most unlikely of places. Although it is quite stylised, especially the camp which doesn't look as awful as I suspect in reality it was, as a motion picture it is excellent. Director Frank Borzage creates an enclosed real little world inhabited by real people which plays with your emotions. Sometimes you're hoping Trina and Bill will stay together and live happily ever after - sometimes you're hoping something or someone will separate them because you can see that it's a destructive relationship. It's also beautifully filmed and although it gets a little slow at times is still entertaining and stays in your mind long after the final credits.

Can't Get Enough Pre-Codes

[Maleejandra · 9/10 · 28 May 2006]

Man's Castle is a wonderful example of a Pre-Code film. It involves realistic events with truly enjoyable and imperfect characters. Spencer Tracy plays Bill, a free soul without a dime in his pocket. He makes a living doing odd jobs and traveling to a new city when he gets bored of his surroundings. One night, he meets Trina, a beauty by any standards who is cold and alone. She has refused to resort to prostitution so she has not eaten for several days, but the two take very well to each other and form a relationship. His free spirit tempts him to leave her, so life is rocky, but there is a true spark between the two, even if they live in a shack by the river.

Tracy is one of the great actors of the silver screen. His characters are amazing and relatable. We can see his thoughts on his face, making him easy to identify with, even if we believe he is behaving badly. Young is great in pre-code films. Her character is very sweet but far from perfect, making her all the more likable.

Pre-code elements include skinny dipping, pregnancy before marriage, and crime.

Depression Era Melodrama

[nomoons11 · 7/10 · 15 November 2012]

I'd never even remotely heard of this one when I came upon it. This one seems similar to My Man Godfrey. The big difference being the comedy part that this one doesn't have.

A poor and hungry Loretta Young sits next to a poor but content Spencer Tracy on a park bench. He finds out she's starving and takes her in and shows her the ropes around his home in a shanty town. Even though life is tough in the depression he makes it easy on her and always seems to put her mind at ease when food and money are low. He's always taking one odd job after another. Eventually he falls in love with her but he's not a guy who likes to hold on to things or to be tied down. He's always ready to move on. Problem is though, he never does. The trials and tribulations of a poor couple during the midst of the depression is the basic premise for the rest of the film. How to get money and living around a few characters in the same situation they live in. Trying to make the right moral decisions and doing the right thing.

This one is worth a watch because Spencer Tracy makes any film he does very watchable. He's basically the same in all films but he, like Clark Gable, could play every different role the same and you still wanna watch it. Loretta Young is as beautiful as she always was and plays the poor little starving but thankful girl just right. Grab this one and watch a tiny glimpse of what the depression was like at the time this was made. After this, try Meet John Doe and see a better film on a similar topic.

One of the essential Depression dramas

[lqualls-dchin · 10/10 · 29 May 2005]

Unfortunately, this film has long been unavailable (as other posters have noted), but this is one of the essential dramas of the Great Depression, a lyrical and touching drama of love set in a shanty-town. It features performances by Spencer Tracy and Loretta Young that are just about the finest of their careers, and it's a surpassing example of how the director, Frank Borzage, was able to create an almost fairy-tale aura around elements of poverty, crime, and horrendous social inequity, which just proves that how truly romantic and spiritual his talents were. This film shows how love survives amidst squalor and desperate need, and it is totally life-affirming. This is a real masterpiece of the period, and is a movie that deserves to be more widely known.

Shanty town romance during Depression stars a luminous Loretta Young...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 25 September 2009]

SPENCER TRACY plays a rough and tumble character in a role that was tailor made for Clark Gable. Somehow, his chemistry with LORETTA YOUNG is not quite what it should be. She, however, gives a very sensitive performance as the lovely girl attracted to him despite his arrogant behavior. This is the weakness of the story. If played by a charmer like Clark Gable, Loretta's yen for Tracy would be more understandable. As it is, he plays a real scoundrel without any attempt to soften his character for the sake of romance. He's sometimes so despicable that he alienates the viewer from sympathizing with him.

