This is an alright film. It consists of very interesting visuals, most notably the way Cortez and Laughton captured the sequences taking place on / in water. It would appear that the fishing scene was an influence for the beginning and end of Tarkovsky’s “Solaris.” The acting is as good as any Hollywood picture during the time period. I found the story fairly anti-climactic and at some points down right silly, particularly the terms of his mother’s marriage and her instant submissiveness. I don’t think anyone could really argue the lack of development there. The children also barely seemed phased by the execution of their father and disappearance of their mother. However, my issue with most pre-1960’s American films has always been their lack of a natural and believable feel, so I will not single out this picture. I would imagine a fairly common analysis made about the film would be the conflict it expresses between the desires of a pure devotee of god and one claiming to be so for the sake of opportunism. That would be an evaluation I agree with and I don’t find much else worth considering on the subject of supposed underlying meanings. 3 stars.