City Girl

Plot

Lem Tustine, a naive young man from a Minnesota wheat farm, is sent to the bustling city of Chicago by his domineering father to sell the family's harvest. While waiting for wheat prices to rise, he meets Kate, a lonely and disillusioned waitress who longs for the peace of a rural life away from the city's mechanical grind. The two fall deeply in love and marry, but their return to the farm is met with hostility from Lem's father, who views Kate as a gold-digging 'city girl' and subjects her to emotional and physical abuse. As a devastating hailstorm threatens the crop and a group of rowdy harvesters harasses Kate, Lem must finally find the courage to stand up to his father and protect his wife. The film concludes with a hard-won reconciliation as the father realizes Kate's true character and the family unites to face the future together.

Historical Background

Released in 1930, 'City Girl' sits at the crossroads of the silent and sound eras. The Great Depression had just begun, and the film's themes of agricultural struggle and economic survival resonated with the era's anxieties. It also reflects the cultural tension between the rapidly industrializing American cities and the traditional agrarian lifestyle of the Midwest. Historically, it marks the end of the 'German invasion' of Hollywood, where directors like Murnau were initially given total creative freedom but were eventually reined in by the studio system's shift toward standardized, dialogue-driven 'talkies.'

Making Of

The making of 'City Girl' was a clash between the artistic purity of European Expressionism and the commercial demands of Hollywood. Murnau utilized 'unchained camera' techniques, moving the camera through wheat fields to create a sense of lyricism. However, the production was plagued by the 'talkie' revolution. Fox Film Corporation was undergoing a hostile takeover, and the new management had little patience for Murnau's expensive, silent 'art' films. The studio's intervention—cutting the film's length and adding awkward dialogue scenes—led to a permanent rift between Murnau and William Fox. This was Murnau's penultimate film; he died in a car accident in 1931, shortly before the premiere of his final film, 'Tabu.'

Visual Style

Photographed by Ernest Palmer, the film is a masterclass in naturalistic lighting and camera movement. It features sweeping tracking shots through the wheat fields that were technically revolutionary for 1928. Murnau and Palmer used deep focus and forced perspective to give the farm an epic, monumental scale, while the city scenes in Chicago utilize harsh, mechanical shadows to contrast with the open, sun-drenched landscapes of Minnesota.

Innovations

The film is notable for its sophisticated use of the 'moving camera' in an outdoor, rural setting, a feat that was difficult with the bulky equipment of the time. It also utilized early Movietone sound-on-film technology for its synchronized score and the (now lost) dialogue sequences. The production's use of authentic, large-scale agricultural machinery for the harvesting scenes added a documentary-like realism that was rare for Hollywood dramas of the period.

Music

The original 1930 part-talkie version featured a synchronized Movietone score by Arthur Kay and a theme song titled 'In the Valley of My Dreams.' Modern restorations of the silent version often feature new scores, most notably by Christopher Caliendo or John F. Paul, who composed a 'Symphony of Wheat' to accompany the film's pastoral imagery.

Memorable Scenes

• The Wheat Field Run: Lem and Kate arrive at the farm and run joyously through the waist-high wheat as the camera tracks alongside them in a single, fluid motion.
• The Chicago Diner: A frantic, rhythmic sequence showing the mechanical and soul-crushing nature of Kate's life as a waitress before meeting Lem.
• The Hailstorm: A tense, climactic sequence where the family and harvesters race against time to save the crop from a violent storm, mirroring the emotional turmoil of the characters.
• The Slap: A shocking moment where Lem's father strikes Kate, marking the low point of her reception at the farm and the catalyst for Lem's eventual rebellion.

What Critics Said

In 1930, critics gave the film mediocre reviews, largely because the part-talkie version felt disjointed and outdated compared to all-talking features. The Athena Press noted that local Oregonians who worked on the film felt it 'did not come up to expectations.' However, modern critics like David Kehr have hailed it as a work of genius, particularly praising the 'lyrical sequence' of the couple running through the wheat. It currently holds a very high reputation among film historians as one of the most beautiful films of the silent era.

What Audiences Thought

The film was a commercial failure in 1930. Audiences had rapidly lost interest in silent films or 'part-talkies,' preferring the novelty of full dialogue. In modern times, the film has found a dedicated audience through screenings at film festivals and high-quality home video releases, where it is appreciated for its emotional depth and stunning visuals.

You Might Also Like