But it's Loretta Young who holds the film together, even though her character often seems naive and foolish to stay with Tracy. MARJORIE RAMBEAU is effective in a good supporting role as a woman with backbone who helps Tracy and Young when he has to flee the authorities. WALTER CONNOLLY, as a man Tracy attempts to rob, is also fine.

The film looks as though it was bathed in soft focus, perhaps to make the tone of the love story less gritty than it would have looked if filmed realistically. Whatever, Loretta Young has never looked more beautiful. Her costuming belies the fact that she's a Depression era heroine. Another unrealistic touch by director Frank Borzage, who has chosen to tell the story as if it were a fairy tale Depression story.

Borzage treads familiar ground here

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 21 November 2023]

Bill (Spencer Tracy) and Trina (Loretta Young) meet on a park bench during the depth of the Great Depression where Trina admits she has not eaten in two days - she is homeless and jobless like so many others. Bill is dressed in a tuxedo, she thinks he is rich. He invites her to eat a sumptuous meal at a fine restaurant. But it turns out he is broke and manages to bluster and threaten his - and her - way out of trouble with the restaurant. They very shortly end up lovers, living together in a shack in a homeless encampment of other forgotten men and women. Lots of complications that you have probably seen in other precode films ensue.

This movie was a lot like other Borzage films, in particular the director seemed like he was trying for a redo of the earthbound parts of Lilliom to some extent with traces of Seventh Heaven - A poor, lonely girl falls head over heels for a swaggering lay about who seems, from the outside, to use and mistreat her and have no appreciation for her. But her love sees past his cloddish behavior and fulfills her so completely that, for her, the domestic life she makes with him is bliss.

The casting is what makes the difference in this film. As opposed to Lilliom's Charles Farrell, Spencer Tracy is believable as someone who could throw a punch and knock somebody out and never give full throated - or even half throated - praise to Young's character, yet there is tenderness under that rough and seemingly uncaring exterior. Likewise, when Young moons after Tracy, the screen lights up like Times Square. That makes all the difference in terms of how much we're likely to be invested in her love for a guy who doesn't really deserve it (though it's also true that she domesticates/redeems Tracy a lot more over the course of Man's Castle).

The supporting cast is excellent too. Arthur Hoyl is the aptly named Bragg who lusts after Young and tries to get her by fair means or foul. Marjorie Rambeau is a hardened perpetually drunken woman whose problems probably started a long time before the Great Depression started. Columbia stalwart Walter Connolly is an ex preacher living in the encampment who is quite gentle and fatherly with the other residents to the point that I wonder how he got there and how he stopped being a man of the cloth.

I'd highly recommend this one, which has only recently been restored.

A Man's Home Is His Castle even in Hooverville

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 25 September 2009]

Man's Castle is set in one of those jerry built settlements on vacant land and parks that during these times were called 'Hoovervilles' named after our unfortunate 31st president who got stuck with The Great Depression occurring in his administration. The proposition of this film is that a man's home is still his castle even when it's just a shack in a Hooverville.

Spencer Tracy has such a shack and truth be told this guy even in good times would not be working all that much. But in a part very typical for Tracy before he was cast as a priest in San Francisco, the start of a slew of classic roles, he's playing a tough good natured mug who takes in Loretta Young.

One of the things about Man's Castle is that it shows the effects of the Depression on women as well as men. Women had some additional strains put on them, if men had trouble finding work, women had it twice as hard. And they were sexually harassed and some resorted to prostitution just for a square meal. Spence takes Loretta Young in who's facing those kind of problems and makes no demands on her in his castle. Pretty soon though they're in love, though Tracy is not the kind to settle down.

The love scenes had some extra zing to them because Tracy and Young were having a torrid affair during the shooting of Man's Castle. And both were Catholic and married and in those days that was an insuperable barrier to marriage. Both Tracy and Young took the Catholic faith quite seriously.

