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The Good Earth ()

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Although married Chinese farmers Wang and O-Lan initially experience success, their lives are complicated by declining fortunes and lean times, as well as the arrival of the beautiful young Lotus.
Directors:
Writers:
Stars:
Awards:
  • Won 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.
  • See more »
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Photos and Videos

47 photos | 2 videos

Cast verified as complete

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Wang
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O-Lan
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Uncle
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Lotus
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Old Father
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Cuckoo
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Aunt
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Elder Son
Suzanna Kim ...
Little Fool
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Ching
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Cousin
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Liu - Grain Merchant
William Law ...
Gateman
Mary Wong ...
Little Bride
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
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Revolutionary Army Captain (uncredited)
Philson Ahn ...
Man (uncredited)
Caroline Chew ...
Teahouse Dancer (uncredited)
Mitzi Cummings ...
Chinese Girl (uncredited)
Jack Don ...
Chinese Peasant (uncredited)
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Teahouse Singer (uncredited)
Roland Got ...
Younger Son (uncredited)
Betty Soo Hoo ...
Baby (uncredited)
James B. Leong ...
Chinese Peasant (uncredited)
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Chinese Girl Singing and Playing Mandolin (uncredited)
Bessie Loo ...
Chinese Woman (uncredited)
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Chinese Farmer (uncredited)
Clarence Lung ...
(uncredited)
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Boy (uncredited)
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Banker (uncredited)
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Elderly Chinese (uncredited)
Miki Morita ...
Wang's House Guest (uncredited)
Lily Mui ...
Child (uncredited)
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Chinese Boy (uncredited)
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Chinese Peasant (uncredited)
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Chinese Man (uncredited)
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Chinese Woman (uncredited)
Marcella Wong ...
Baby (uncredited)
Shirley Wu ...
Baby (uncredited)
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Chinese Peasant (uncredited)

Directed by

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Sidney Franklin
Victor Fleming ... (uncredited)
Gustav Machatý ... (uncredited)
Sam Wood ... (uncredited)

Written by

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Talbot Jennings ... (screen play) &
Tess Slesinger ... (screen play) and
Claudine West ... (screen play)
 
Pearl S. Buck ... (based upon the novel by)
 
Frances Marion ... () (uncredited)

Produced by

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Albert Lewin ... associate producer
Irving Thalberg ... executive producer (uncredited)

Music by

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Herbert Stothart

Cinematography by

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Karl Freund ... (photographed by)

Editing by

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Basil Wrangell ... film editor
Ben Lewis ... supervising film editor: MGM (uncredited)

Editorial Department

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Slavko Vorkapich ... montage
Peter Ballbusch ... montage (uncredited)
Tom Held ... editing staff (uncredited)
Ben Lewis ... assistant editor (uncredited)
Charles T. Trego ... montage (uncredited)

Art Direction by

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Cedric Gibbons

Costume Design by

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Herbert Neuwirth ... (uncredited)

Makeup Department

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Jack Dawn ... makeup artist (uncredited)
Max Factor ... makeup artist (uncredited)
Charles Gemora ... makeup artist (uncredited)
Cecil Holland ... makeup artist (uncredited)
Norbert A. Myles ... makeup artist: Charley Grapewin (uncredited)
Web Overlander ... makeup artist (uncredited)
Mike Ragan ... makeup artist (uncredited)
Robert J. Schiffer ... makeup artist (uncredited)
William Tuttle ... makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management

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Dave Friedman ... production manager (uncredited)
Frank Messenger ... production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Hugh Boswell ... assistant director (uncredited)
Fred Niblo ... second unit director (uncredited)
Hezi Tate ... assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department

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A. Arnold Gillespie ... associate art director (as Arnold Gillespie)
Harry Oliver ... associate art director
Edwin B. Willis ... associate art director
Tom Gubbins ... props: China (uncredited)
F. Suie One ... props and Chinese artifacts (uncredited)
Frank Tang ... calligrapher (uncredited)

Sound Department

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Douglas Shearer ... recording director

Special Effects by

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James Basevi ... special effects: locust sequence (uncredited)
Dave Friedman ... special effects: locust sequence (uncredited)
James Curtis Havens ... special effects: locust sequence (uncredited)

Stunts

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Jewel Jordan ... stunt double: Luise Rainer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

