Lure of the Wilderness *** (1952, Jean Peters, Jeffrey Hunter, Constance Smith, Walter Brennan) – Classic Movie Review 8978

Jean Renoir’s 1941 black and white American début movie Swamp Water is remade here in director Jean Negulesco’s 1952 romantic adventure drama Lure of the Wilderness with the definite advantage of Edward Cronjager’s excellent Technicolor location photography. Both films were made on location, the first one controversially as Renoir battled the studio boss to do it.

Though this strong story (by Vereen Bell) was better filmed before as Swamp Water back in 1941, it still holds up quite well, as young hunter Ben Tyler (Jeffrey Hunter) stumbles on an escaped criminal Jim Harper (Walter Brennan appealingly re-creating his original role, though the character name is changed) who keeps him prisoner in early 1900s Georgia.

Brennan has been wrongly convicted of murder and hiding out in the swamps for years with his daughter Laurie Harper (Jean Peters), so Tyler (Hunter) tries to prove Harper (Brennan)’s innocence by selling skins and hiring a clever attorney.

Sherman Sanders (Square Dance Caller) was also in the original. Also in the cast are Constance Smith, Jack Elam, Tom Tully, Harry Shannon, Will Wright, Harry Carter, Pat Hogan, Al Thompson, Robert Adler, Robert Karnes, George Spaulding, Walter Taylor and Ted Jordan.

It was shot at Okefenokee Swamp, Florida; Okefenokee Swamp Park, U.S. 1 South, Waycross, Georgia; and Waycross, Georgia (for the town scenes).

Lure of the Wilderness is directed by Jean Negulesco, runs 93 minutes, is made and released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Louis Lantz, is shot by Edward Cronjager, is produced by Robert L Jacks, is scored by Franz Waxman and is designed by Lyle Wheeler.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8978

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