Also in the cast are Walter Connolly as a kind of father figure for the whole camp, Marjorie Rambeau who's been through all the pitfalls Young might encounter and tries to steer her clear and Arthur Hohl, a really loathsome creep who has his eye on Young as well. Hohl brings the plot of Man's Castle to its climax through his scheming.

Man's Castle is grim look at the Great Depression, not the usual movie escapist fare for those trying to avoid that kind of reality in their entertainment.

Spencer & Loretta Make This Interesting

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 6 November 2009]

This is very dated, but that's part of the charm with this 1933 movie. You can say the same for most Pre-Code films; they're just different, and usually in an interesting way.

It was the short running time, the great acting of Spencer Tracy and the beautiful face and sweetness of Loretta Young's character which kept me watching and enjoying this stagy-but-intriguing film.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a nicer girl than "Trinna," played by the 20-year-old Young who was already into making her 50th movie! (She started acting as a small child. That, and the fact they made movies quickly back in the old days.) The camera, although in soft focus throughout much of the film, zoomed in on Loretta's face and eyes many times and I was mesmerized by her beauty.

Playing a crotchety man with a cynical outlook on life, Tracy's "Bill" slowly transformed into a loving man, thanks to Trinna. Spencer delivered his lines here with such naturalness that you hardly knew he was acting.

Although they have small roles, supporting actors Walter Connolly, Marjorie Rambeau, Arthur Hohl and Glenda Farrell leave lasting impressions long after viewing this 75-minute film. I was particularly fascinated with Connolly's role as the minister/father figure of the camp.

The story is a little far-fetched but - hey - that's the movies. This story is about two lonely Great Depression victims trying to survive in a "Hooverville"-type camp and it winds up to be a very touching tale.

In the Shanty in Old Shanty Town

[lugonian · 7/10 · 31 July 2012]

MAN'S CASTLE (Columbia, 1933), directed by Frank Borzage, is not so much about a British king and his royal subjects, but a Depression-era story of survival and one man who's castle happens to be the great outdoors in a shanty community. Starring future Academy Award winners Spencer Tracy and Loretta Young in their only pairing together, and direction by two-time award winning Borzage, it's very much pre-code movie with enough material not commonly found in motion pictures after the production code was fully enforced by 1934.

Set in New York City, the story opens in Central Park where Bill (Spencer Tracy), dressed in top hat and tuxedo, is feeding popcorn to the pigeons. Seated next to him on the bench is Trina (Loretta Young), homeless, hungry and desperate. At first he takes her for a panhandler, but believing her story that she hasn't eaten in two days, treats her to a meal in an nearby expensive restaurant. As much as Bill appears to be a man of wealth, he's just as broke as Trina. Due to his self confidence, he talks his way out of paying the check to the manager (Harvey Clark). Later that night, Bill takes Trina to his place of residence, a "Park Avenue" section along the East River called Shanty Town, where the homeless victims of the Depression are gathered together in run down shacks, including Ira (Walter Connolly), a churchless preacher who quotes scriptures from the Bible; Flossie (Marjorie Rambeau), an argumentative drunk; and Bragg (Arthur Hohl), a man not to be trusted, all close friends of Bill's. Through the course of time, Trina, having moved in with Bill, keeps house for him while he acquires various lines of work to support himself, and when not working odd jobs, finds time playing baseball with the neighborhood kids. Helping Bragg with one of his assignments as process server, Bill succeeds in where others have failed - that of personally handling a subpoena to entertainer, Fay LaRue (Glenda Farrell) and facing up to several of her tough thug bodyguards. Because Bill is having an affair with Fay (who likes his nerve), Bragg tries to step in on Trina, now pregnant with Bill's baby. When Bill learns he's about to become a father, he's faced with a decision to either catch the next train out of town or join forces with Bragg on a job that could get them in trouble with the law.

