The Good Earth (movie) - Definition and Overview

The Good Earth (1937) is a movie based on the 1931 book of the same name by Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl S. Buck about Chinese peasants who try to survive a locust invasion. All the characters were played by western actors. Luise Rainer won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the film.

The film also starred Paul Muni. It was adapted by Felix E. Feist (uncredited), Talbot Jennings, Tess Slesinger and Claudine West from the play by Donald Davis and Owen Davis, which was in itself adapted from the novel. The film was directed by Sidney Franklin, Victor Fleming (uncredited) and Gustav Machaty´ (uncredited).

Besides Rainer's Oscar, the film also won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. It was nominated for Best Director, Best Film Editing and Best Picture.