The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-06
Our Daily Bread
Social Film With
Limited Outlook
OUR DAILY BREAD, written, di-
rected and produced by King
Vidor, released by United Artists.
At the RialtO.
Reviewed by
ED KENNEDY

As KING VIDOR'S picture Our
"A Daily Bread" definitely strives
to offer "a way out" of the present
depression, it seems to me that
the first thing to discuss is its
political orientation.
Although the scope Of this film
is limited, I don't think there can
be any dispute that this picture
offers the usual fascist remedy,
% Back to the soil, ("theres
nothing to worry about, as long as
there's the earth'O, and az, what
we need is boss with a big stick
to direct U.S."
One might say that with such
an underlying theme the picture
has very little to offer. That, of
course, is true in respect to class
conscious workers, but let us look
further. While the picture has sew
eral lines that specifically advo-
cate the necessity for boss, the
entire action itself tends to belle
this. 1t is readily observable that
the director himself is still some
what muddled politically.
However, there are good points
in this picture. For example, it
does show, and quite convincingly,
that collective will and labor does
succeed. And can succeed, quite
we'll without bankers, bosses, and
their bourgeois laws. 1t should also
prove to many petty bourgeois SCOT
fers "at the will to work of the
unemployed" that given a chance
the workers could very easily run
their own country and well, too.
THE story is about young fellow,
l out Of work (he's married. who
is offered a tumble-down farm to
run. He has no idea of how to go
about this, so he invites in pass
ing farmer, who, down and out too,
is on rs way to try his luck in
the gold-felds. Thhy decide to
put up a sign inviting all passing
unemployed, who want to work and
have a trade, to come in and give
a hand; thereby setting up Co
operative village of their own. Vidor
has also included scene of the
farmers militantly bidding in the
farm, when it has been "Sheriffed."
Things progress nicely until the
drought and the inevitable Holly
wood blonde threaten. But the
hero comes to his senses in time
and goes back to his farm and the
organization of his dispirited fol-
lowers to fight the drought.
I wonder whether Vidor was con-
scious that the means his people
used to get wafer to their dying
corn was exactly the same method
used this spring by the Commu-
mist Party of the Soviet Union.
Everyone works frantically for five
days and nights to dig three-mlle
trench to irrigate their fields. Vidor
brings his whole picture together
with this very thrilling climax. one
can feel the whole audience dig
ging with the workers and cheer
ing them on. And then to cap off
this great struggle, The water, with
a breath taking swirl, PUSHES
through the ditch and over the
parched fields. A very stirring finale,
indeed.
IN THIS program there is shoro
U BY Margaret Bourko-White
called Red Republic" 1t has some
very good photography in it, none
Of it very new, however. The most
important part of this picture is
the narrator, who for the first
time to my knowledge makes very
sympathetic comment on the Soviet
Union. and not only officially recog-
nizes that the Communists are
building Socialism, but also speaks
very highly Of what they are &C
complishing.