This seldom revived love story is one from the time capsule, capturing, in a reality sense, the hardships and struggles of the Great Depression. Borzage offers some reflection of the times as the camera focuses on Bill and Trina walking down Broadway with movie marque titles of the day visible in background, namely George Raft and Sylvia Sidney starring PICK UP (Paramount, 1933). As for the script, it portrays Tracy as tough, irresponsible and confident in a physical sense. He charms women with his dynamic personality but in reality is unable to face up to any responsibility. When asked what he does for a living, he responds, "I LIVE!" When not working, he's out playing baseball with the neighborhood kids. Almost immediately, Bill makes Trina his own. The very night of their initial union, they end up skinny dipping in the East River, a scene that certainly raised a few eyebrows way back when. As much as Bill doesn't waste any time, neither does Trina. At first she's shy and lacks confidence, but loses all fears once she's in the company with Bill. Like Trina, Fay (Glenda Farrell) becomes attracted to Bill, admiring his big shot personality. Farrell's Fay sings one song titled, "Surprise." No doubt, she gets one from Bill. Other noteworthy support goes to Arthur Hohl as Tracy's underhanded friend; Connolly the middle-aged preaching night watchman. and Dickie Moore briefly seen as the crippled boy with leg in brace who gets an autographed baseball from Bill. Existing still photos of Helen MacKeller indicate her withdraw from production and substituted by character actress, Marjorie Rambeau, whose mannerisms and performance reminds any film buf of Gladys George.

Not televised in the New York City area since the 1960s, MAN's CASTLE seemed destined to never be seen again. Aside from revival movie houses in the 1970s, cable television helped bring films such as this back to life again. One of its earliest known broadcasts was on Wometo Home Theater in 1985, followed by other cable channels before turning up on Turner Classic Movies on August 31, 2008, during its "Summer Under the Stars" presentation and 24-hour salute to Spencer Tracy. For a 1933 film, circulating prints to MAN'S CASTLE are from latter 1930s reissues, substituting a 1940s Columbia logo over the pre-1936 style trademark of woman holding a lighted torch in dark background. Often labeled at 76 minutes, TCM print is a few minutes shorter.

While no castle is evident, a story of a man named Bill and a girl named Trina (along with impressive close-up shots of Loretta Young's youthful beauty), is all that's needed for a simple story about simple folks. (***)

This film set back women's rights at least 50 years!!

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 11 March 2010]

Wow. Watching this film today, you can't help but be appalled by the writing of this film. Spencer Tracy and Loretta Young play a couple who, in modern times, might be featured on "The Jerry Springer Show"--as they have a sick and abusive relationship...and inexplicably, the writers appear to be endorsing it!

The film begins with a hungry and homeless Loretta being shown the ropes by the poor but very resourceful Spencer Tracy. He shows her how by conniving you can do very well with little money and takes her home to his shack to stay. It's never clear whether or not they marry--and considering it's a Pre-Code film, you can assume they aren't even though they are cohabiting. Their relationship is very strange...and rather sick. While you can see that Tracy cares about her by his actions, he is verbally abusive and a total jerk---and Young comes running back for more like some sort of dog. He calls her "skinny" or "ugly" and these are, in a sick way, his way of using endearments! Later, when he starts fooling around with another woman (Glenda Farrell), she tells her friend that if that's what he wants, it's okay with her!!! It sure smacks of a sado-masochistic relationship and you can't help but feel a bit horrified. Sure, he doesn't hit her but the relationship is very abusive. To show how sick it is, when Young gets pregnant, she tells him "...it's your baby and it's mine, but you don't need to worry, I'll take all the blame for it"!! Yikes! Doesn't this all seem a bit like looking through a peephole into a sick and dysfunctional home?! Later, in a case of art imitating life, Tracy proves what sort of man he is and disappears. After all, he can't be burdened with a baby--even if it's his. But, he changes his mind and decides to return home. Wow...that's bit of him! And, when he returns, he's nasty and acts like IF he stays, he isn't obligated to care for the kid!! And, she tells him he's "a free man...free as a bird"! Wow, I was almost in tears at this tender moment...NOT! Soon, this crazy pair are married...and, naturally, Young is depressed because he seems to be staying as long as it suits him--not because of any love or sense of responsibility. So how can you salvage anything with this sort of sick characters? What would you do? Well, as for the writers, they have Tracy soon commit a robbery to help pay for the brat! The romantic aspects of the film are underwhelming to say the least! During the robbery, Tracy behaves like a chump--doing almost nothing to take precautions not to get caught--like he was secretly hoping to get sent to prison. And, to show what sort of nice guy he is, the guy he tries to rob is one of his best friends.

