Gone to Earth
1950

Gone to Earth

1950

110 Minutes

American Version The Wild Heart is 82 Minutes which added scenes of Jones and cut some of the original film

By 1950 there was still austerity and rationing in Britain as a result of the war. Tthe Archers, despite this decided to stay with the Technicolor melodramas that had been the pinicale of their work. They decided to adapt Mary Webb's 1917 novel Gone to Earth . Alexander Korda (London Films) made an agreement with David O. Selznick and his soo to be wife, Jennifer Jones to deal with the production and distribution> Jones was to play the heroine Hazel Woodus. The film was beset with problems from the start with Selznick meddling and demanding more close ups of Jones and sending endless memos which the Archer's ignored. This was relatively easy since Selznick had become ill and returne to America. Some other perhaps more minor problems plagued the film. As the film neared completion, the British Field Sports Society took objection to its perceived anti blood-sports stance and members were advised not to lend hunting packs to the production company. Powell appealed for help in The Times (October 1949) and a Cardiganshire farmer finally lent his own hounds to finish the shoot.

In 1950, Selznick attempted to sue Korda's company for not keeping to the spirit of Webb's novel, but was overruled in court. Consequently, London Films was given the British rights to the film, while Selznick retained the American rights – including the right to reedit the film and reshoot, add or delete scenes. As a result, the 110 minute film was cut to less than 82 minutes (although the American version runs 82 minutes with some scenes that were added). Selznick later hired Hollywood director Rouben Mamoulian to re-edit the film, which was released in the USA as The Wild Heart and is the version most Americans are aware of because it was the one shown on TV. It is, because of the cuts, often seen as unintelligible.

Background to the film

Once again, the problem of post war economics lies at the base of much of the film’s history. A poorly thought out British tax on American films (with the purpose of keeping them out of the country so that money would not flow to America), met with an embargo from America blocking the import of British films. This resulted in Korda trying to establish a British movie industry. In addition to running up a huge number of debts in order to make big budget films that would replace the American ones. This is why he entered into a number of alliances with American distributors, including David O. Selznick. (Dinner at Eight, King Kong, A Star is Born, Gone with the Wind, Rebecca, Spellbound, Duel in the Sun, The Paradine Case, Portrait of Jennie, The Third Man) Selznick was, as noted, involved with one of his actresses at the time, Jennifer Jones. He would later marry her. There was a deal struck between Korda and Selznick to trade of films for distribution. The Korda films would star Jennifer Jones, and the two agreed on stories. Selznick became more and more unhappy with Gone to Earth and finally there were law suits. Selznick got the rights to re-edti the film and to add scenes the American version (The Wild Heart)

Mysticism and Art

Almost all films that deal with mysticism can be seen as dealing to some degree with art. The mystical and the artistic basically remain outside the realm of science. We mentioned Malinowski earlier and his distinction between the sacred and the profane and how these symbolic distinctions may be seen as part of the way people shape the world. Within the realm of the sacred one may find both organized and more personal or individualistic beliefs. In some senses one distinguishes magic from religion on the bases of whether one is involved with solitary acts (magic) or communal ones (religion) In the Powell/Pressburger films there is a definite division in the world into an art/mundane world. The sacred and profane appear in Black Narcissus; the magical and profane in I Know Where I am Going; Art and the mundane in Red Shoes and in all of these one can see a pattern of either writing or being attracted to writings in which two worlds are established and contact between the two are tricky and often having to choose between them is dangerous.

Art all that matters: Sunset Blvd. Line “You see, this is my life! It always will be! Nothing else! Just us, the cameras, and those wonderful people out there in the dark!... All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up”

Here mysticism (what Christianity seems as superstition) and Christianity appear as opposites

AFTER THE FILM

Once again, some people reappear: David Farrar, Esmond Knight, Brian Easdale (music) Christopher Challis (cinematography), Hein Heckenroth (production design)

MANY LOCALS hired as extras

Music: use of local choir (compare I Know Where I’m Going) At one point Powell felt that the local church choir didn’t sound ragged enough for a country choir and suggested they sound more like “country folk” to which they responded they WERE country folk (similar problems with Brigadoon, nowhere in Scotland looked Scottish enough so it was done on a set.)

Composed film: Powell was around when sound appeared. What impact might this have had on his idea of a “composed film”

What does the title mean? (Hint: It isn’t a sci fi film)

It is the call from fox hunters meaning that the fox has returned to its borrow and is no longer accessible.

Sacred and profane rear their heads again in a slightly different guys. Here organized religion (the minister) is closer to the profane when contrasted with a kind of naturalistic mysticism.

There seem to be a number of odd characters often appearing briefly in some of the Powell/Pressburger films whose etioloigy and reason for being seems unclear – the village idiot in A Canterbury Tale, the shepherd boy in A Matter of Life and Death who seem to have almost some mystical significance. In some sense they are attached to the earth Banquo says of the witches in Macbeth “The earth hath bubbles, as the water has,

And these are of them. Whither are they vanish'd?” In many ways Hazel is one of these characters but now the main one.

Attachment to earth also found in autochthonous creatures (Levi Strauss) What does she represent?

The mystical and romantic. She is tied in many ways to that side of the dichotomy – her mother is a Gypsy, she has a book about spells (remember I Know Where I’m Going and the curse, the counting of the roof beams etc.). Her involvement with animals and seeing them as related to people, all are part of nature

What Does the Parson represent?

More organized religion. Orderliness, propriety, less emotional although pulled more to emotionality near the end.

What does Redding represent?

More wild side, individualistic, passionate,

Landscape

Shifts between civilization and savagery

Use of Color

But Hazel's rebellion is finally steeped in blood and suffering. Designer Hein Heckroth's use of reds for Hazel's costumes hint at her final doom, while Brian Easdale eloquently scored this fate in his music.

Again the woman is torn between two equally unacceptable forces and plunges to her death (Black Narcissus, Red Shoes) Fallen women? Perhaps not as the term is usually used.

Thematically the questions of being foreign have become less significant in terms of country, but appear more in terms of mysticism vs. non mystic. That is to say the boundaries involved are now more between different spaces (sacred/profane; magical/religious; art/mundane

Like Vicky in The Red Shoes, there is some question whether she falls or leaps to her death – in effect, returning to earth.

This is of course, the 3rd film in which a woman torn between two different spheres or symbolic regions, dies by falling: Black Narcissus, Red Shoes and Gone to Earth.

Shares something in common with the village idiot, shepherd boy