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Charles G. Clarke ... photographer: China (uncredited)
Ben M. Cohen ... assistant camera (uncredited)
Russell A. Cully ... photographer: China (uncredited)
George W. Hill ... supervising photographer: China (uncredited)
Mason Hooper ... photographer: backgrounds and process shots (uncredited)
Walter Lundin ... camera operator: Cedar City (uncredited)
Gustav Machatý ... director of process photography (uncredited)
Ray Ramsey ... camera operator (uncredited)
H.C. Smith ... photographer: China (uncredited)
Harkness Smith ... assistant camera (uncredited)
Frank Tanner ... still photographer (uncredited)
'Newreel' Wong ... photographer: China (uncredited)

Casting Department

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Chester Gann ... casting: Chinese extras (uncredited)
William Grady ... casting: Chinese extras (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Dolly Tree ... wardrobe
Tom Gubbins ... costumes: China (uncredited)
Eugene Joseff ... costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department

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Wayne Allen ... orchestrator (uncredited)
Leonid Raab ... orchestrator (uncredited)
Clifford Vaughan ... orchestrator (uncredited)
Edward Ward ... composer: additional music (uncredited)

Additional Crew

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Donald Davis ... adapted for the stage by
Owen Davis ... adapted for the stage by
Victor Adams ... stand-in: Paul Muni (uncredited)
Marian Ainslee ... screenplay constructor (uncredited)
Pearl S. Buck ... technical advisor (uncredited)
Marc Connelly ... screenplay constructor (uncredited)
Howard Dietz ... press representative (uncredited)
Jules Furthman ... screenplay constructor (uncredited)
DuBose Heyward ... screenplay constructor (uncredited)
James Lee ... technical advisor (uncredited)
Clarence Locan ... publicist (uncredited)
Frances Marion ... screenplay constructor (uncredited)
John M. Nickolaus ... laboratory supervisor: sepia tinting (uncredited)
Bessie Ochs ... technical advisor: China (uncredited)
Yee On ... supervisor of landscapes (uncredited)
'Dutch' Pettit ... pigtail braider (uncredited)
Franz Schulz ... screenplay constructor (uncredited)
Frank Tong ... assistant: Harry Oliver (uncredited)
Y.S. Tsao ... technical advisor (uncredited)
Ting-Hsiu Tu ... technical advisor (uncredited)

Thanks

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Irving Thalberg ... we dedicate this picture to the memory of (as Irving Grant Thalberg)
Crew verified as complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

The story of a farmer in China: a story of humility and bravery. His father gives Wang Lung a freed slave as wife. By diligence and frugality the two manage to enlarge their property. But then a famine forces them to leave their land and live in the town. However it turns out to be a blessing in disguise for them... Written by Tom Zoerner

Plot Keywords
Taglines China . . . . Land of unrest . . . tomorrow they may Starve ! See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • Visages d'Orient (France)
  • La terre chinoise (France)
  • Die gute Erde (Germany)
  • La buena tierra (Spain)
  • Visages d'Orient (Belgium, French title)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 138 min
Official Sites
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Box Office

Budget $2,800,000 (estimated)

Did You Know?

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Trivia Special effects experts were unable to produce an authentic-looking locust plague. Just as they were about to abandon the scene, they received word that a real locust plague was taking place several states away. A camera crew was rushed to the scene to capture it on film. See more »
Goofs (at around 2h 5 mins) Wang Lung is walking through the locust storm in his wheat field. He picks up a few men who have fallen down into the thick pile of locusts. In frustration, Wang shouts "I said save the wheat! Save it!" At this moment, a man dressed in 1937-era American clothing walks across the scene from left to right, at the top third of the screen. He is wearing a white hat and appears to be smoking a cigarette or cigar held in his left hand. See more »
Movie Connections Edited into Dragon Seed (1944). See more »
Crazy Credits Introduction played with opening credits: The soul of great nation is expressed in the life of its humblest people. In this simple story of a Chinese farmer may be found something of a the soul of China - its humility, its courage, its deep heritage from the past and its vast promise for the future. See more »
Quotes Wang Lung: [must sell his land to feed his family but the buyers take advantage of him] Thieves! Thieves! And well you know I must sell.
O-Lan: No! Not the land. We'll not sell the land. We'll keep it. We'll go south and when we return, we'll still have the land.
Uncle: But I've arranged it. I brought these men here. You MUST sell!
O-Lan: Is it your land? Did you buy it bit by bit? The land is our life... and it's better to go south... or die walking... than to give it to you for nothing.
See more »
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