While there's more to the film, the bottom line is that Tracy is a jerk and Young is an idiot in the film. Despite both being very good actors, there's absolutely no way they could make anything of this crap the writers produced. Nice music, nice sets, good acting...and a script that is 100% poo. How the film is currently rated 7.4 is beyond me and I wonder how anyone can ignore the pure awfulness of the characters. A horrible misfire that somehow didn't destroy the careers of those involved.

Oh, and if you wonder if Loretta EVER gets a backbone in this film or plays a person who is the least bit strong, the answer is NO! By the end, she's learned nothing and hasn't changed one whit for the better.

They sure don't make films like they used to...and in this case...thank God!

Luminous, a must-see

[Sleepy-17 · 9 January 2001]

I haven't seen this for years, but I remember both Spencer and Loretta being as hot as a pistol, brimming with talent and longing. Interesting pre-code depiction of tramp-town down by the river. There's a sparkling scene of Spencer working as a sandwich-board man. Great photography which shows the influence of Murnau's Sunrise.

Interesting Depression-Era Romantic Drama.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 1 October 2012]

Nothing much new about the romantic stuff. Spencer Tracy takes Loretta Young into his shack, neither of them having anything resembling other resources. Tracy finds an older blond who is willing to keep him in food and clothes, but then Loretta Young has to go and spring it on Tracy that she's preggers. It puts Tracy in a quandary. He likes to think of himself as a free man, a drifter who rides the rails at will. He tries to pull off a robbery after marrying Young, with the intention of leaving the boodle with her and taking off on his own. But they are in love and he winds up taking her with him. Last scene: the married pair lying together on the straw of an empty box car rattling through the night.

It sounded so dull at first that I thought for a moment box cars were forming on my retina. However, the film is saved by its ethnographic perspective and by the earnest performances. You just have to swallow the love story which, by the way, isn't entirely boring.

The movie was released in 1933, meaning it was shot in 1932 and written a bit earlier. That was pre-code and in the depths of the Great Depression. (If it weren't pre-code, you wouldn't have Loretta Young getting pregnant and planning to have a bastard child.) But what a glimpse of life at the bottom when no one had any work. Tracy's Hooverville shack somewhere in New York City is made out of garbage. Cardboard, corrugated iron, no stove, discarded automobile doors, and other junk, a divine assembly of bricolage. And, boy, does Loretta Young dress it up and turn it into a home. Women are always doing things like that. They just can't leave a man alone to live like a billy goat. Anyway, it illustrates some of the stresses associated with utter poverty.

The performances are fine too. Many actors seemed to follow a similar trajectory -- small parts in clumsy early movies (Bogart, Cary Grant) -- but Tracy came straight from Broadway and brought with him the persona that would last him throughout his career. He was tough, restrained, practical. Loretta Young -- I never realized how many movies she made in the 30s when she was young. She began at the age of 15 with a major part in one of Lon Chaney's silents. She's powerful pretty in an innocent and slightly chubby way. She can fix up the hovel I live in any time.

Young and Spencer star in the finest film of the pre-code era

[Greta-Garbo · 10/10 · 31 July 2007]

It's a shame this movie is so hard to get your hands on in the US. I found it through a rare video dealer, and it was certainly worth it. This is, without a doubt, the best film made during the pre-code era, and the finest film of the 1930s. Masterful director Frank Borzage made wonderful films about the Depression, and with MAN'S CASTLE he created a fairy tale amidst the hardships of the era.

Loretta Young and Spencer Tracy have a wonderful chemistry between them, and they help make this movie a wonderful romance. Young's Trina is sweet and hopeful, while Tracy's Bill is gruff and closed-off. The dynamic between the character creates one of the most difficult, but in the end rewarding relationships on film.

MAN'S CASTLE is the most soft-focus pre-code film I've seen. Borzage uses the hazy and dreamy technique to turn the squatter's village where Bill and Trina live into a palace. The hardships of the Depression are never ignored, in fact they're integral to the film. But as Borzage crafts the film as a soft focus fairy tale, the love between the characters makes the situation seem less harsh. It makes the film warm and affectionate.

MAN'S CASTLE is the crowning achievement of the pre-code era. If only more people could see it.

Frank Borzage picks his own classic "7th Heaven" (1927) and modifies early talkies with a contemporary crime touch.

[SAMTHEBESTEST · 7/10 · 1 February 2023]

Man's Castle (1933) : Brief Review -

Frank Borzage picks his own classic "7th Heaven" (1927) and modifies early talkies with a contemporary crime touch. "Stiffs don't squeak," she says at the end to blow me away. Typical, but highly commendable for the early 30s. Man's Castle comes as a good surprise in the pre-code era with a decent story, good performances and brilliant direction. Frank Borzage's "7th Heaven" had me in tears of joy. I couldn't have asked for a better mix of two classics, "Sunrise" (1927) and "The Wings," and Borzage did an exceptional job. With Man's Castle, he takes the story to a different ghetto. A con artist and tramp, Bill, takes a homeless woman, Trina, into his depression camp cabin. Trina falls in love with Bill, but he never has a habit of getting hooked on one place or one woman. Later, just as he finds showgirl LaRue, who will support him financially, Trina becomes pregnant. Bill had to choose between his responsibility and his freedom. What will he choose, and will it be good for him and Trina? See the answers in the climax. Spencer Tracy's Bill goes to a different league altogether, as I have never seen this man in such a different avatar in the early days of his career. What he did later, over the next two decades, remains a chapter in the history books. Tracy gives a rock-solid performance as a cold-hearted tramp. Even though you know he is not a good, sophisticated guy, you still love his attitude. Loretta Young looks young, and her youthful beauty is simply gorgeous. The way she looks at Bill, the way she talks to him and talks about him, optimistically, everything is so adorable. As expected, Glenda Farrell's club dame is sexually attractive. Marjorie Rambeau goes with the most powerful line in the film, as I mentioned above, right in the beginning, while Walter Connolly's lines from the Bible are equally strong. Borzage knew his stuff and the changing phase of cinema, so he conducted enough contemporary material to deliver a fine drama.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest.

My first Borzage

[bob998 · 9/10 · 27 December 2015]

My parents lived through the depression, and they would have found themselves right at home in the world of Man's Castle. Bill's roughness is entirely appropriate for the times, given that he must live by his wits in a difficult world. Trina's sweetness seems a bit unreal, given the cynicism of our times, but I believed in it because Loretta Young gives a very natural and moving performance. She was only 20 and acts like a much more experienced performer.

The romanticism of the movie is wonderful to see. Borzage--whose work I'd never seen before--believes in what he's doing and makes us believe in it too. Roosevelt is fresh in the White House and there is a spirit of hope and renewal in the country. I could criticize the editing for being a little too abrupt (cutting the film down to fit the B part of a double-bill), as an example the scene with Bill and Fay in her rooms, but that doesn't detract from my admiration.

Excellent pre-code Great Depression film that focuses on the poor folk

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 2 October 2012]

The film begins with a woman (the beautiful Loretta Young) who is starving because this is at the height of the Great Depression. She meets up with a man who looks rich (Spencer Tracy), in a park. He takes her to an expensive restaurant for dinner. But, it turns out he is just as poor as she is. After bilking the restaurant out of dinner, they return to his shack down along the river, and she stays the night (this is pre-code), falls deeply in love with him, but does so with a great deal of stress because she realizes that while he loves her, he is also a man who has a strong bent toward being free. And that is the crux of the film, and the first reason I give this film bonus points -- I know the feeling. I have been in two relationships where my partner wanted to be free almost as much as he wanted to be in a relationship. And, it was a constant struggle for both of us. So, in that sense, this is a really "real" dilemma for both characters.

The other reason this film earns some bonus points is that it is at least a bit unique. Stop and think of what group of people are usually portrayed in Depression-era films -- it's usually gangsters or high society people. In contrast, in this film the people depicted are primarily honest people living in the slums of the Depression.

Now, the film loses a few points, too. For one thing, some of the transitions between shots from different angles are very sloppy. But, this was only 1932, so I can let that slide...a bit.

Spencer Tracy's acting here (he's one of my two favorite actors) is very good, considering this is early on in his career. You begin to see elements of the Tracy we came to know throughout his film career. Loretta Young is not only beautiful, but perfect in this role. I have mixed feelings about Marjorie Rambeau's portrayal of an alcoholic, though her part is central to the plot. Walter Connolly is very good here, though I noted his poor teeth, and found that distracting. This role is a bit different for him, so it's nice to see him in something this is not a comedy.

And one of the joys of this film is that it's pre-code, but not in your face about it. As Tracy says early in the film, "No female has to starve in a town like this." And then there's the nude swimming scene...although, trust me, you won't see anything. And the fact that Young becomes pregnant later in the film. And of course, all this was filmed at a point when the real Tracy and the real Young were having a torrid affair.

Although I won't put this film up to an "8", it is darned good and well-worth watching. You're likely to learn something about the Great Depression, to boot.

Love amidst poverty

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 13 August 2018]

Yet another film recommended in the "recommended for you" section, and interest was immediately high. Being someone who likes Spencer Tracy in many things and that 'Man's Castle' was a relatively early role for him and a largely forgotten film. Was also interested in seeing a young Loretta Young in a period where her acting for most people here seemed to appeal more than her later roles.

'Man's Castle' is a very intriguing and to me pretty impressive film. Not perfect (one can see why it won't work for some) or an all-time classic and all have done better work, but it has a lot of great things and charms and deserves to be seen more. 'Man's Castle' has a theme of love amidst and against poverty, very much relevant then in 1933 and still something that can be related to today in having to overcome love in face of adversity and dire circumstances, so it was a film that wasn't hard to relate to.

It is a shame that despite lovely photography, 'Man's Castle' is visually quite primitive. With a shantytown setting that doesn't look authentic at all and instead looking studio-bound on a modest at best budget and the miniature use looks pretty phoney.

At times too, the character of Bill can be hard to take with it being overdone.

However, the two leads are wonderful, with Tracy at his aggressively passionate and Young giving one of her most charming and winsome performances. Their chemistry is unlikely at first but is suitably complex and has passion. There is fine support from Glenda Farrell, Marjorie Rambeau and Walter Connolly.

Frank Borzage, a sensitive and deserving-of-more-credit director, directs sensitively as ever, the film is scripted thoughtfully and with emotional impact and the story always engage and is both charming and moving. Sentimentality doesn't get too much generally or get too hard to stomach to me, though the ending goes a little overboard.

On the whole, very well done and well worth seeing. 8/10 Bethany Cox

man's castle

[mossgrymk · 6/10 · 3 December 2023]

The key word in the title is, of course, "man's". In other words, I know the director is the great romantic auteur, Frank Borzage, and I'm supposed to genuflect and all but, frankly, I found the grinding, pervasive sexism in this film rather off putting. From Spencer Tracy's inability to express affection toward Loretta Young without resorting to threats of physical violence to Young's praying for a son rather than a daughter (perhaps fearing a pasting from ol Spence if it's a girl) the movie is one long paean to macho husband, who is allowed to cheat with Glenda Farrell, and passive, doormat wife, at home making stew and babies. The few times Borzage's direction and Jo (can I borrow an "e"?) Swerling's screenplay escape the sexist confines of the Bill/Trina relationship and concentrate on the miseries and occasional splendors of depression era NYC, like in Farrell's music hall number or a great scene where Bill is kicked off a kid's baseball team for flubbing a fly ball, the movie holds interest. And the acting is good for the most part with Tracy in his usual fine form when playing a brooding everyman and a nice, sexy, pre code turn by Glenda. But after about twenty minutes I longed for Hepburn to come by and give Bill/Spence what for. C plus.

Good Romantic Stuff

[galileosmith-563-329386 · 8/10 · 17 January 2013]

I saw this film on TCM the other evening and I really liked it. I think I particularly enjoyed Loretta Young's character. Anyway, the acting is that pre-Method type of acting that was pretty much the standard in films before 1950. For modern, young audiences it might take a little adjustment. It's like riding in a classic car; you don't do it for the luxury or to get some place in a hurry, but just to enjoy it.

It is a pre-code film so the two lead characters were seen actually living together, and pawing each other. Then, before the wedding of the two, the female character announces that she is pregnant. It presents Tracy's character with a dilemma; does he do what his gut wants him to do, or does he do what his heart wants him to do.

Despite the old-fashion acting, I thought that Tracy and Young showed a lot of chemistry together. I actually became a bit mesmerized by the two's performances.

Spencer Tracy and Loretta Young

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 22 November 2023]

Trina (Loretta Young) is starving and gets invited to a fancy dinner by a well-dressed Bill (Spencer Tracy). It turns out that he's also poor and lives in a shanty camp. He needs some money and goes serve a summon to starlet Fay La Rue (Glenda Farrell).

My first impression is that Bill is a free spirit from a 70's movie. The melodrama does take over and his charm fades. He's a complicated guy. This is pre-Code. There is a re-release version that is post-Code. I don't think the audience appreciated this back in the day. He is definitely a 70's anti-hero character. The only thing is that I would like a more tragic ending.

Castle on the Hudson

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 15 September 2011]

Wearing a tuxedo during the Depression, smoking Spencer Tracy (as Bill) picks up starving Loretta Young (as Trina) while feeding popcorn to some curiously adorned pigeons in Central Park. He turns out to be poor, also, and was only dressed as an advertising street-walker. They go skinny-dipping in the Hudson River and shack up in New York City's "Hooterville". Ms. Young becomes thoroughly domesticated; she cooks, irons, and decorates Mr. Tracy's shanty with fancy curtains. Tracy treats Young badly in the shack and sees other women on the side, like sexy singer Glenda Farrell (as Fay La Rue)...

At home, Young resists skuzzy neighbor Arthur Hohl (as Bragg) and befriends boozy Marjorie Rambeau (as Flossie). They add danger to our drama. Babe Ruth fan Dickie Moore (as Joey) and a reverend Walter Connolly (as Ira) are also in the cast. Tracy and Young connected in real life, too. Indeed irresistible, Young weathers the Depression looking never less than perfect in cinematographer Joseph August's soft focus. Director Frank Borzage's "fairy tale" romance is lauded in some quarters, not mine. There are some good production values, and Mr. Hohl contributes a good supporting performance.

***** Man's Castle (10/27/33) Frank Borzage ~ Spencer Tracy, Loretta Young, Arthur Hohl, Marjorie Rambeau